Learning Curiosity from a Nonfiction Text
Grade
Grade 3
UNIT
4
•
Curiosity
In Unit 4, Lesson 2, “Learning Curiosity from a Nonfiction Text,” students will learn an example of curiosity from the life of a real person. By independently reading a nonfiction text, students will develop their reading comprehension skills. Finally, students will create sentences that demonstrate their reading comprehension and share their sentences with a partner.
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SUGGESTED TIME:
20 minutes
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Read a nonfiction text independently to develop reading comprehension skills
- Demonstrate understanding of the main idea of a nonfiction text
- Compose sentences that demonstrate comprehension of the word curiosity
- Demonstrate understanding of standard English sentence structure and grammar
- Practice reading and conversation skills by sharing sentences with classmates
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
- Video: Lewis Latimer: Black Inventor by Deeper Than Read (~6 min)
- Prohuman Grade 3 Unit 4 Worksheet 2: Learning Curiosity from a Nonfiction Text
VOCABULARY:
- Curiosity: I want to learn new things.
ELA COMMON CORE STANDARDS MET
CHARACTER AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL (CSED) NATIONAL STANDARDS MET
LESSON PROCEDURE
- Play the video: Lewis Latimer: Black Inventor by Deeper Than Read (~6 min)
- Have students read the nonfiction text on the worksheet, quietly to themselves. Circle the room to support the students.
- Have students write the answers to the worksheet questions.
- Have students share their answers with a partner.
GRADE 3 UNIT 4 WORKSHEET 2: LEARNING CURIOSITY FROM A NONFICTION TEXT
Curiosity: I want to learn new things.
NONFICTION TEXT: LEWIS LATIMER’S CURIOSITY
In 1848, Lewis Latimer was born to parents who had once been slaves. Growing up, Lewis faced many hard times due to anti-black racism, which means that people treated him badly because of the color of his skin. He enlisted in the Union Navy in 1864 at the age of 16. Lewis was very curious. He taught himself mechanical drawing and got a job at a patent law firm in Boston as a draftsman.
Lewis’s curiosity led him to help with many important inventions, including the telephone and the light bulb. Lewis also created his own inventions including an early air conditioning unit and an improved railroad car bathroom. In total, the United States government awarded him patents for seven of his inventions. Lewis Latimer is a symbol of curiosity. He helped to promote education and equal rights for all people.
Source: Lewis Latimer House Museum
ACTIVITY:
- Lewis Latimer was very curious. Name three things his curiosity led him to invent.
- Lewis became an inventor. What is one job that you might want to have when you grow up? Why might this job interest you?
- Why is it important to be curious?
- Is it important for everyone to serve and contribute to their family, school, community, nation, and globally?
Prohuman K-12 Curriculum © 2025 by Prohuman Foundation is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/