Learning Fairness from Literature
Grade
Grade 3
UNIT
7
•
Fairness
In Unit 7, Lesson 1, “Learning Fairness from Literature,” students will learn examples of fairness from a contemporary work of children’s literature. Students will also write sentences demonstrating their comprehension of the word fairness. Finally, students will practice reading and conversation skills by sharing sentences with classmates.
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SUGGESTED TIME:
20 minutes
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Listen to a read aloud to reinforce understanding of English sentence structure, syntax, and grammar
- Practice reading aloud to a partner to support reading comprehension
- Spell, define, and give an example of fairness
- Compose sentences that demonstrate comprehension of the word fairness
- Demonstrate understanding of standard English sentence structure and grammar in writing and speaking
- Practice reading and conversation skills by sharing sentences with classmates
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
- Book: Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh or
- Video: Read aloud of Separate Is Never Equal by Los Robles Ronald McNair (~13 min)
- Prohuman Grade 3 Unit 7 Worksheet 1: Learning Fairness from Literature
VOCABULARY:
Fairness: I treat everyone the same. If someone has been left out, I bring them in.
Segregation: The practice of separating people by race in businesses and public places such as pools, libraries, and schools. Segregation was outlawed in the entire United States by the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
ELA COMMON CORE STANDARDS MET
CHARACTER AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL (CSED) NATIONAL STANDARDS MET
LESSON PROCEDURE
Today we will learn about fairness.
- Write fairness on the board.
- Ask students the definition of fairness.
- Give students the definition: If someone has been left out, I bring them in.
- Tell students that there was a time in America when kids from different ethnicities could not go to school together. That was very unfair and today kids of all different ethnicities go to school together.
- Today we will learn about one girl whose family worked hard so that all students could learn together, without having separate schools.
- Read the book: Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh or
- Play the video: Read aloud of Separate Is Never Equal by Los Robles Ronald McNair (~13 min)
- Ask students to answer the questions on their worksheet.
- Ask students to read their answers to a partner.
GRADE 3 UNIT 7 WORKSHEET 1: LEARNING FAIRNESS FROM LITERATURE
Fairness: I treat everyone the same. If someone has been left out, I bring them in.
Segregation: The practice of separating people by race in businesses and public places such as pools, libraries, and schools. Segregation was outlawed in America by the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
ACTIVITY:
- Who are the main characters in the story?
- What was not fair in this story?
- Why is segregation unfair?
- How did Mr. Mendez work for fairness?
- What is the central message of the story?
Prohuman K-12 Curriculum © 2025 by Prohuman Foundation is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
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