Lesson
1
:

Learning Fairness from Literature

Grade

Grade 3

UNIT

7

Fairness

Last Updated:

June 5, 2025

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.

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:

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

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.1

Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.2

Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.3

Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.10

By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 2-3 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.3.3

Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.3.3.C

Decode multisyllable words.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.3.3.D

Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.3.4

Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.3.4.A

Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1.B

Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1.C

Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to the remarks of others.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1.D

Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.3

Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.6

Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.1

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.2

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.3

Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

CHARACTER AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL (CSED) NATIONAL STANDARDS MET

Moral Character A3

Understand and explain the expression “I have the courage to stand up for what is wrong or unfair”

Moral Character B3

Provide an example of a friend or role model who “stood up” for what he or she thought was wrong or unfair

Civic Character A1

Understand the idea of fairness and the consequences of not being fair, as it relates to breaking rules, playing favorites, or taking advantage of others

Civic Character A4

Explain why it is important for everyone to serve and contribute to their family, school, community, nation, globally

Civic Character B1

Describe how a role model exemplifies fairness

Civic Character B6

Describe how a role model volunteers and contributes to the common good

Social-Awareness A2

Describe how a person will likely feel when being bullied or left out of an activity or group

Social-Awareness A3

Recognize examples of stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice

Social-Awareness A5

Explain what empathy means (e.g., the ability to sympathetically understand and personally identify with the emotional states, needs and feelings of others)

Interpersonal/ Relationship Skills A3

Understand and recognize the characteristics of healthy relationships (e.g., honesty, compromising, sharing, encouragement)

LESSON PROCEDURE

Today we will learn about fairness. 

  1. Write fairness on the board. 
  2. Ask students the definition of fairness.
  3. Give students the definition: If someone has been left out, I bring them in.
  4. 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.
  5. Today we will learn about one girl whose family worked hard so that all students could learn together, without having separate schools.   
  6. Read the book: Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh or 
  7. Play the video: Read aloud of Separate Is Never Equal by Los Robles Ronald McNair (~13 min) 
  8. Ask students to answer the questions on their worksheet.
  9. Ask students to read their answers to a partner.

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES - SUGGESTIONS

  • Play the video: Voices of History: Sylvia Mendez Education Week (~2 min).
  • Talk with your students about times you have seen examples of people demonstrating fairness. You could give examples of family, friends, historical figures, or current public figures.
  • Talk with your students about times when you have demonstrated fairness, despite hardships.

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: 

  1. Who are the main characters in the story? 


  2. What was not fair in this story?


  3. Why is segregation unfair?


  4. How did Mr. Mendez work for fairness?


  5. What is the central message of the story?

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/

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