Ready-to-teach lesson
ELA SKILL LESSON · GRADE 3
The House That George Built
State the Structure as a Rule
TIME
PRIMARY SKILL
OBJECTIVE
STUDENT EVIDENCE
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
30 minutes full · 15 minutes short Describe text structure as a usable rule State a repeated structure in one sentence precise enough to help predict what the text will do next.
A one-sentence structural rule and a prediction generated from it.
Can your description of the structure actually help another reader predict the next move?
Before teaching
Read or play the complete book before the timed lesson. Keep the book available so claims and evidence can be checked against the text.
- Materials:
- the book, Student Evidence page, pencil.
- Lesson sequence
- TIME
- TEACHING MOVE
- 4 min
- Look for recurrence Notice what the text does again and again.
- 7 min
- Separate pattern from content Identify the structural move that repeats even as the specific content changes.
- 7 min
- Write the rule State the structure as one usable sentence.
- 8 min
- Predict from the rule Use the rule to predict a plausible next structural move.
- 4 min
- Check and revise Compare the prediction with the text and refine the rule if it was incomplete.
ELA SKILL LESSON · TEACHER SUPPORT
The House That George Built
State the Structure as a Rule
Access routes
- SOLO
- Use the book independently to complete the evidence page. Require page-based support for the central claim.
- SUPPORTED
- Pause at the key evidence moments. Rephrase the task orally, then have students point to or record the evidence before explaining it.
- LISTENING
- Use narration and illustrations. Let students respond orally or by selecting from teacher-read options, then ask them to justify the choice from the book.
- EXTEND
- Ask students to test the skill on a second moment or explain why a tempting alternative answer is weaker.
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Teacher guidance
Keep the lesson on describe text structure as a usable rule. The source unit places this move inside Understanding Text Structure; this standalone version should still require evidence from the named book rather than general knowledge or memory.
Assessment
- The rule describes a repeating structural move, not just what happened on one page.
- A usable rule can generate a plausible next move.
- If prediction fails, students should ask whether the rule was incomplete or the text broke the
pattern.
Short route · 15 minutes 3 min - name/model the skill. 8 min - gather the minimum evidence required on the student page. 4 min - explain the answer and verify it against the book.
Watch for
A description of past pages that cannot be used to anticipate anything.
Source note
Extracted from the TumbleTA unit Understanding Text Structure, using its stated day focus, product, checkpoints, and/or strong-answer criteria. No regional standard is attached to this base skill lesson.
STUDENT EVIDENCE · GRADE 3
The House That George Built
State the Structure as a Rule
Name ______________________________________ Date __________________ Write the structural rule in one sentence. Use it to predict what should happen next.
- PART
- YOUR RESPONSE
WHAT REPEATS
THE RULE
MY PREDICTION
AFTER CHECKING
EXIT CHECK
My rule is usable because ______________________________________________________________.
TEACHER KEY · GRADE 3
The House That George Built
State the Structure as a Rule
Strong response
A one-sentence structural rule and a prediction generated from it.
Expected evidence
- The rule describes a repeating structural move, not just what happened on one page.
- A usable rule can generate a plausible next move.
- If prediction fails, students should ask whether the rule was incomplete or the text broke the
pattern.
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Watch for
A description of past pages that cannot be used to anticipate anything.
Independent success
The student completes the required evidence product and can explain how the evidence supports the skill claim without relying only on recall or a teacher-supplied answer.
Unit source
Understanding Text Structure · The House That George Built by Suzanne Slade
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