Students choose an animal and sort their research facts into branch boxes before they write a report. This 2-page 3rd grade planner names four branches, Appearance, Habitat, Diet, and Behaviors, each with prompts like "Is it a carnivore, herbivore, or omnivore?" A fifth box lets students invent a category such as Life Cycle or Predators, and each box can become one paragraph. It fits W.3.2.a and W.3.8. There is no answer key, since every student's facts will differ.
W.3.2.a
“Introduce a topic and group related information together; include illustrations when useful to aiding comprehension.”
The four branch boxes group related facts, and the directions tell students each box can become one paragraph.
W.3.8
“Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories.”
Students take brief notes from their research and sort them into the provided categories of Appearance, Habitat, Diet, and Behaviors.
Students name their animal on the Central Topic line under a picture of an elephant holding a pencil.
Four boxes with guiding prompts: size, colors, and fur, feathers, or scales for Appearance, continent and home for Habitat, what it eats for Diet, and whether it lives alone or in a group for Behaviors.
Students write their own branch name and add facts, with suggestions of Life Cycle, Predators, or Fun Facts.
Research block
Hand this out on the day students start reading about their animal. Model one note in the Diet box as a short phrase, not a copied sentence.
Library visit
Bring the planner to the school library. With a nonfiction book open, students can fill Habitat and Appearance quickly from photos and captions.
Drafting day
When students start the report, have them number the boxes in the order they want the paragraphs. The Make Your Own Category box often makes the best final paragraph.
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