Grade 3 Skills Workbook (Unit 9)

Objective

Students will read informational text about the Age of Exploration and explain, using details from the text, why European explorers valued spices as much as gold.

Materials

• Grade 3 Skills Workbook (Unit 9) — worksheets 1.3, 1.4, and 1.1
• Pencil
• Lined paper (for exit ticket, if extra space is needed)

Warm-up (~5 min)

• Read aloud the passage on worksheet 1.3, "Introduction to The Age of Exploration" (the short passage about 1491–1492, Columbus, and explorers like Coronado, Cabot, Hudson, and Champlain).
• Ask students: "According to what I just read, what happened in 1492, and why was it important?" Take 2–3 quick verbal answers (no writing needed yet).

Main Activity (~25 min)

1. Hand out worksheet 1.4, "The Lure of Spices." Have students read the passage silently or take turns reading paragraphs aloud (about 10 minutes).
2. As a class, briefly discuss what the passage explains:
3. Why spices (peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon) were valuable in Europe 500 years ago (they were scarce and had to be imported from far away, like India and the Indies).
4. How red and white peppercorns differ (white peppercorns are red peppercorns with the outer hull removed).
5. What cloves are (dried flower buds) and how they're used.
6. What part of the plant cinnamon comes from (the bark, rolled into cinnamon sticks).
7. Distribute worksheet 1.1, "The Lure of Spices." Have students independently answer:
8. Question 1: What were European explorers looking for? (Students should use details from the 1.4 passage — gold, other precious metals, and spices like pepper, cloves, and cinnamon.)
9. Question 2: List a favorite spice from the selection (peppercorns, cloves, or cinnamon) and write three reasons justifying the choice, using details from the passage (e.g., how it's used, what it comes from, its flavor).
10. Circulate to make sure students are referring back to the 1.4 passage for their answers rather than guessing.

Wrap-up / Exit Ticket (~10 min)

• Have students finish writing their answer to Question 1 on worksheet 1.1 if not already complete.
• Exit Ticket: On a sheet of paper or the back of the worksheet, have each student write 1–2 sentences answering: "Why were spices as valuable as gold to explorers 500 years ago?" (Answer should reference scarcity/cost of importing spices, as explained in the 1.4 passage.)
• Collect the worksheets and exit tickets before students leave.

If Time Remains

• Have students look at the spelling word list from worksheet 1.2 (words with the /ue/ pattern spelled 'u', 'u_e', and 'ue', such as hue, perfume, continue, argue, rescue, issue). Call out a few words and have students spell them aloud or write them on scrap paper as quick practice.
• Alternatively, briefly introduce worksheet 2.1, "Second Sons" by asking students to predict, based on the title, what the next reading might be about (no writing required — just a class discussion).