Graphic organizer Grade 3 Social Studies & Civics
Who Keeps Havenreach's Water Running: A Grade 3 Organizer
A grade 3 question-and-evidence organizer on four water department jobs in a fictional town, with a fact sheet students quote to support each answer.
Objectives
- Students will answer six questions about town water jobs using a fact sheet.
- Students will copy the sentence that supports each of their answers.
- Students will name one way a person can prepare for work at a water department.
Vocabulary
Key words: operator, sample, license, apprentice
Teacher overview
This organizer is a three-column question-and-evidence frame built on a short fact sheet about the water department of Havenreach, a fictional town. For each question, students write their answer in the middle column and copy the sentence that proves it in the right column, which is the habit this grade's reading standard asks for. Many third graders picture a single person, often a plumber, doing everything a water system needs, so the fact sheet names four separate jobs and the work each one actually does during a normal week. The last row is deliberately about preparation, because the paths into this field genuinely differ: some workers start right after high school and earn a state license by exam, others complete a two-year program, and engineers finish four years of college.
Organizer
Read the fact sheet. Then fill in the middle column and the right column for each question.
Fact sheet: the Havenreach water department
Havenreach is a made-up town. Its water department has four jobs.
Plant operator. The operator runs the machines that clean the town's water. The operator checks the water all day and writes down what each meter says. To run the plant alone, an operator must earn a state license by passing a test. Many operators start right after high school and learn on the job.
Water tester. The tester drives around town and fills sample bottles. Back in a small lab, the tester checks each sample for germs and for chlorine. Most testers finish a two-year college program first.
Line crew leader. The line crew digs up broken pipes and fixes hydrants. The leader decides which street the crew will work on first. Many crew members learn as apprentices, working beside a skilled worker for pay.
Engineer. The engineer draws the plan for a new pipe or a new tank. The engineer works out how wide each pipe must be. An engineer goes to college for four years and keeps learning on the job.
All four jobs matter, and all four help keep the water in Havenreach safe.
| Question | My answer | The sentence that shows it |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Who runs the machines that clean the town's water? | ||
| 2. What must an operator earn before running the plant alone? | ||
| 3. Who fills the sample bottles from around town? | ||
| 4. What does the line crew dig up and fix? | ||
| 5. Who draws the plan for a new pipe or tank? | ||
| 6. Name one job a person can begin right after high school. |
From Water for Schools (waterforschools.org). This material is in the public domain (CC0) and may be copied, edited, and shared freely.
Completed Exemplar
| Question | My answer | The sentence that shows it |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Who runs the machines that clean the town's water? | The plant operator. | "The operator runs the machines that clean the town's water." |
| 2. What must an operator earn before running the plant alone? | A state license, earned by passing a test. | "To run the plant alone, an operator must earn a state license by passing a test." |
| 3. Who fills the sample bottles from around town? | The water tester. | "The tester drives around town and fills sample bottles." |
| 4. What does the line crew dig up and fix? | Broken pipes and hydrants. | "The line crew digs up broken pipes and fixes hydrants." |
| 5. Who draws the plan for a new pipe or tank? | The engineer. | "The engineer draws the plan for a new pipe or a new tank." |
| 6. Name one job a person can begin right after high school. | Plant operator. A line crew member can also start as a paid apprentice. | "Many operators start right after high school and learn on the job." |
Differentiation
Support
Give students the fact sheet with each job's paragraph numbered, and tell them which paragraph holds each answer. Let students underline the sentence in the fact sheet and write only its first three words in the right column.
Extension
Ask students to write two new questions about the fact sheet, trade with a partner, and check that the partner's answer really matches a sentence in the text.
ELL supports
Pre-teach operator, sample, license, and apprentice with a photograph or sketch for each, and post the four job names as headers on the wall. Allow the middle column to be answered with a job name alone, and let students point to the supporting sentence instead of copying it.
Extensions
Invite a worker from the local water or sewer department to visit, and have students prepare one question each from the organizer's format, then record the answer and the exact words the visitor used.