Grade 3 · Week 10pronouns
The Case of the Lost Lunchbox
Students read a short story about Maya and Jordan hunting for a lost lunchbox, then answer five questions identifying personal, possessive, and relative pronouns, with teacher and homeschool guidance included.
On screen - your kid, alone
- 1Day 1 - Meet the story
- 2Day 2 - Word work
- 3Day 3 - What it means
- 4Day 4 - Fix & re-read
- 5Day 5 - Show what you know
Offline - with you
Print the pages for offline work together; the answer key is for you.
Sit beside your child and read the story aloud together, then say, "Let's hunt for pronouns — words that take the place of names or things, like he, she, we, mine, or who." A strong answer shows your child can point to a pronoun and tell you who or what it stands for; for example, "her" refers to Maya, and "that" in "the one that had stickers" points back to the lunchbox. Mix in a few quick questions as you go: "Whose lunchbox is it? How do we know?" and "What kind of pronoun is whose in 'a teacher whose arms were stacked with books'?" Good answers connect the pronoun to a clear noun in the same or previous sentence. If your child gets stuck, slow down and underline the noun first, then circle the pronoun, and draw an arrow between them so the match is visible. End by asking your child to write one new sentence about the story using a possessive pronoun (like mine or theirs) and one using a relative pronoun (who, whose, which, or that).
The Case of the Lost Lunchbox
Maya stared at her empty desk and gasped. Her blue lunchbox, the one that had stickers all over the lid, was missing! Her best friend Jordan slid into the chair beside her. "Don't worry," he whispered. "We will find it before recess ends." They hurried to the cafeteria first. Maya scanned the long tables while Jordan checked beneath the benches. A lunch monitor, who was wiping down a counter, smiled kindly at them. "Have you seen a blue lunchbox that has silver stickers?" Maya asked politely. The monitor shook her head. "Sorry, sweetie. Try the hallway." Jordan grabbed Maya's elbow, and they raced out the door together. Their sneakers squeaked against the shiny floor. The hallway was nearly empty, but a shiny corner caught Maya's eye. It was only a juice box, not hers. Jordan suddenly remembered something important. "The lost-and-found bin! Mrs. Patel keeps it near the office." They sprinted down the hall, dodging a teacher whose arms were stacked with books. The bin was overflowing with hats, gloves, and forgotten sweaters. Maya dug through the pile carefully. Suddenly, she spotted a flash of bright blue. "That's mine!" she cheered, lifting the lunchbox high above her head. The stickers were hers, and so was the dented corner she knew by heart. Jordan grinned proudly. "See? I told you we would find it." Maya hugged the lunchbox close and thanked him for helping her search. The recess bell rang exactly as they stepped outside, their mystery officially solved with seconds to spare.
What this lesson checks
- Grammar usage: Read this sentence from the passage: "The stickers were ___, and so was the dented corner she knew by heart." Which pronoun correctly fills the blank to match the passage?
- Grammar usage: The sentence below uses the wrong pronoun. Rewrite it so the pronoun matches who it stands for: 'Maya grabbed her lunchbox because him belonged to Maya.'
- Grammar usage: Which sentence uses a relative pronoun correctly?
- Grammar usage: Read this sentence from the passage: 'They sprinted down the hall, dodging a teacher ___ arms were stacked with books.' Which pronoun correctly fills the blank?
- Grammar usage: The sentence below breaks a pronoun rule. The pronoun does not match who or what it stands for. Rewrite the sentence so the pronouns are correct. Then explain in 2-4 sentences which pronouns you changed and why, using the passage to help you. Sentence to fix: 'Maya and Jordan checked the cafeteria, but her could not find his lunchbox anywhere.'