Introduce the idea of functional text. Ask a student what he ate for breakfast, then begin a discussion of how his meal was prepared. If a recipe was involved, cite that as an example of a functional text. If not, discuss the recipe the factory used to make his cereal or toast, or whatever he ate.
Find an example of a functional text to share with the class. It can be a recipe, directions to make a craft or any clear and simple set of instructions. Try to make the topic relevant to third graders. This will increase the interest level in your lesson. For example, students are much more likely to want to make exciting Halloween costumes than to clean a carpet.
Discuss the elements of the text. Talk about how the information is presented in a logical sequence. Encourage the class to imagine what would happen if steps were left out, or if they were out of order. For example, consider trying a simple craft with out-of-sequence instructions, such as "glue eyes on puppet" followed by "cut eyes out."
Provide written instructions with your next art project. Have students make a puppet or something else that requires following sequential directions. Explain that this is a lesson in reading functional text, and that you will help students understand the writing but you will not explain how to complete the project.
Teach students strategies for keeping track of the functional text steps. For example, encourage students to check off completed steps and to write questions next to unclear tasks. Ask students to add or clarify steps on the instruction sheets as the need arises. This teaches students to think about the important text elements in a personal way.
Compare completed projects with the written instructions. Show the class a sample that you made after your students have finished the project. Discuss the clarity of the directions and any questions that you fielded multiple times.
Instruct your students to write a set of instructions for a friend. Students should be free to describe any activity or craft that is fun and can be completed in fewer than 10 steps. It could be a craft, directions to play a game or a simple recipe. Help students recognize logical order and missing steps when you discuss the papers in your writer's workshop or during discussion time.
Repeat Steps 4, 5 and 6 multiple times throughout the year. Use different projects to maintain interest. Emphasize following written directions on a daily basis.