Based on your query, I would recommend using a combination of Lessonplans.ai and Quillbot to create a leveled lesson plan from an article in the New York Times for your third graders.

Lessonplans.ai is an AI-powered lesson plan generator that can create a detailed, personalized lesson plan based on the topic, grade level, and objectives you provide. You can input the key points and objectives from the NYT article into Lessonplans.ai, and it will generate a complete lesson plan with engaging activities and resources. The generated lesson plans are customizable, allowing you to tailor them to your students' needs.

On the other hand, Quillbot can be used to simplify the language of the NYT article to a level suitable for third graders. Its paraphrasing tool can restructure sentences while maintaining their original meaning, making the content more accessible for your students. Additionally, the Summarizer tool can condense the article into a concise summary, which can be used as a reference during the lesson.

By using these two tools in combination, you can create a lesson plan that is not only tailored to your students' grade level but also based on current, real-world content.