Summer Reading List Entering Third Grade

Summer Reading List

Entering Third Grade

June 15, 2007 Dear Parents,

As the school year comes to an end, the teachers and administration are grateful for the strides the students made in reading this year and want to maintain their enthusiasm and interest in literature over the summer.

Enclosed you will find your child’s grade-level summer reading list. This list should be seen as a guide or a place to start when looking for books with your child. The books on this list are not required, but a suggested selection of quality literature available in local libraries. We are requiring that each child read a minimum of six books, either with an adult or individually. We encourage you to read additional literature with your child if you finish six books. In addition, students will be asked to complete the attached project and writing assignment for his or her grade level.

In this packet, you will also find a reading log on which your child should record the books read. Please add any additional books read independently or together to the book log. In addition to recording the books, your child should rate each book using the key at the bottom of the reading log page. The log must be signed by a parent and returned to school by Friday, September 14, 2007. Students will be recognized for their completion of the summer reading requirement.

We look forward to seeing you in September. Have a wonderful summer! Sincerely,

Tracy Bradley Jennifer Tress

Director Assistant Director

Summer Reading Instructions for Students Entering 3rd Grade

Students should read a minimum of six books. These books may include selections from the school’s grade level book list or other appropriate favorites. Please list the titles of the books on the book log provided in the packet.

II. Project/Writing

Choose a favorite book read this summer and complete ONE of the three project/writing assignments listed below. You may choose which project you would like to complete. This is a required summer assignment.

1. Create a life-size model of your favorite character in the required text. You may use any materials to complete the model. Be creative and have fun! Including paragraphs, write a 2 page creative writing piece to describe your character. Tell why you like him/her and explain their thoughts and feelings. Do you feel that you can relate to this character?

2. Create a sculpture of a character from the required text. Use any

combination of media or materials (clay, wood, wire, sticks, stones, etc.) Including paragraphs, write a 2 page creative writing piece explaining the development of the character throughout the book. How did the author use this character to develop the plot?

3. Create a book cover for the required text as it would look if YOU designed the cover. Please refer to the attached book cover guidelines. Use any media (pastels, colored pencils, etc.) for the illustration as you make the book cover interesting to a reader who would pick up the book. Include details about the author on the inside cover with a short summary of the book. Remember to include the title and author on the cover. Including paragraphs, write a 2 page creative writing piece from the perspective of a publisher who is trying to sell the book to a bookstore.

III. Procedure for Submitting Work

Your new teacher will collect the assignments and book log on Friday, September 14, 2007. Students should complete the assignments and will receive a certificate and reward in September. In the weeks to follow the start of school, your new teacher will ask you to share the project and writing assignment in class, as you discuss your thoughts and perspectives on the required text.

IV. Extra Credit

In addition to the project listed above, earn the opportunity to receive extra credit through the completion of additional 2 page book reports for other literature which you enjoyed this summer. You will earn extra credit for each submitted report. If you choose to do this option, please hand these reports in with the required assignments on September 14, 2007.

Park Street School

Summer Reading Log

Name ____________________________________

The following is a record of the books I have read this summer:

Title

I verify that my child read the books listed above.

Parent Signature___________________________________

Please use the following key to rate each book.

It was ok. I liked it. Super book!

READING CUES TO USE WHEN READING WITH YOUR CHILD ° Reading Cues

• Look at the beginning sounds

• Skip the word and read to the end of the sentence • Look for key words in the sentence

• Look for little words in bigger words • Does it make sense in the sentences? • Does it sound right?

• Go back and reread the sentence • Look at the pictures

° Reading Cue Questions

• Did that make sense?

• You said _______. What does that mean? • Have you heard a word like that before? • What would make sense here?

• What is happening in the story? Does this word make sense in the story?

° Questions for syntax cues

Did that sound right? •

• Would it be correct to say _________? hat fits? • Can you think of a better word t

ound right? • What word would s

° Ques onsti for visual cues • Did that look right?

• Do you know a word that looks like that?

at word? you know?

° Ques ns

acters in the story?

in order ing

° Ques ns ctions

• What do you notice about that word? • Do you notice something familiar about th • Do you see a part of the word

tio to build comprehension

• Can you tell me about the main char • How did that story make you feel? • Does that story remind you of anything?

• Start from the beginning and tell me the main events • Predict what will happen before you finish read

tio for self-corre • Were you right? • Why did you stop? • What did you notice? • What else could you try?

RECOMMENDED READING FOR ENTERING GRADE THREE

4 Vivid African folktales accompany bold illustrations. FOLKLORE

5 A mosquito's tall tale causes no end of trouble. FOLKLORE

le in her neighborhood when she tries to sell candy. Series. MYSTERY

Discover secrets of the ancient Egyptians. HISTORY

heatre, in which many of his works were performed. BIOGRAPHY / HISTORY

A mysterious crate arrives from Antarctica. FANTASY

eled alone through unexplored West Africa in 1893 and 1894. BIOGRAPHY

rtist finds his life work in the woods, studying and drawing birds. BIOGRAPHY

lans and adventures with his little brother Huey. Series. REALISTIC FICTION

ks of "Jack and the Beanstalk," including layout, scale, and point of view. ART

a homerun, but can he handle the pressure? REALISTIC FICTION / SPORTS

Aardema, Verna, Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa, 199

Aardema, Verna, Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears, 197

Adler, David, Cam Jansen & the Chocolate Fudge Mystery, 1993 Cam Jansen, the sleuth with the photographic mind, finds troub

Aliki, Mummies Made in Egypt, 1979

Aliki, William Shakespeare & the Globe, 1999

Text and illustrations tell the story of the well-known playwright, William Shakespeare, and of the famous Globe T

Atwater, Richard Mr. Popper's Penguins, 1938

Brown, Don, Uncommon Traveler: Mary Kingsley in Africa , 2000 Mary Kingsley, after a secluded childhood and youth, trav

Burleigh, Robert, Into the Woods, 2003 Audubon, famous naturalist and a

Cameron, Ann, The Stories Julian Tells, 1981 Julian’s tales of schemes and p

Christelow, Eileen, What Do Illustrators Do?, 1999

Two illustrators go through all the steps involved in creating new picture boo

Christopher, Matt, The Kid Who Only Hit Homers, 1972 Sylvester always hits

Cleary, Beverly, Ramona the Pest, 1968

Beezus is pestered by her younger sister, Ramona. Series. REALISTIC FICTION / HUMOR

Cleary, Beverly, Ribsy, 1969

Ribsy runs away from home when he is forced to have a bath. Series. REALISTIC FICTION / HUMOR

Cole, Joanna, The Magic School Bus in the Time of the Dinosaurs, 1994 Miss Frizzle is off again -- this time to prehistory! SCIENCE

Cooney, Barbara, Eleanor, 1996

Eleanor Roosevelt’s childhood is a curious combination of wealth and privilege, fear and loneliness, but this shy, awkward orphan grows into a confident, brave young woman with a remarkable future. BIOGRAPHY

De Paola, Tomie, 26 Fairmount Avenue, 1999

Newbery Honor - The author looks back to his kindergarten days and his move to a new house. Series. BIOGRAPHY

DiCamillo, Kate, Because of Winn-Dixie, 2000

Opal moves to a new town in Florida, where she finds a big, ugly dog abandoned in a Winn-Dixie store. REALISTIC FICTION

Farris, Christine King, My Brother Martin, 2003

The early life of Martin Luther King, Jr., as seen through the eyes of his older sister. BIOGRAPHY

Fisher, Leonard Everett, The Great Wall of China, 1986

Explore a wall that took a million workers ten years to build. HISTORY Golenbock, Peter, Hank Aaron, 2001

The Hall of Fame baseball player broke Babe Ruth's homerun record. BIOGRAPHY

Kerley, Barbara, The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins, 2001

In the 1800s, Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins used fossil information to build life-sized dinosaurs, giving people their first glimpse of these ancient animals. BIOGRAPHY

Krull, Kathleen, Wilma Unlimited, 1996

When four-year-old Wilma Rudolph became sick with polio, doctors told her she would never walk again. Wilma was determined not only to walk but to become the world’s fastest runner. BIOGRAPHY

Lester, Julius, John Henr , 1994

Jerry Pinkney brightens the steel-drivin’ legend with new art. FOLKLORE Lisle, Janet Taylor, The Lost Flower Children, 1999

Olivia and her small but difficult sister, Nellie, are sent to live with their great-aunt, where they discover a mystery in her overgrown and weedy old garden. REALISTIC FICTION

MacLachlan, Patricia, Sarah, Plain and Tall, 1985

Newbery Award - Sarah changes the life of a pioneer family when she goes west as a mail-order bride. Series. HISTORICAL FICTION

Roosevelt, Teddy, My Tour of Europe, 2003

Young Teddy Roosevelt kept a journal of his family's trip to Europe in 1869, where he and his siblings were tourists with a sense of adventure. BIOGRAPHY Rylant, Cynthia, High Rise Private Eyes: the case of the puzzling possum, 2001 Bunny and Jack investigate the disappearance of a trombone from Mr. Riley's music store. Series. EASY READER / MYSTERY

Schroeder, Alan, Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman, 1996

As a young slave, Araminta is punished for freeing muskrats from their traps. When she says she will run away, Old Ben begins to teach her the survival skills she will use as Harriet Tubman, the brave leader of the Underground Railroad. BIOGRAPHY

Scieszka, Jon, Knights of the Kitchen Table, 1993 Illustrated by Lane Smith

Joe, Sam, and Fred are sent back in time to find themselves face-to-face with giants, dragons, wizards, and the Knights of the Round Table Time Warp Trio Series. FANTASY

Sobol, Donald, Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective, 1963

Can you solve ten of Encyclopedia Brown's most baffling cases? Series. MYSTERY

Selden, George, The Cricket in Times Square, 1989

A Connecticut cricket sings in the New York subway. FANTASY Wilder, Laura Ingalls, Little House in the Big Woods, 1953

Laura Ingalls and her family grow up in the American wilderness. Series. HISTORICAL FICTION