3rd+Grade+Read-Alouds

9/03/09 from Zell

Diana and I are reading Ramona, Age 8 as our first read aloud of the year. We love it and so does the class.

9/2/09 From Ellen It would be great if each teacher could share the list of books that they currently read aloud and let us know which ones they will definitely use and whether they are looking for new ideas.

Another idea:

__Jack Plank Tells Tales__ by Natalie Babbitt (2007)

Jack Plank is a well liked pirate but not good at plundering. He comes ashore and to find another line of work. Each chapter is the story of his attempt at a new profession. He gets lots of advice from people at Mrs. DelFresno's boardinghouse. Each chapter is the story Jack tells his friends over dinner.

And an FYI - I read Knight of the Kitchen Table by Jon Scieszka to the third graders at the beginning of the year.

9/1/09 From Ellen Here is a list I created for Jen. I paraphrased her comments as best as I can remember in blue type as an example of how we can work together to create a good list. It helps if each person signs their additions or uses a different color or font. My comments are in green.

The unexpected delivery of a large crate containing an Antarctic penguin changes the life and fortunes of Mr. Popper, a house painter obsessed by dreams of the Polar regions. Jen loves this. __** My mistake. Can't use it for 3rd grade because second grade uses it. **__ ||
 * || Atwater, Richard. __Mr. Popper's penguins.__ Boston : Little, Brown and Co., 1988, c1938.

Poppy the deer mouse urges her family to move next to a field of corn big enough to feed them all forever, but Mr. Ocax, a terrifying owl, has other ideas. Jen want to read it. ||
 * || Avi, 1937-. __Poppy.__ New York : Orchard Books, c1995.

When he decides to turn his fifth grade teacher's love of the dictionary around on her, clever Nick Allen invents a new word and begins a chain of events that quickly moves beyond his control. Not sure about it as a read aloud. I've seen it on a lot of read aloud lists but I've never read it aloud either. Kathy, Robin and Barabra used Frindle as a read aloud in the library. The librarians even had pens made that said Fridle on the side. I enjoyed listening to it. DF ||
 * || Clements, Andrew. __Frindle.__ New York : Alladin, 1996.

Small for his age but artistically talented, twelve-year-old Jeremy Thatcher unknowingly buys a dragon's egg. Didn't love it. ||
 * || Coville, Bruce. __Jeremy Thatcher, dragon hatcher.__ Harcourt, c1991.

Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni describes her first summer in the town of Naomi, Florida, and all the good things that happen to her because of her big ugly dog Winn-Dixie. 4th grade uses it for a project so no good for 3rd. ||
 * || DiCamillo, Kate. __Because of Winn-Dixie.__ 1st ed. Cambridge, Mass. : Candlewick Press, 2000.

The adventures of Despereaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the princess that he loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess, and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin. Love it. Read last year? ||
 * || DiCamillo, Kate. __The tale of Despereaux : being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread.__ Cambridge, MA : Candlewick Press, 2003.

Four children looking forward to an ordinary summer enjoy a series of fantastic adventures by double-wishing on an ancient coin. Read last year. I liked this as a third grade read aloud, I guess we'll have to wait a year if Jen read it last year. DF ||
 * || Eager, Edward. __Half magic.__ San Diego : Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1982, c1954.

In winning a medal she is no longer there to receive, a tight-lipped little Polish girl teaches her classmates a lesson. Love it. ||
 * || Estes, Eleanor, 1906-. __The hundred dresses.__ New York, : Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, [1974, c1944].

The first book of the chronicles of Narnia. Four English children find their way through the back of a wardrobe into the mysterious magic land of Narnia where they meet the wicked White Witch, and the golden lion, Aslan. Forgot about this one. ||
 * || Lewis, C. S. __The lion, the witch and the wardrobe.__ Macmillan, 1961.

The adventures of Sam, Anastasia Krupnik's younger brother, from his first day as a newborn through his mischievous times as a toddler. Read it last year. Kathy was hilarious when she read this in the library, may have been to second graders? DF ||
 * || Lowry, Lois. __All about Sam.__ Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 1988.

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle loves children, both good and bad. She never scolds, but has positive cures for children with special problems such as answering back or never wanting to go to bed. Read it last year. ||
 * || MacDonald, Betty Bard. __Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle.__ Philadelphia : Lippincott, 1975, c1947.

Homer's humorous adventures include a scene where he gets mixed up with an automatic doughnut-making machine. Wants to read it. ||
 * || McCloskey, Robert. __Homer Price.__ Viking, 1949.

Wilbur, the pig, is desolate when he discovers that he is destined to be the farmer's Christmas dinner until his spider friend, Charlotte, decides to help him. Use it for a class project. Third grade used to use this for a big project. When did it switch to second? DF It hasn't switched to 2nd. Third grade is the one that uses it for a class project. ER ||
 * || White, E.B. (Elwyn Brooks),. __Charlotte's web.__ [1st ed.]. New York : Harper, [1952].