Reading

= READING JOURNEYS =

February 2010


For our Oregon Trail study, students are reading **//If you Traveled West in a Covered Wagon//** by Ellen Levine. This book is just one of a Scholastic series where various authors have written about different people and times in our history in a unique "question and answer" format. This provides students with information in a more personal and interesting manner. As is always the case with our units of study, there are numerous other titles on the Oregon Trail for students to read during their independent reading time.

During our study of Presidents, students will also be reading **//If You Grew Up with George Washington//** and //**I****f You Grew Up with Abe Lincoln**//. Our third graders have also picked Presidents names "out of a hat" and will be researching and writing informational paragraphs to share with the class.

Caldecott and Newbery Award Books
We're off to a fresh start and this January the third graders will be doing lots of fun things! First, they will spend the entire month reading **Caldecott** and **Newbery** award-winning books. We look forward to January 18 (Martin Luther King Day) when we will learn what books from 2009 are this year's winners. To view or download the list of winners from 1938-2009, click the following:



= December 2009 =



December book choices for students included:

Horrible Harry and the Holidaze
The Christmas Dolls Goliaths Christmas Cam Jansen and the Snowy Day Mystery

= = = October 2009 =

October is the month for mysteries. Students will choose the books they would like to read during DEAR and for homework. These books include a range of reading levels, as well as interests. Titles they will be choosing from for their independent reading are:

The Kids of Einstein Elementary: //Titanic Cat// Bailey School Kids: //Aliens Don't Carve Jack-o-lanterns// Calendar Club Mysteries: //The Case of the Back-to-School Burglar// Calendar Club Mysteries: //The Case of the Missing Pumpkins// Calendar Club Mysteries: //The Case of the Sneaky Strangers// //Encyclopedia Brown Sets the Pace//

During our regular "Reading" time, we will have group discussions using //Investigating Mysteries// and //Viking It and Liking It// (Time Warp Trio series). In our groups we will be discussing parts of the book (covers, summaries, title, and copyright page), as well as story starters, written dialogue, characters development, the main idea, character development, setting, sequencing, drawing conclusion and making inferences.