Third Grade Favorites

A long time ago some smart guys wrote the Preamble to the Constitution. You have probably read it before, but do you know what it means? And did it ever make you laugh? Now it will! Perfect for inspiring discussion in classrooms and around kitchen tables, this fun-filled and cheerfully illustrated look at the Preamble provides an accessible introduction to America’s founding ideals for citizens of “all” ages. Includes a glossary of terms and a foreword by the artist.

3 – 5

We the Kids

The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States
Illustrator: David Catrow
We the Kids

The Sound of All Things

The Sound of All Things

By:  Myron Uhlberg Illustrator: Ted Papoulas
Grades: 2 – 5
A hearing boy translates the soundscape of a day trip to Coney Island in its heyday for his deaf parents in a picture book saturated with color and memories. “Tender.” -Kirkus, starred review

Standards:

RL.3.7. Explain how specific aspects of a text’s illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting).

https://shop.scholastic.com/teachers-ecommerce/teacher/books/the-sound-of-all-things-9781338264838.html

Uhlberg, M., & Papoulas, T. (2016). The sound of all things. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree.

It’s 1860, and a new mail service is starting up. Fearless young riders will carry mail from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, in less than 10 days! If you join, you’ll have to cope with long hours in the saddle, floods, snow, outlaws, and even a brief war with Native Americans. Have you got what it takes?

Key Features

Perfect resource for reluctant readers with:

  • humor and history tied to curriculum
  • entertaining sidebars to pique reader’s curiosity
  • comprehensive glossary to support content
  • index to make navigating subject matter easier

Common Core Connections

  • Social studies nonfiction about ancient people, places, and events that meets students’ need for complex informational texts
  • A glossary of domain-specific vocabulary words which connects to Language standards for Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
  • Sidebars and humorous illustrations provide text features that help students meet Informational Reading Anchor Standard 7, locating information relevant to a given topic efficiently

Grades: 3 – 5

You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Pony Express Rider!

By:  Thomas Ratliff Illustrator: Mark Bergin
You Wouldn't Want to Be a Pony Express Rider!

 

In this well-structured presentation, Gibbons explores the complex relationship between seeds and plants in a simple, concise format. This book gives young readers an interesting look into the basics of plant reproduction, pollen transference, seed dispersal and germination. A great first look at botanical science, with Gibbons’ characteristically vivid illustrations. Plant this one in your science collection.

Standards:

RI.3.3. Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.
RI.3.5. Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently.

Grades: 1 – 3

From Seed to Plant

By:  Gail Gibbons
From Seed to Plant

Moonshot

By:  Brian Floca Illustrator: Brian Floca
Moonshot
Grades: 2 – 5
Simply told, grandly shown, here is the flight of Apollo 11. Here for a new generation of readers and explorers are the steady astronauts, clicking themselves into gloves and helmets, strapping themselves into sideways seats. Here are their great machines in all their detail and monumentality, the roar of rockets, and the silence of the moon. Here is a story of adventure and discovery – a story of leaving and returning during the summer of 1969, and a story of home, seen whole, from far away.
2010 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book

Standards:

RI.3.7. Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).

FLOCA, B. (2019). MOONSHOT: The flight of apollo 11. S.l.: ATHENEUM CHILDRENS BOOKS.

Fiction

Ruby the Copycat

Ruby the Copycat