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Third Grade Books for Back to School: Great 3rd Grade Reads!

Looking for some new back to school book ideas? These books are a perfect way to start off the year with your 3rd grade students. Teachers can use these books during the first weeks as read alouds linked to writing, art, and teambuilding activities.
These super books for back to school are perfect for 3rd grade students. Teachers can add these back to school book ideas to their first week reading list and use them as classroom read alouds linked to art projects, teambuilding activities, and back to school writing focused on ideas for writing. Click for details and links. #thirdgrade #education #backtoschool #education #backtoschoolbooks

There’s a lot of great books for back to school, but once your kiddos hit third grade, they’ve already been introduced to some of the classics (First Day Jitters is no longer surprising). Here are three lesser-known, but excellent options for great back to school books to show those third grade students they ain’t seen nothing yet.

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Back to School Book #1: The Big Orange Splot

After Mr. Plumbean’s house is splashed with bright orange paint, he decides to continue the color and creates a house that represents him and all his dreams.  The Big Orange Splot is great book for talking about positive individual differences and is perfect to use as inspiration for a back to school dream house art project. This is a perfect first week art project that doubles as a get to know you activity. Have students introduce themselves to classmates using the details they chose to include in their dream house. It also makes for a great first month bulletin board.

Back to School Book #2: Friends to the End for Kids

The black and white animal pictures in Friends to the End for Kids are to die for!  Your students willl love the silly and serious animal pictures.  Show students the cover of the book and then put out copies of the pictures.  Then have students talk to classmates around the room about what they think might be the caption (knowing the theme of the book is friendship) under their picture.  It gets the kids talking and they love to see what the author actually wrote under their favorite picture (usually the cat in goggles).  This is also an excellent mentor text to use when talking about using pictures to jump start ideas for writing, so you can come back to it as a familiar text later in the year.

Back to School Book #3: Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge

Love, love, love Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge!  It’s a perfect book to use to talk about memories and connections with others’ personal experiences.  You can also use it to introduce an object guessing game – every student brings an object to class during the first weeks and tells classmates what memory or experience the object represents.  It’s perfect to use as a mentor text for personal narrative writing and I love the pictures as well as the story.  This one is truly a fave for any time of year!

If you’re interested in more ideas for simple summer projects, or items you can make or buy for your 2-3 classroom this summer to help save some sanity in the fall, head to the Summer Tasks for Teachers Post HERE.

Have a fab day Super Teacher!

0 Comments

  1. Good luck on your move, it seems to be the season for it! I am just unpacking our house aftermoving interstate, such a JOB! It has taken me a week to get through nearly all of it and I am finally up to unpacking my office. I have been doing lots of relief (subbing) since we got to our new home and I am hoping to pick up a contract soon. Best of luck finding a new job.
    Tania
    Mrs Poultney's Ponderings

  2. Good luck in your move–and hang in there. My first year I taught, I was hired TWO days before school started–hired on a Friday and started on that Monday. So, hang in there!!

    I forgot all about Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge–cute story!!

    ღDeAnne
    First Grade and Fabulous

  3. Hang in there, Katie!
    You're right, Michigan schools get out later, but it also means the school year starts later-ALWAYS after Labor Day as per state law (in public schools, my private school starts Aug 19). Most districts have internal postings up right now. It's only a matter of days before the external postings are put up. Make sure you're getting your resume in the Kalamazoo Area Consortium: http://www.applitrack.com/kalamazoo/onlineapp/default.aspx That's the only way to get an interview!

  4. Welcome to Michigan! I saw your comment on my blog and just wanted to say HI! Where are you in Michigan? If you're near me (Ann Arbor) I'll keep my ears open for districts that are hiring!

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