Summer Reading
Flat Shoals Elementary, 3rd grade
Summer vacation is almost here
Now you and your child will have lots of time to read for fun. Reading for fun is the best way to practice, and practice definitely makes a better reader. Fun is the key word. Fortunately, access to great books is available this summer through the FSE ClassLink homepage (see below) and at our own Nancy Guinn public library. Check their website, www.conyersrockdalelibrary.org for updated information on opening, temporary library e-cards, and access to online resources.
Reading is a crucial skill, and there are several ways to make sure your child becomes a proficient reader:
1. Reading is a skill that must be practiced. It is important that your child reads every day, and it doesn't always have to be a book. You can practice reading at the grocery store, in the car, anywhere there is something to be read.
2. It is very beneficial to read to children. A child's listening vocabulary is bigger than their sight vocabulary. Reading a story aloud that is at a higher level than their own reading ability can help expand vocabulary and improve fluency.
3. Children should read books that are on their own reading level, but they should not be bound by that entirely in their book selections. They can get great satisfaction from choosing books that are interesting to them. Wanting to read that book that's a bit too hard right now can be a great motivator to keep working on reading skills.
4. Choose both fiction (made-up stories) and non-fiction (real information) books. Newspapers and magazines are great choices, too. Many kids enjoy book series, where many of the characters are the same in all of the books. Students who are ready should continue to read chapter books, building their reading endurance, but many picture books have great stories, too, and should not be seen as “too easy.”
5. Make reading fun! It should never be a chore to read a book. The goal of reading a book should not be to pass a test, but to enjoy a good story or learn something interesting.
RECOMMENDED BOOKS FOR RISING FOURTH GRADERS
Salt in His Shoes by Deloris Jordan
Me…Jane by Patrick McDonnell
A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon
Rules by Cynthia Lord
Thunder Rose by Jerdine Nolan
Alexander, Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday by Judith Viorst
Drita, My Homegirl by Jenny Lombard
We Can’t All Be Rattlesnakes by Patrick Jennings
The Gold Coin by Alma Flor Ada
Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki
Barefoot: Escape on the Underground Railroad by Pamela Duncan Edwards
The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo
How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O’Connor
Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl
Naming Liberty by Jane Yolen
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Frindle by Andrew Clements
The Wayside School series by Louis Sachar
Recommended Series for Rising Fourth Graders
SWINDLE
I Survived
I Survived
Series by James Patterson, author of Treasure Hunters, Jacky Ha-ha, and Max Einstein series as well.
EBooks
- Destiny Discover
- Tumblebooks
- MyOn
- PebbleGo (click on Capstone--Capstone Interactive library, login: flatshoals, school)
Contact information
Email: jokelley1@rockdale.k12.ga.us
Website: rockdale.itslearning.com