THIRD GRADE BOOK PROJECTS
Third grade is an exciting year of reading a variety of genres! Third
graders
read and do a project for six books during the school year. A different
project is done for each book. Each book must be from a different genre. The
genres include animals, realistic fiction, non-fiction, biography, mystery,
and fantasy.
Here are the directions and requirements for each book project.
From the choices given in the packet the student will choose 4 different
projects to share their books. Each book and method of sharing must be
approved before beginning a project. A planning sheet will be distributed in
advance of the project due date for your child to complete and return. When
the approval is returned, the student may start the project.
These are the due dates. Students will share that day or one of the
following
days of that week. Please mark your calendars. Projects are due on the
following Wednesdays:
October 15
January 21
March 11
May 6
Students do the work at home. They may use supplies from the classroom or
from home. Presentation of every project will include a 2-3 minute oral
summary of the book, and sometimes discussion of how a project was
completed.
Please have your student practice at home for a smooth delivery of the oral
presentation.
Please save this packet so your child can read the directions before
beginning work. Contact me if you have any questions. Any change in your
project must be approved by me before beginning the project.
WRITTEN BOOK REPORT
1. Choose a book that you have read and have liked.
2. Write the title of the book on the top line and underline it. Skip a
line and write the author under the title.
3. Skip a line. Write a summary paragraph about the book. Be sure your
paragraph has a main idea. The other sentences will tell about the main
idea.
Your paragraph can be about one of these things:
-the topic of the book
-the main events that happen in the book in the order that they happened
4. Write a paragraph about your reaction to the book. Write so that someone
else will want to read the book too.
CROSSWORD
1. Make a list of 20 key words that remind you of the book you read.
2. You may get graph paper from the classroom. Then write the words on the
graph paper making the crossword design. Be sure to use all capital letters
when you write the words.
3. Outline each word in the puzzle by drawing a line on top of the graph
paper line around each word. Use a ruler so that your lines are straight.
This is your answer sheet.
4. Number the words going across first. Write the number of the word in the
upper left corner of the first letter of the word. Next, number the words
going down. If the number for the first letter of the word going down is
already there, keep that number. If there is no number already in the box,
give the word a new number.
5. On a separate piece of paper, list the clues for the words ACROSS. Use
the
number in the box of the first letter in the word in the puzzle for the clue
for that word.
6. List the clues for the words DOWN. Be sure the numbers of the clues match
the words in the puzzle.
7. Copy the outline of the puzzle on another sheet of graph paper. Use a
ruler to draw the lines. Add the numbers in the upper left corner of the
box.
This is the blank puzzle to be done.
8. Write a title for the puzzle. It can be the same as the title of the book
you read.
9. Write your name on the top of each sheet--the clues, the blank puzzle,
and
the answer sheet.
10. Be prepared to tell a 2-3 minute summary of the book. It should include
the characters, setting, problem, and solution if the book is fiction. If
it's non fiction, the summary will include the main idea, 3-5 facts or
events
from the book and a closing. Use the words you chose for your crossword in
your summary.
BOARD GAME
1. Create a board game using the character and the setting from the story
you
read.
2. Use buttons, bottle caps, or other small pieces for the markers.
3. Use a spinner or dice for the number of spaces the pieces move.
4. Draw the board on heavy paper. Make the pieces move through places or
events that were in the story.
5. You may need to make up question and answer cards to go with the game.
6. Include the set of rules, the game board, and the pieces in a baggie. Be
sure your name and the name of the game are on the board and on the baggie.
7. Prepare a summary of the book on a 4 X 6 card. It should include the
characters, setting, problem, and solution if the book is fiction. If it's
non fiction, the summary will include the main idea, 3-5 facts or events
from
the book and a closing.
DIORAMA
1. Trace the bottom of the shoe box on a plain piece of paper. Cut out the
shape. Make sure it fits into the bottom of the shoe box. Draw and color the
background or setting of the scene on this paper. Glue it in the shoe box.
2. Cut out the bottom of the box.
3. Draw, color, and cut out the characters. Attach L-shaped strips of heavy
paper to the back of each character. Glue each character to the bottom of
the
box. Do this for any other props you would like to add to make your scene
realistic.
4. Make a card to be displayed with your diorama. Write the title of the
book, the author, and your name on the card. Write a summary that tells what
the book is about on the card. It should include the characters, setting,
problem, and solution if the book is fiction. If it's non fiction, the
summary will include the main idea, 3-5 facts or events from the book and a
closing.
ACT OUT A CHAPTER
1. Choose an event from the story you read. If more than one character
appears in the scene, have classmates who have read the same book take the
other parts.
2. Dress up and use props to act out the action of the story. Practice many
times so that everyone knows what to do. You may use cards to help you
remember your parts. Keep your performance under 10 minutes.
3. Be ready to tell a summary of your book to the class. It should include
the characters, setting, problem, and solution.
MOBILE
1. After reading your book, list the most important characters in the book,
the setting, and any special objects that were part of the story. For
instance, in Tales of the Fourth Grade Nothing, Peter Hatcher, Fudge,
Sheila,
and Turtle were important characters. Central Park and the apartment
building
in New York City were the setting. Objects that were important were Fudge's
tooth, a rock, and ??? (You think up the rest...)
2. After listing all the possible characters, settings, and objects you can
think of, decide which ones best represent this book. Choose 5-7 to
illustrate, drawing both the front and back views. Your items should be
colored on both sides.
3. Now you have another choice you can make little figures out of paper,
material scraps, or clay, or you may draw the figures. If you draw the
characters, objects, and/or settings, use cardboard or sturdy paper. Be sure
to draw and color the front and back of each figure.
4. Hang the items from a dowel or hanger.
5. Add a card with the book title, author and your name.
6. Once you have tied the pieces to the mobile and have each piece balanced,
place a drop of Elmer's glue on the string so that it doesn't slip on the
stick.
7. Carry this to school in a trash bag or other large bag. Paper clip the
card parts together so they don't tangle. Hang it when you get to your
classroom.
8. In your oral presentation, be ready to tell a summary of your book, and
tell why the items you chose are important in the story. Your summary also
should include the characters, setting, problem, and solution if the book is
fiction. If it's non fiction, the summary will include the main idea, 3-5
facts or events from the book and a closing.
MYSTERY PERSON
1. Choose a character from the book that you read. This project is good for
a
biography or a book that nearly everyone in the class knows. The character
you give clues for must be well-known to your classmates.
2. You may dress up and act out clues, or read 10 clues that will tell us
about your past and who you are. Write your clues on cards. Your clues
should
summarize the mystery person's whole life.
3. Your classmates will guess who you are.
BOOK JACKET
1. Get a 12' X 18" piece of construction paper. You can trim off 2-3" from
the long side so it's 10" X 18", if you wish.
2. Fold the paper in half. The fold each end of the paper in 3 1/2 inches.
3. On the cover, write the title and the author of the book. Draw and color
a
picture or a design that is appropriate for the book you read.
4. On the front inside flap, write a summary of the story in your own words.
Include what kind of book this is, who the main characters are, the setting,
and the main events of the story.
5. On the back inside flap, write a short paragraph about the author. Some
information you might include is where the author lives, the author's
interests, and other good books written by this author.
6. Write your name on the bottom of the back flap.
COMMERCIAL
1. Decide what is best about the book you just read. Write a commercial
announcing your book to your classmates.
2. Be sure to tell why the book is such a good selection, but don't give
away
the ending.
3. The commercial should not last more than a minute.
4. Turn in your script with the title of the book, the author, and your name
on it.
5. Be prepared to give a summary of the book when you are finished with the
commercial. It should include the characters, setting, problem, and solution
if the book is fiction. If it's non fiction, the summary will include the
main idea, 3-5 facts or events from the book and a closing.
POEM
1. Some books have a topic that is appropriate for writing poetry. For
instance, friendship, pets, or a particular animal you read about are all
good poetry topics.
2. Decide on the type of poem you want to write. Acrostic, haiku, cinquain,
and rhyming poetry are all forms of poems we write in this class. I will
give
you the guidelines for the one you choose.
3. Turn in your poem with your name on it. At the bottom of the page, tell
the book title, the author, and your name.
4. Prepare a summary of the book on a 4 X 6 card. It should include the
characters, setting, problem, and solution if the book is fiction. If it's
non fiction, the summary will include the main idea, 3-5 facts or events
from
the book and a closing.
CLAY PROJECT
1. After reading a story, choose a figure or two to show a part of the book.
2. Shape the clay. You may use any kind of clay--plasticene, modeling, or
flour and salt play dough. You can color the clay or paint the figure after
it dries.
3. On a 4" X 6" card, write the title of the book on the top line. (Be sure
to underline the title.) On the next line, write the author's name. Skip a
line; then write a short paragraph telling about the figure you made. Tell
something that happened to this figure in the story you read.
4. Write your name at the bottom of the card. It will be on display with
your
figure.
5. Prepare a summary of the book on a 4 X 6 card. It should include the
characters, setting, problem, and solution if the book is fiction. If it's
non fiction, the summary will include the main idea, 3-5 facts or events
from
the book and a closing.
TEN QUESTIONS
1. You be the teacher. Write ten questions you think anyone who read your
book should be able to answer. They can be true/false, multiple choice, or
short answer questions that require some writing. They should be from the
beginning, middle, and end of the book. For example, use what, where, how,
when, who, and why in your questions.
2. Use the title of the book as the title for your question page.
3. Put the answers on another sheet of paper.
4. Make sure your name is on both sheets.
5. Be prepared to tell a summary of the book. Tell the characters, setting,
problem and solution or tell the main idea of the story and all the
important
facts that support the main idea.
ME BAG
1. Gather 7 to 10 items that the main character might put in a "Me Bag".
2. Introduce the main character of the book to the class by explaining why
that person would choose the items for the bag.
3. Prepare a summary of the book on a 4 X 6 card. It should include the
characters, setting, problem, and solution if the book is fiction. If it's
non fiction, the summary will include the main idea, 5-7 facts or events
from
the book and a closing.
WORD SEARCH
1. Find 20 key words or new vocabulary words from your book.
2. Make a word search with the words in it. Make a word box to go with the
search.
3. Make an answer sheet with the 20 words highlighted.
4. Prepare a summary of the book on a 4 X 6 card. It should include the
characters, setting, problem, and solution if the book is fiction. If it's
non fiction, the summary will include the main idea, 3-5 facts or events
from
the book and a closing. Be sure to use some of your word search words in
your
summary.
I have very high expectations for your projects. Your book project will be
graded and will not be accepted if are not completed to my third grade
standards. You have a month or more to do this project I will not accept a
project that looks as if it was thrown together the night before. Take
pride
in your work it is a reflection of who you are.