Fiction Units

Independent

Online Games (Websites & Apps):

Create an online reading log to reflect on reading patterns https://www.readingglue.com/
Jot about your book using the fiction jot menu.
Use your reading notebook menu to write an notebook entry about your book.
Make a movie trailer for your favorite book in this unit to add to the “Recommended Books” section of your classroom. You could do this using the following apps.
- Imovie
- Shadow Puppet
- Create a podcast showing what it would be like to interview your main character. Enlist a family member or friend to play the role of the character while you interview.
Practice reading strategies online on Into the Book!
BrainPop
- Username: ps11
- Password: brainpop
Character Movie
Plot Movie
Setting Movie
Make Predictions Movie
Make Inferences Movie
Choosing a Book Movie

Videos:

Learn About Synonyms and Antonyms

Watch a Show Me video!

Games & Activities:

Post-It Your Grit Work! Before you begin reading think and post -it your goal on the front of your book. When you finished reading for the night, reflect on your grit work. How did you reach your goal? What was successful? What would you want to do differently?
Figurative Language Hunt! When you read tonight try to find at least one place where your book uses figurative language. Write it down and write down what you think it means!
What did I Read? Put a post-it in the spot where you will stop reading tonight. When you get to the post-it, retell your reading to yourself! What are the big, important parts of what you read? Jot them down on your post-it.
Making your Ending – As you are reading you can be the author and write your own ending before you finish the story! Think about how the character behaves, thinks, says, wants and craft your own ending.
Celebrate Reading! Tonight review all the thinking work you have done in this unit. Reflect on what went well, and what you can continue to work on this year in third grade. Jot down one thing you are proud of and one thing you will continue to work on as a reader
Sketching Sketch a picture of your character’s feelings or relationships. Think about the mood, setting, and ideas you are having about your character’s feelings and relationships to help other readers see more of the story.

Projects:

Habits of Good Readers! Create a list of good habits that readers have. How can you make your reading the best it can be?
What Happened? Create a timeline that matches the story you are reading.
BOOK IT! Create your own Bookmark! Think of all the strategies you use as a reader and create your own bookmark tool! For example, using context clues to figure out tricky words, or retell the big parts that you’ve read!
Create a poster that shows all the different kinds of thinking jobs you have practiced in this unit. Some of them are predicting, envisioning, questioning and solving tricky words!

Family

Games & Activities:

Predict It! After you do your reading, for the night, make a prediction about how the story will continue. Share your prediction with your family. Explain what will happen, how it will happen, and why you think it will happen. Make a mind movie for your family! Later in the week, check in with your family to let them know if your prediction is true!
Family Retell! Retell your nightly reading to one of your family members. Let them ask you questions about what you read.
Design a comprehension quiz for your book with your family, then take it. How did you do? Be sure to use skills practiced from this unit up to this point.
Chat with your family about what it means to have grit. Then, discuss what you all can do to have more grit in your reading. Pick your own grit goal, and work toward in tonight when you do your reading!
Make a prediction and track it! Before reading today make a prediction about what you think is going to happen next. Then, after reading reflect→ Did you prediction come true? What evidence supports your thinking?

Projects:

Write a book recommendation! After you finish your book, think about who else might enjoy reading this book. Is it a reader who loves mystery books, or maybe folktales, or maybe a certain type of animal? Write up a book recommendation and bring it to your local library!
Interview Interview someone at home to see how much you can learn about them at a reader. Prepare questions that will help you learn more about their reading life. Think about how you can use their ideas in their own reading life
Create a Family Book Club! Choose a book together and create a book club around the book you choose. Make sure to assign reading and lead discussions around characters, plot and theme. Here are some tools to help you out.
Create a sketch! Practice your envisioning work by imagining the setting, the main character. Consider what the main character sees and feels and create a jot (sketch) that illustrates this.
Matchbook Chapter Summaries! Grab a file folder, some glue and some crayons!
Create an Award for your favorite character!

Videos:

Watch A Scooby Doo Episode and gather clues to solve the mystery. Who solved the crime? Who was the culprit?
Watch your favorite fairytale – Compare and contrast it to the original book.

Articles & Resources:

Magazines

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