Dear 3rd Grade Project Arrow Parents, 

I wanted to take a minute to touch on some aspects of independent reading for Project Arrow. My goal is to challenge your kids to grow as readers and to expose them to different authors, genres, and literary styles. We will be participating in reading challenges, enjoying first chapter Fridays, and working on author studies. Third-grade readers are in a transition year, moving from easy chapter books to thought-provoking reads, so I thought I would offer some guidance. 

1. As you know, one of the best ways to build vocabulary is to encounter it in context, with that being said, students should be choosing books that challenge them, without being too difficult. I can work with them on finding good-fit books. Ideally, it is time to take a break from the easy readers, like Judy Moody, Big Nate, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I know the kids love them because they are predictable and comfortable, but I would like to encourage them to branch out and try new authors and genres. I explained to the kids that it doesn’t mean they can never read those books again, but I would like to see them challenge themselves during the school year while they have the support in finding new good-fit books.

2. Graphic novels are amazing at teaching vocabulary and inference! However, I ask the kids to limit their graphic novels to every third book. Again, I would like them to push themselves in different genres, styles, and authors. 

3. In our classroom, I have books ranging from 3rd- to 7th-grade reading levels. I try to make sure that the books are all content appropriate for our 3rd-5th graders based on reviews and summaries. Some of the fiction books on the 5th-7th levels can be more serious or intellectually demanding, so I will try to reach out to you if your child is requesting to read them; however, they do complete check-out on their own, so if you ever have questions about a book they brought home, please feel free to reach out. 

Thank you for your support in this! I am so excited to get to know your children as readers~

Ms. Federhofer

Here is a list of books I would recommend to get your started: Book Link