Module 1: The Sea

How do artists explore the sea?

Why and how do scientists explore the sea?

Why and how do scientists explore sea creatures?

Why do people explore the sea?

What do you notice and wonder as you read?

Reading

Class Chapter Book: (1 Week Intro Unit)

  • Third Grade Angels: Characterization; Theme (Lexile 390 )

Wit and Wisdom Module 1:

In this first module, The Sea, we will study why people explore the sea. Poets and writers explore the sea through words and images. Scientists use technology to discover new species. We will explore literature, informational text, and art as we ask the question: Why do people explore the sea?

Class Books:

  • The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau
  • Giant Squid: Searching for a Sea Monster
  • Shark Attack!
  • Amos & Boris
  • “The Sea Wind,”
  • “The Lion and the Mouse,”

Class Art/Films:

  • The Great Wave off Kanagawa, Katsushika Hokusai
  • The Boating Party, Mary Cassatt
  • The Gulf Stream, Winslow Homer
  • “Cousteau’s Silent World: Shipwreck Excerpt”
  • “Quest for the Giant Squid”
  • “Sperm Whale Encounter”
  • “Why the Ocean Matters”

Books You Can Read to Extend Learning At Home:

  • Extreme Oceans, Seymour Simon
  • National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of the Ocean, Catherine Hughes
  • Down, Down, Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea, Steve Jenkins
  • A Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle, Claire A. Nivola
  • Shark Lady: True Adventures of Eugenie Clark, Ann McGovern
  • Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau, Jennifer Berne
  • Tentacles! Tales of the Giant Squid, Shirley Raye Raymond
  • Surprising Sharks: Read and Wonder, Nicola Davies
  • Sharks, Seymour Simon
  • National Geographic Readers: Weird Sea Creatures, Laura Marsh
  • Giant Squid, Candace Fleming
  • Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea, Janet Halfmann

Biography/Nonfiction Series 2 Week Unit:

(1 Book Per Quarter: Available Selection Listed Below)

  • Who is Amelia Earhart?
  • Who is Ben Franklin?
  • Who is Dr. Seuss?
  • Who is Michelle Obama?
  • Who is Neil Armstrong?
  • Who is Walt Disney?
  • What is the Declaration of Independence?
  • What are the Twin Towers?




Writing

Focus: The Writing Community, Writing Process and Personal Narrative (Weeks 1-3)

  • Build a caring writing community
  • Get ideas for writing from read-alouds
  • Draft many pieces in a variety of genres
  • Select drafts to develop & publish
  • Revise, Proofread, Write Final Drafts & Publish
  • Write about a single narrative event
  • Use sensory details
  • Use temporal words
  • Explore strong openings and endings

Teacher Mentor Texts

The Pain and the Great One

About Judy Blume

Grandpa's Face

She Come Brining Me That Little Baby Girl

About Eloise Greenfield

Things Will Never Be the Same

Silver Seeds

Oceans and Seas

Atlantic

I Wonder Why the Sea is Salty

Hello Ocean

In November

More About Judy Blume

Grandma's Records

Our House

Chores

My Father's Hands

John and the Snake

First Day of School

Believing in Myself

How I Saved A Dog's Life