Rising Third Grade Students

Titles: (Children are to read the books listed below.)

· The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner (Note: This is the very first book in the series.)

· The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids by Debbie Dadey and Marcia Thornton Jones. (Students may choose any book from the series by Scholastic.)

Project Guidelines for Each Title:

Note: It is important that students read the two summer book requirements carefully and thoughtfully. Their first Language Arts grades will be taken from these projects. Spelling and neatness will be graded. Thank you!

1. The Boxcar Children: Missing Children on a Milk Carton

· Materials:

-Milk carton (preferably ½ gallon plastic or cardboard milk carton)

-White construction paper cut into four equal strips of 3 ½ inches wide and 8 ½ inches long.

- Glue

- Colored pencil/Crayon (No markers please!)

- Pencil

-Ruler

· Directions:

a.) Read the book.

b.) On each strip of paper include: (In pencil please!)

- A drawing of one of the four children (one child per strip). The drawing should be 2 x 2 inches at the top of the strip.

- The name of the missing child.

- The age of the missing child.

- Appearance of the child (Hair color, eye color, short, etc.)

- Personality traits of the child (Shy, happy, funny, quiet, etc.)

- One example of the child’s role within the book.

c.) Do this for all four children.

d.) Somewhere on the milk carton include:

-The title of the book

- The Author

- The award money amount for finding the children

- Who is offering the reward?

Remember, neatness counts. Be sure to take pride in your work!

2.) The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids: Don’t Forget Your Passport!

· Materials:

-2 pieces of blue 8 x 11 construction paper

-7 pieces of white 8 x 11 construction paper

- 1 white construction paper circle (5 inches in diameter.)

- Glue

- Crayons/ Colored pencils

- Pencil

· Directions:

a.) Read the book.

b.) On the construction paper circle draw a picture depicting the TITLE of the book (Do NOT copy the cover of the book itself! Do NOT use markers please!)

c.) Glue the circle to the middle of a blue sheet of construction paper.

d.) On the cover, at the top of the blue page. write: Passport

e.) Under the word passport (above the circle) write: The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids

f.) Beneath the circle write the title of the book you read.

g.) Beneath the title in a smaller print write the author’s name.

h.) On the first Sheet of white construction paper draw a 4 x 4 inch box at the top of the page.

i.) Choose a character from the book and draw that character inside of the 4 x 4 square box. (Please do not use markers to draw this picture!)

j.) Beneath the drawing include the following (in pencil please):

-Name of the character

-Age of the character

-The character’s home

-The character’s personality (include three or more traits please!)

k.) On the next piece of construction paper label the top right corner: Destinations: Plot

(Plot: What is the story about?) Write one to two paragraphs summarizing the story.

l.) On the next piece of construction paper label the top right corner: Characters

(Who did you meet along the way within the story?) Write a small paragraph about each main character within the book.

m.) On the next piece of construction paper label the top right corner: Setting

(Where did the story take place?) Write one to two paragraphs about the setting in the story.

n.) On the next piece of construction paper label the top right corner: Problem

(What was the problem in the story that needed to be solved?) Write one paragraph about the main problem within the book. Be specific please about the problem. How did you know it was a problem?

o.) On the next piece of construction paper label the top right corner: Resolution

(How was the problem fixed?) Write one to two paragraphs about how the main characters overcame the problem. Again, be specific. How did you know it was resolved or fixed?

p.) On the last piece of white construction paper label the top of the page: My Favorite Part of the Adventure

Write about your favorite part of the book. Please include a brief description of your favorite part. Write about why that portion of the story was your favorite aspect of the book.

You are Done!

q.) Do not assemble the passport please. Secure it with a paper clip. On the first day of school I will laminate the covers and then assemble them in class. Please remember to be neat and make sure that everything is spelled correctly. These projects will be your first grades in Language Arts for the upcoming year!

· A Note: Please do not leave these projects to be completed at the last minute. Do a little bit at a time…Have a fun and safe summer!