Grade 3

Second and Third Graders visiting the library today embarked on the first of their passport adventures for the year: Brazil! We began by learning a bit about the 5th largest country in the world and the largest in South America. Our literary adventure contained two stories today. The first, a famous Brazilian Folktale called The Dancing Turtle. In this adaptation by West Coast author Pleasant DeSpain, the dancing turtle tells a lie in order to preserve his life. The students shared their thoughts on lying and in what circumstances a lie might be justified. In our second story, Suddenly in Brazil, author Cristina Falcon Maldonato, brings the magic of Brazil alive in this tour-de-mystery tale. This book describes many important and exciting destinations within the country including Iguazu Falls, Copacobana Beach, Chapada Diamantina Park and Bahia. We concluded by stamping our passports and placing the South America sticker in its place. Happy Reading!

Third and fourth graders are now fully immersed in the mysterious and magical world of owls. For the past two weeks, we have been reading Kathryn Lasky’s first book in the Guardians of GaHoole series, The Captive. In this novel, four owls band together to seek truth and protect the owl world from the evil that threatens to shatter peace in their tranquil kingdom of Tyto.

Students are also exploring the library, browsing for books and checking out favorites to take home. Please make sure to return your books when you are done reading them.

Scaffolding upon last week’s foray into the world and culture of Shakespeare, third grade took a step into the tragic world of Macbeth, one of William Shakespeare’s most well-known and beloved plays. Macbeth is full of mystery, mysticism, intrigue and emotion—all elements that excite children of all ages. We began by imagining what it would be like if I read them the actual play of Macbeth. The students noted that plays aren’t meant to be read–they are meant to be watched and to be experienced visually. They also mentioned how hard it is to understand the language of Elizabethan English. Those students that have seen a performance at Shakespeare and Company (or have been in a production themselves!) said that if you can watch the action it helps to understand the language. We all agreed that perhaps a retelling of the story of Macbeth, rather than a reading of the text, might be a good fit for lower school. In turn, I shared Macbeth: A Shakespeare Storyby Andrew Matthews, a British publication that I purchased at Shakespeare’s Globe Theater which is designed for middle school students as an introductory text. Next week, we plan to explore another book in this series…hint: It’s going to lonely on that island…