Involving Parents Through Children's Literature - Grades 3-4

Parents team up with educators and children to promote reading and literacy with Frederick's series of resource books.

Like other titles in the series, this new volume offers take-home activities for popular children's literature, but this time focuses on grades 3-4.

Book pages have been designed so that they can be easily reproduced and distributed for students to take home and share with parents.

Each sheet includes a summary of a book, discussion questions and a list of learning activities for parents to do with children.

The suggestions range from simple discussion questions and imagination games, such as inventing a mythical dinosaur, to more involved activities, such as interviewing grandparents or making marmalade.

The 36 books covered were selected on the basis of quality, accessibility and popularity with children.

Some of the titles included are "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" (Judith Viorst); "Henry Huggins" (Beverly Cleary); "Sarah, Plain and Tall" (Patricia MacLachlan); "The Velveteen Rabbit" (Margery Williams); "The Boxcar Children" (Gertrude C.

Warner); "Freckle Juice" (Judy Blume); and "The Enormous Crocodile" (Roald Dahl). A rationale for the approach, guidelines for using the book and tips for successful parent involvement are also provided, as well as a list of 99 books recommended for children in grades 3 and 4.

Other volumes in Frederick's series address grades preK-K, 1-2, and 5-6.

More than 150 recommended books for elementary youngsters are included in the series.

Educators, especially Chapter I teachers and teachers of the gifted and talented, may opt to select activities from the other books in the series to meet the instructional needs and interests of their students.