First let me start with the basics. You will want to know about this company and their literature guide sets. The books that are used for third grade are some of my absolute favorites for this age. You are reading books such as Charlotte's Web, A Bear Called Paddington, Mr. Popper's Penguins, and Farmer Boy. The guides are fun books that take you deeper into the story so you draw more context out of them, have better comprehension, and also learn some things outside of the book you didn't know.
What You Receive:
- Mr. Popper's Penguins Student Guide and Teacher Manual
- Paddington Bear Student Guide and Teacher Manual
- Charlotte's Web Student Guide and Teacher Manual
- Farmer Boy Student Guide and Teacher Manual
Each student guide has the following:
- Enrichment
- Discussion Questions
- Quotations
- Comprehension Questions
- Vocabulary
- Reading Notes
Choices You Have:
My set came with only the student guides and teacher manuals. However, if you don't already own the books in the Third Grade Literature Guide Set, you can purchase it with all the novels included. Memoria Press thought of everything in that regard.
How We Used It:
When our set came we immediately dug into our book choices. I wanted to let the kids help me figure out what we would start with. They saw A Bear Called Paddington and that was it. They knew what our first book would be. (Quick note: If you have more than one student that will use the book, you can purchase extra student books as each book is consumable for one student).
As we worked through the book we started with reading what the student guide was going to ask of us before we dove into the chapter we were on for the day. I made sure to go over the vocabulary words they had listed that we would find in that chapter. We also looked at the words that could be inferred. Vocabulary can be a big deal with reading comprehension and I wanted my son not to have that be his reason for not grasping the finer points of the story.
Then it was time to start reading. I varied between reading the book and having them read it to themselves. I liked both and we continue to do that with our other books in the set. I told the boys to pay close attention to their vocabulary words and it was almost like a game when they found one in the text. Who knew! Words can be fun.
After reading the chapter, we moved on to the discussion questions and went back over the vocabulary words they had found. We also pulled in other resources to add to it. Memoria Press did such a nice job with the Third Grade Literature Guides that my kids asked good questions leading us to do such things as grab the globe to see where Paddington was from (hint: "darkest Peru") and where his travels too him. We also researched some of the finer points in the story (foods they ate, what the houses looked like that Paddington might have stayed in, etc). My kids were so into the story they wanted to know more about the setting, characters, and so forth.
Then came time for the quizzes. Oh no! Tests?!?!?! Nope, these weren't torture. I like that it had tests included. If your child freaks at that word, call it a review. But the best part is, it's not a test over the whole book all of the sudden. It comes about every 4 chapters so the information is fresh in their minds while also not happening every single chapter which would get old and possibly distract from the enjoyment of the book and guides.
A Bear Called Paddington's Literature Guide was so much fun that almost immediately after we closed our last page I was met with "which book is next". We pulled out the choices and off we went with Charlotte's Web. I believe, from listening to the kids, that Mr. Popper's Penguins will be their next choice. Yes, they liked it so much we won't be stopping anytime soon. And, the best part is, we don't have to as they have a fourth grade set we can move into.
As I looked at the Charlotte's Webs items I noticed the teacher's manual was a lot bigger. I was hoping that wasn't going to mean we had chosen the only student-friendly guide in A Bear Called Paddington. But, once I opened it up and started to familiarize myself with it my concerns were calmed. The activities were different for this book (tough the bones were the same so you got vocabulary, comprehension, etc) than they had been for our first. Now that is a good idea. Instead of doing the EXACT same thing over and over and over for each book you read, they brought in different things to do such as copying items from the book, drawing your own pictures from scenes laid out for you in words (talk about helping a child comprehend what's going on, draw what you read), listening to music tired to the events in a chapter, it was wonderful. With this set we can definitely finish our year out with literature and not need to add anything else.
All of this got me to thinking, I wonder if I can send Memoria Press a list of all my favorite books and have them create guides for each one? Ha Ha. Yes, I am that big of a fan as are my kids.
Oh, before I go, if you click on over to the Third Grade Literature Guide's page, you can find a sample of A Bear Called Paddington's guide. It will give you a feel of what you will be receiving.
If you want to find out more about Memoria Press and their literature guides, check them out at the following locations:
Also, you can read other reviewers thoughts about this level and all their grade level guides if you follow the review crew graphic below.
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