Special Collections
District List: BCPS Core Text Lists – Grade 3
Description: Baltimore City Public Schools Core Text List for students in 3rd Grade. Contains books from Modules: The Sea, Outer Space, A New Home, and Artists Make Art. #bcps
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Moonshot
by Brian Floca"We choose to go to the Moon.
We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too."
--John F. Kennedy, 1961
Simply told, grandly shown, here for a new generation of readers and explorers is the story of Apollo 11. Here are the steady astronauts, the ROAR of rockets, and the silence of the Moon. Here is a challenge met, a journey made, and a view of home, seen whole, from far away.
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts in grades 2-3 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
Winner of the Sibert Honor
The Keeping Quilt
by Patricia Polacco[FROM THE BOOK JACKET] We will make a quilt to help us always remember home, Anna's mother said. It will be like having the family in backhome Russia dance around us at night. And so it was. From a basket of old clothes, Anna's babushka, Uncle Vladimir's shirt, Aunt havalah's nightdress and an apron of Aunt Natasha's bcome The Keeping Quilt, passed along from mother to daughter for almost a century. For four generations the quilt is a Sabbath table- cloth, a wedding canopy, and a blanket that welcomes babies warmly into the world. In strongly moving pictures that are as heartwarming as they are real, Patricia Polacco tells the story of her own family, and the quilt that remains a symbol of their enduring love and faith. Patricia Polacco comes from a family of storytellers, poets, dirt farmers, teachers and artists. They came from many parts of the world, but mainly Russia. She grew up to be an illustrator, a designer, and a writer of children's books. She now lives in Oakland, California with her husband and two children, and she is the present caretaker of the quilt.
Shark Attack!
by Cathy East DubowskiSavage killers or angered victims? Shark Attack tells readers the truth about the most feared creatures in the sea while exploring the anatomy of the shark and touching on different breeds including tiger sharks, bull sharks and the most feared in the sea -- the great white.
Starry Messenger
by Peter SisPeter Sís gives a view of the life of Galileo Galilei.
Winner of the Caldecott Honor
Amos and Boris
by William SteigAmos the mouse and Boris the whale: a devoted pair of friends with nothing at all in common, except good hearts and a willingness to help their fellow mammal. They meet after Amos sets out to sail the sea and finds himself in extreme need of rescue. And there will come a day, long after Boris has gone back to a life at sea and Amos has gone back to life on dry land, when the tiny mouse must find a way to rescue the great whale.
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts for grades 2-3 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau
by Dan YaccarinoJacques Cousteau was the world's ambassador of the oceans. His popular TV series brought whales, otters, and dolphins right into people's living rooms. Now, in this exciting picturebook biography, Dan Yaccarino introduces young readers to the man behind the snorkel.From the first moment he got a glimpse of what lived under the ocean's waves, Cousteau was hooked. And so he set sail aboard the Calypso to see the sea. He and his team of scientists invented diving equipment and waterproof cameras. They made films and televisions shows and wrote books so they could share what they learned. The oceans were a vast unexplored world, and Cousteau became our guide. And when he saw that pollution was taking its toll on the seas, Cousteau became our guide in how to protect the oceans as well.
One Giant Leap
by Robert BurleighOn July 29, 1969, as Americans sat glued to their televisions and radios, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin did the seemingly impossible--something humans had dreamed of doing for centuries: They traveled 240,000 miles through space and set foot on the moon. One small step for man; one giant leap for mankind. This achievement not only brought the moon within reach, but now everything seemed possible. If it could be imagined, it could be done.
Family Pictures / Cuadros de Familia
by Carmen Lomas GarzaFamily Pictures is the story of Carmen Lomas Garza's girlhood: celebrating birthdays, making tamales, finding a hammerhead shark on the beach, picking cactus, going to a fair in Mexico, and confiding to her sister her dreams of becoming an artist.
These day-to-day experiences are told through fourteen vignettes of art and a descriptive narrative, each focusing on a different aspect of traditional Mexican American culture. The English-Spanish text and vivid illustrations reflect the author's strong sense of family and community. For Mexican Americans, Carmen Lomas Garza offers a book that reflects their lives and traditions. For others, this work offers insights into a beautifully rich community.
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts for K-1 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
Giant Squid
by Mary M. Cerullo and Clyde F. E. RoperThis sea monster is real. It lurks in the freezing black depths of underwater canyons. Nearly 50 feet long, it hunts with its long arms and tentacles. Its powerful suckers leave giant round scars on those that live through a battle with it. But this enormous beast, with its huge, strange eyes, remains hidden from humans. We rarely see it and know little of its ways. What is this monster? The giant squid. This famed member of the cephalopod group has a history of frightening fishermen, starring in fictional adventure tales, and keeping scientists guessing. What is the story of this mythic creature? Why is it so hard to study? What secrets does it keep? Clyde Roper, ocean scientist and squid expert, has been seeking this secretive creature for decades. Come along as he and other researchers unravel its mysteries.
Emma's Rug
by Allen V. SayIn a story of warmth and surprise, Allen Say explores the origins of artistic inspiration. Elegant illustrations portray the journey of a child who discovers that creativity ultimately comes from within.
Ocean Sunlight
by Molly Bang and Penny ChisholmIn this timely book, acclaimed Caldecott artist Molly Bang and award-winning M.I.T. professor Penny Chisholm use poetic language and dazzling illustrations to introduce the oceanic world. From tiny aquatic plants to the biggest whale or fish, Bang and Chisholm present a moving, living picture of the miraculous balance sustaining each life cycle and food chain deep within our wondrous oceans.
On land or in the deep blue sea, we are all connected--and we are all a part of a grand living landscape. Award-winning scientist Penny Chisholm, a leading expert on oceans, packs Ocean Sunlight with clear, simple science, illuminated by Molly Bang's wondrous illustrations. This informative, joyous book will help children understand and celebrate the astonishing role our oceans play in human life.
Zathura
by Chris Van AllsburgOn the last page of the Caldecott Medal-winning book Jumanji, young Danny Budwing is seen running home with a game tucked under his arm. Now, after twenty years, Chris Van Allsburg is ready to reveal what happens when Danny and his brother roll the dice. This time the name of the game is Zathura and Walter and Danny Budwing are in for the ride of their lives. Only the mind and hand of Chris Van Allsburg could create such a fantastic world where shifts in time and space and perspective take the reader on an extraordinary journey.
When Marian Sang
by Pam Muñoz RyanAn introduction to the life of Marian Anderson, extraordinary singer and the first African American to perform with the Metropolitan Opera, whose life and career encouraged social change.
Winner of the Sibert Honor
Coming to America
by Betsy Maestro and Susannah RyanWith clearly written prose and warm, child-friendly illustrations, this picture book is a wonderful first introduction to the moving story of the history of immigration to the United States--a story that belongs to all Americans. Full-color.
Tea with Milk
by Allen SayAt home in San Francisco, May speaks Japanese and the family eats rice and miso soup and drinks green tea. When she visits her friends' homes, she eats fried chicken and spaghetti. May plans someday to go to college and live in an apartment of her own. But when her family moves back to Japan, she soon feels lost and homesick for America. In Japan everyone calls her by her Japanese name, Masako. She has to wear kimonos and sit on the floor. Poor May is sure that she will never feel at home in this country. Eventually May is expected to marry and a matchmaker is hired. Outraged at the thought, May sets out to find her own way in the big city of Osaka. Allen Say has created a moving tribute to his parents and their path to discovering where home really is.
Grandfather's Journey
by Allen SayWhen he was a young man, Allen Say's grandfather left his home in Japan to explore the world. He began his journey by crossing the Pacific Ocean on a steamship, then wandered the deserts, farmlands, and cities of North America. Allen Say lovingly tells the story of his own family's cross-cultural history in elegant watercolor paintings that earned him a Caldecott Medal in 1994. This twentieth-anniversary edition of the modern classic features read-aloud audio and a new introduction by Allen Say.
Action Jackson
by Jan Greenberg and Sandra JordanOne late spring morning the American artist Jackson Pollock began work on the canvas that would ultimately come to be known as Number 1, 1950 ("Lavender Mist"). Award-winning authors Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan use this moment as the departure point for a unique picture book about a great painter and the way in which he worked. Their lyrical text, drawn from Pollock's own comments and those made by members of his immediate circle, is perfectly complemented by vibrant watercolors by Robert Andrew Parker that honor his spirit of the artist without imitating his paintings. A photographic reproduction of the finished painting, a short biography, a bibliography, and a detailed list of notes and sources that are fascinating reading in their own right make this an authoritative as well as beautiful book for readers of all ages.
Winner of the Sibert Honor
A River of Words
by Jen BryantThis book traces the childhood urges to write of William Carlos Williams
Alvin Ailey
by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian PinkneyDescribes the life, dancing, and choreography of Alvin Ailey, who created his own modern dance company to explore the black experience. Alvin Ailey is a biography of a brilliant dancer/choreographer as well as the story of the creation of Revelations, his modern dance masterpiece which premiered in New York City in 1960
The Music in George’s Head
by Suzanne SladeAuthor Suzanne Slade and illustrator Stacy Innerst beautifully reveal just how brilliantly Gershwin combined various kinds of music to create his masterpiece, Rhapsody in Blue, a surprising and whirlwind composition of notes, sounds, and one long wail of a clarinet. Includes author's note, timeline, and bibliography.
Hannah’s Journal
by Marissa MossIn the Russian shtetl where she and her family live, Hannah is given a diary for her tenth birthday, and in it she records the dramatic story of her journey to America.
Magnets
by Natalie M. RosinskyHave you ever wondered what makes magnets work? Magnets, by Natalie M. Rosinsky introduces many different kinds of magnets, such as motors, compasses, and Earth's magnetic poles. Clear text, vivid illustrations, fun facts, and simple experiments make this book a great introduction to magnets.