Generate interest in books for the creative child through food. Make green eggs and ham with a simple egg recipe, precooked ham, and food coloring. The meal can be made before or after reading the Dr. Seuss book, depending on the assignment and desire of the child. If the child loves to cook or loves eggs, the meal is a great reward system for finishing the book.
Help third grade students understand character creation with a Venn diagram. On a piece of paper, draw two circles which overlap. The overlapping section of circles will be large enough for the child to draw an animal. Decide with the child what two animals will be drawn in the circles outside the overlap. Discuss how to combine those animals into the center overlap to create a new character inside the center of the Venn diagram. After the new animal is created using traits of the two outside animals, assign students to write a paragraph about the life of the new creature.
Use the Internet resource, Eduplace.com, to play an online story game. The website hosts a series of games where third grade students fill in the blanks to create a silly story. The stories ask for certain parts of speech accompanied by a tab labeled, "Parts of Speech Help." A student who does not know what makes an adjective will click on the tab and receive an explanation for parts of speech. This online activity provides a fun method for learning different speech parts.
Third grade students are transitioning from learning to read to reading to learn. Children will begin to read for understanding and encounter more complex stories. Make book squares to help children understand significant points in a book. Fold a square piece of paper so each corner matches the center. This creates tabs. Label each new tab 1, 2, 3 and 4. After a chapter or main point in the book, ask children to lift the flaps in sequence and write one idea in the book. The children will have a simple outline regarding the plot of the story just read.