Muggie Maggie

Third grade holds a very important rite of passage for students...cursive!  My students didn't really need anything to get them excited to learn cursive but if yours do, this book is sure to fit the bill.  Muggie Maggie, by Beverly Cleary, is about a girl named Maggie who refuses to learn cursive.  Instead of getting upset, her teacher gets creative.  She begins having Maggie deliver messages to other teachers and the principal.  Maggie peeks at the messages but can't read them because they are in cursive.  She does recognize one word however, her own name!  This encourages her to finally learn cursive and her teacher is so proud.  Of course, I use this book to introduce cursive.  Also, I would use this book to compare a character from the beginning to the end of the book.  A venn diagram would be a good tool to use for this activity.  Finally, this story is all about communication so letter writing instruction would fit nicely.

This is another short book that would be perfect for the beginning of third grade.  I think your students will identify with Maggie and the struggle she has with learning cursive.  This book is a great motivator to jump right it and work hard on learning cursive!

Extra Resources:

Comprehension and Vocab Lessons - http://www.gardenofpraise.com/thirdgr.htm

A wide variety of lesson ideas - http://www.teachnet-lab.org/miami/2002/bvazquez2/Muggie%20Maggie%20-%20Index.htm