Text Set 1

Text Set Assignment

China

Grade 3

Longwood University
 Text Set 2

Professional Development

Starr, John Bryan (2010). Understanding china: A guide to china’s economy, history, and
political culture. New York: Hill and Wang.

Anything that you would want to know about China is located in this text. There is a great deal
of information on demographics, education, ethnicity, government, history, as well as how China
relates to the rest of the world. Teachers would benefit greatly from this book. It would help
them completely understand the culture of a Chinese student as well as provide them with the
information needed to help them teach any standards of learning pertaining to China.

SOL Support

SOL 3.2 “The student will explain how the contributions of ancient China and Egypt have
influenced the present world in terms of architecture, inventions, the calendar, and written
language.” (Virginia Department of Education (2015). Standards of Learning Grade 3 History
and Social Science. Retrieved September 2, 2018 from
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/history_socialscience/index.shtml)

Friedman, Mel (20100. A true book: Ancient china. New York, NY: Children’s Press.

Readability: 7.5

Filled with rich vocabulary and vibrant pictures, this book gives many exciting facts and insight
into the history of Ancient China. The author describes in detail the different rulers and
dynasties of Ancient China, the inventions and contributions of the Chinese people to modern
day culture, a peak into family life and education, as well as interesting information on
performing arts and architecture. Although the readability is higher than third grade, the chapters
are short and fairly easy to read and understand. The teacher could use this as a read aloud and
possibly a leveled text depending on the reading level of the students in the class. This text
would be a great asset to help students read and learn facts on their own about China. The
teacher could have them use this as a reference for a project or activity to identify how the
Chinese culture has evolved over time.

Jenner, Caryn (2008). Welcome to china. New York, NY: Darling Kindersley Limited

Readability: AR 5.6

This book combines historical information with modern day facts about China. It gives the
reader an insider’s view of what it would be like to live in China today. This text would be a
great nonfiction addition to a classroom library. Students can read on their own and learn many
exciting things about Chinese culture even pandas and festivals. Teachers can have students read
 Text Set 3

this for enjoyment as part of a unit on China or to be used as a reference for a project or report on
life in China.

Major, John S. (1995). The silk route: 7,000 miles of history. New York, NY: Harper Collins
Publishers.

Readability: AR 6.7

This book traces the production of silk in ancient China. It describes in detail how silk was
made, how it was transported, and how the people used silk as a means of commerce and trade.
Filled with beautiful pictures and inviting stories filled with facts about silk, this story gives the
reader an insight on how important silk was to the Chinese culture and how it was actually used
to bring the eastern and western culture together. Silk is an important contribution from China
and it is interesting to learn how silk and the silk trade came to be.

Read Aloud

Demi (1990). The empty pot. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.

Readability: AR 3.8

When the emperor is ready to retire, he decides to hold a contest to help him find his
replacement. All of the children in the land are to plant seeds and care for them all year to bring
to the contest, and the emperor will “let the flowers decide” who will become his successor.
Ping tries his best but shows up with an empty pot. This is a great story of courage,
determination, and how honesty pays off in the end. Teachers can use this story to help
encourage their students to always try their best and to tell the truth. It is a great example of how
hard work pays off in the end. Also, it can lead to discussions about what an emperor is and
what the governing system was and is like in China.

Lin, Grace (2009). The ugly vegetables. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge

Readability: AR 3.1

A mother and her daughter decide to plant a garden in their neighborhood along with everyone
else. As they are planting the seeds and taking care of them, the daughter is discouraged because
their garden is different from everyone else’s. She wants to plant pretty flowers like her
neighbors, not ugly vegetables. Her mother encourages her to wait and see how their garden is
better. In the end, her mother’s soup recipe from the ugly vegetables brings the neighborhood
together. This is a great testimony of how our differences can bring us together. It stresses how
we should be accepting of others and we shouldn’t want to be just like everyone else. Teachers
can use this to help students of a different culture appreciate their differences while helping the
other students appreciate different cultures.

Leveled Student Text

 Text Set 4

Young, Ed (1989). Lon po po: A red-riding hood story from china. New York, NY: Puffin
Books.

Readability: AR 3.5

Lon Po Po is a twist on our traditional story of Little Red Riding Hood. It is told from the
perspective of three little children whose mother has gone to visit their grandmother, their Po Po.
While they are alone, a wolf comes knocking at their door pretending to be their Po Po. As the
children spend time with the wolf and learn of his true identity they come up with a plan to
outsmart the wolf. Teachers can have students compare and contrast this story to our traditional
Little Red Riding Hood story. They can identify similarities in language and plot. It will help
them become more aware that even though we are different we can still enjoy and participate in
similar activities.

Brett, Jan (2002). Daisy comes home. New York, NY: Puffin Books.

Readability: AR 3.8

This story is about a hen that is constantly picked on and mistreated by her fellow hens. One
night she decides to sleep in a basket outside. The basket drifts down the river and takes Daisy
on some exciting and scary adventures. As she is navigating through her many experiences she
learns techniques she later uses to stand her ground in the hen house when she finally returns
home. This story is a sweet tale of acceptance and the love of an owner and her pet. Students
will enjoy reading Daisy Comes Home. They can use the story to help them become more
accepting of the differences of cultures. The delightful pictures in this book can help create
discussions of how Chinese people long ago made a living. They can compare the jobs of their
ancestors with those of the Chinese people. This story can also be used to help teach adjectives
and how to use descriptive words in your writing to make it more interesting.