Before reading Miracle Mud:  Lena Blackburne and the Secret Mud that Changed Baseball, by David A. Kelly, I have been talking about the importance of title.  Students in third grade have been brainstorming ways in which a reader uses a title before reading a book and why writers often make several revisions before deciding on the perfect title.

Third Graders Say Readers Use Titles To:

Determine the Topic
Decide if they want to read on!
Make Predictions
Wonder
Ask Questions
Decide if they want to read on!

With the World Series just around the corner, Lena Blackburne’s “Miracle Mud” made the NBC news last week – “Baseball Has A Dirty Little Secret” (click to read article).