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Goal

The goal of Petit Prince, Grand Imaginations is to put 137 copies of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince into the hands of our third-grade students and use the novel across our six classrooms to strengthen the reading skills we work on all year. Our schoolwide goal is for at least 72% of third-grade students to demonstrate grade-level proficiency in ELA. We reached that goal last year, and we want to reach—and hopefully surpass—it again this year.

The Little Prince is included on Florida’s B.E.S.T. recommended reading list and gives our students the chance to practice important third-grade skills through one shared text. We will focus on character development and perspective, theme, inference, vocabulary in context, text evidence, figurative language, and written response. Our goal is for students to become stronger, more thoughtful readers and for the skills they practice through this novel to carry over when they encounter new texts, including on classroom and district assessments and FAST ELA. 

 

Category

Books - BEST Books, Approved Books 

 

What will be done with my students

Students across our six third-grade classrooms will complete an in-depth novel study of The Little Prince. Students will have access to the book throughout the study so they can read closely, go back to important passages, study vocabulary, find text evidence, and write about what they are reading. We will also have collaborative conversations where students can ask questions, share what they notice, listen to different interpretations, and support their own ideas with evidence from the story.

Throughout the novel, we will explore character development and perspective, theme, inference, symbolism, figurative language, and some of the bigger ideas hidden within what first appears to be a simple story. Students will also complete art and design activities connected to the novel, giving them another way to interpret and respond to what they have read.

The novel also gives us plenty of room to meet students where they are. Developing readers can receive additional support with vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension, while students who are ready for more can dig deeper into symbolism, character motivation, and theme. We will monitor student growth through standards mastery checks, vocabulary formative checks, written responses, and novel-study assessments and use that information to guide our instruction throughout the study. 

 

Benefits to my Students

As a teacher who genuinely loves reading, one of my favorite things to witness is the moment a student becomes completely lost in a story. There is something special about watching a child stop thinking about reading as an assignment and begin experiencing it as an adventure. I have seen The Little Prince create that kind of wonder in young readers. The text celebrates imagination, curiosity, friendship, and the unique ways children see the world. In many ways, it reminds students how much fun it is to simply be a kid.

That joy matters academically, too. When students care about a story, they read more closely. They want to talk about what they notice, ask questions, make connections, and go back to the text. Purchasing 137 copies will allow us to bring that experience to students throughout our third-grade team rather than limiting it to a single classroom. Ultimately, this project is about both access and opportunity—giving our third graders a seat at the same literary table.

I hope to see stronger comprehension, deeper written responses, individual learning gains, and continued progress toward and beyond our 72% proficiency goal. But I also hope to accomplish something that is harder to measure: helping our students discover, or rediscover, the joy of getting completely lost in a book! Third grade comes with plenty of standards, assessments, and expectations. I want our students to grow as readers without losing the wonder that makes them want to read in the first place! 

 

Budget Narrative

Grant funds will be used to purchase 137 copies of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince through HarperCollins Publishers for students across our six third-grade classrooms. Students will use the books for close reading, vocabulary work, finding text evidence, collaborative discussions, and written responses throughout the novel study. The books will become part of our third-grade ELA resources and can be used with students for years to come. 

 

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