If you're teaching about the five senses, you need this giant book list of recommended reads!

These children’s books about perseverance show how grit and determination help us push through challenges and try again after setbacks.

This must have list of children's books about community and building community includes a printable list of books to take to the library.

All About Authors: Leo Lionni. Book list, activities, biographical information, and resources for this 4-time Caldecott recipient, best known for Frederick and Little Blue and Little Yellow.

From laugh out loud rom coms to heartwarming narratives, these highly-rated fall romance books are packed with cozy autumn vibes.

These FREE Printables and Unit Studies for Eric Carle's Books will help you expand on what your kids are learning through these beloved books.

Check out our school theme list. Learn about all the school spirit themes we put together for people like you.

We love fall in our family ! The leaves are turning colors and my house smells of apples and cloves as I bake and diffuse. One of our favorite activities each season is nature study, and we love observing the change of seasons in our favorite places. We try to take time on every outing to pause at

Today is a big day. This might be my favorite quiet book theme to date! I LOVE this cars quiet […]

Teaching our little learners about delicious apples is such a fun unit to get to explore this time of year! They'll love learning about how apples grow, apple trees, and even baking yummy apple pie! There are so many fun ways to go through this unit and watch them learn. It's even more fun as

These inspiring picture books about respect teach the importance of respect and cultivate a culture of acceptance and kindness.

Embrace the autumn season with a collection of fun and educational activities for kids. From crayon leaf rubbings to pumpkin spice playdough, ignite creativity and learning.

No David by David Shannon is a classic book to read in kindergarten. Here are free No David activities, videos and book ideas listed all in one place.

With warmer temperatures, kids are bound to spend more and more time outdoors. Many kids dream of going camping. Whether your camping trip is in the great outdoors, in a backyard tent, or an indoor fort, there are bound to be memories made. Not only do I have a fun camping craft to share, but I also have some great camping books for kids that you can pair with it!

This insect books for kids are the perfect way to talk about bugs and read at the same time! Who knew that bugs could be so silly and fun?

Diverse books are a vital part of any classroom. This is especially true when there are English Language Learners in the room. Students need access to books that have characters that look like them and come from similar backgrounds to them. They also need to read about places and characters that are different from them.

Find fantastic resources for teaching inferences (with free mini lesson). The resources are ideal for 4th graders but also features ideas for grades 1-3.

These FREE Printables and Unit Studies for Eric Carle's Books will help you expand on what your kids are learning through these beloved books.

Diverse books are a vital part of any classroom. This is especially true when there are English Language Learners in the room. Students need access to books that have characters that look like them and come from similar backgrounds to them. They also need to read about places and characters that are different from them.

Free printable reading logs make reading fun and rewarding for your child. That's why I created this new

We are always inspired to do fun crafts and learning activities whenever we read some of our favorite children’s books! Here is a list of activities we’ve come up with inspired by popular children’s books (alphabetized by title). (Book titles are affiliate links.) Be sure to follow our Children’s Book Activities Pinterest board! …

Ready for one of my favorite ways to teach students about writing, reading, creativity, and even kindness? It’s something that elementary teachers have known all along…it’s the picture book! The picture book is a powerful instructional tool that can work in any classroom…and I thought I’d share some examples of my favorites with you today. I’ve put the collection of books in a simple (and free) PDF with links that you can download by clicking this LINK. I’ve also paired each book with a ready-made unit that you can easily teach in your classroom too. Feel free to download the PDF at any time. In the meantime, let’s take a look at some of my favorite picture books for any classroom. First, I’m sharing a book that is great for the beginning of the year as you’re building a positive classroom community. Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts taps into a child’s innate need to have what everyone else has. In this case, the main character longs for the “cool” shoes even though they are too expensive for his grandmother to purchase. After finding a pair that is much too small, the main character makes the ultimate sacrifice for a classmate. It’s a touching story that celebrates kindness and classmates…perfect for any time of year. (Click HERE to check out the book.) Picture books are also wonderful examples of creativity. Since learning to be creative has shown to be one of the most powerful skills for helping students thrive in life, it’s important to celebrate creativity in the classroom. These two books do just that… Not a Box by Antoinette Portis is fairly simple at first glance. A box shape is turned into everything expect a box – a robot, a hot air balloon, even a rocket ship. It’s a fun example of “thinking outside of the box,” just imagine all the creative lessons you could do as an extension to this story. (Click HERE to check out the book.) The Three Pigs by David Wiesner is another example of creativity. This time students see how a traditional story can be flipped on its head and come to life with a little imagination. This book is the perfect springboard for lessons about thinking in new and creative ways. (Click HERE to check out the book.) Picture books are wonderful for adding a little humor and whimsy into the classroom. You can keep these two books on your shelf for a rainy day and pull them out when students can use a laugh. And…as a major bonus, humor produces psychological and physiological benefits that help students learn. One of my favorite funny books is The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak. While there are no pictures in the book, there are plenty of silly words and crazy sentences that you, the reader, must read out loud. Students love how “powerless” you become against the words Novak makes you say. You’ll all be laughing together with this book! (Click HERE to check out the book.) Another funny book filled with voice (and a sweet message) is Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great by Bob Shea. Not only is the book funny as the goat laments about the new Unicorn in town, it’s also cleverly written. There’s a lesson in this book along with a few laughs. (Click HERE to check out the book.) What about using picture books to teach critical ELA skills? That’s a genius idea. For instance, if you’d like to teach theme, try The EmptyPot by Demi. It’s one of my favorite stories because the reader learns its themes of honesty and integrity along with the main character that shows up to a gardening challenge with an empty pot. Not only is it a great way to teach theme, it’s a lovely way to showcase important character traits too. (Click HERE to check out the book.) The next time you’re putting together a writing unit, have students begin by reading mentor texts in the form of pictures books. It’s a super engaging and quick way for students to learn about the critical elements of the genre. I always started my memoir writing unit with a review of several picture books like The Baby Sister by Tomie dePaola. (Click HERE to check out the book.) Want to each about figurative language? It’s easy with picture books. Send students on a figurative language hunt in a book like WhiteSnow Bright Snow by Alvin Tresselt. The story has a poetic quality as it tells about the first snowfall of the year. (Click HERE to check out the book.) Alright, I could go on for days…but I better stop right here. I just love how picture books are a powerful way to help students learn about critical ELA topics and build character. Remember, you can check out a list of all my favorites in this FREE download. Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope some picture books make an appearance in your classroom! See you soon! Mary Beth *This post contains affiliate links.

Summer is the time for road trips. Hearing these two simple words together could elicit a wide variety of emotions, ranging from wonderful memories

Today, I’m sharing our book list for making connections! Be sure to check out all our reading comprehension book lists. We even have printable comprehension book list. *This post contains affiliate links. One important comprehension strategy we want readers to use is making connections. There are three kinds of connections readers make before, during or after ... Read More about Book List for Making Connections

Explore India's rich culture with 20+ Fun India Activities for kids! Perfect for your India- Themed Unit Study - See the full list now!

My 6 kids and I spent the last 6 days learning about Iceland. Here's everything we did!

Are you looking for living books for ancient history for your homeschool? Here's a huge list!

She's a reader. There's no denying that. She's also quite driven. At only 11, she has already chosen her desired college, major, and minor. And while I recognize that at eleven her opinions and plans might ebb and flow in the coming years, I also know HER and know that when she gets her sights set on a goal, there's no stopping her determination. That being said, the plan she has penciled in for herself after much prayer and self-evaluation requires a strong literary background. With that in mind, I have spent many months putting together a middle school reading list that will set her on that path. (This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for full details.) The Selection Process Since I'm not a huge fan of most modern reading lists and award-winning books, I have consulted only quality lists from sources that I trust which include THESE lovely gems, The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling Teens, and The Home Scholar. I have pored over countless titles and have devised a list of 50 that I think represent a worthwhile sampling of different genres, themes, and eras. There is an intentional absence of non-fiction books since she reads so many of these already for our living literature style science and history. In my opinion, middle school is a time to start developing personal opinions and convictions on many topics while under the protective umbrella of home. That being said, several of these books contain gentle messages that will challenge her current belief system. While I don't introduce them to sway her from her Christian worldview. On the contrary, I hope to use these weightier-themed books to slowly help her grow stronger in her ability to filter EVERYTHING through a Biblical lens. My home is a greenhouse...a place where small buds can grow strong and form deep roots in Truth. Up until this point, so much of my daughter's growing has come from exposure to nothing-but-Truth. But now that she is in middle school and currently doing some high school level course work, she needs to learn how to weather the tough storms that the world will hurl at her by being gently released to find the Truth amidst the lies. With that in mind, I plan on reading several of these heavier titles with her. We will each read our own copy separately and dialogue about them as we are able, dissecting the Truth from the lie. The Plan I have placed all of these books on a "shelf" called Middle School MUST READS in my Goodreads account so that she can see the list at a glance. There really is no structured order to it all. She is free to pick any title at any time. I don't necessarily expect her to read all of these books by the time she starts high school. (Then again, she's an avid reader and just might surprise me. She's actually read a handful of them already!) I mostly just want to set a wide variety of books in front of her that will each add an element of excellence to her literary journey without the worldly indoctrination that so many popular books offer. As always, when she finishes a book, she will document it for her annual portfolio and mark it as "read" in my Goodreads account. The Books Classics An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery Black Beauty by Anna Sewell Call it Courage by Armstrong Sperry Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling Little Women by Louisa May Alcott My Antonia by Willa Cather* Old Yeller by Fred Gipson Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson The Call of the Wild by Jack London The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls General Fiction Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt Black Ships Before Troy by Rosemary Sutcliff Blue Willow by Doris Gates Johnny Tremain by Esther Hoskins Forbes Letters from Rifka byKaren Hesse* Lyddie by Katherine Paterson* Men of Iron by Howard Pyle* Mr. Tucket by Gary Paulsen* Rascal by Sterling North Redwall by Brian Jacques Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor* Sounder by William H. Armstrong Steal Away by Jennifer Armstrong* The Borrowers by Mary Norton The House of Sixty Fathers by Meindert DeJong* The Miracle Worker by Willian Gibson The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood* The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo Tree Castle Island by Jean Craighead George* The Cay by Theodore Taylor The Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell* Watership Down by Richard Adams Tales from Shakespeare by Charles Lamb Biographies/Autobiographies America's Paul Revere by Esther Hoskins Forbes Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery by Russell Freedman Joni: An Unforgettable Story by Joni Eareckson Tada Not a Tame Lion: The Spiritual Legacy of C.S. Lewis and the Chronicles of Narnia by Terry Glaspey The Diary of a Young Girl by Ann Frank Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington *Books that I am not as familiar with and will be reading alongside her. Looking for more lists like this? Once a month, I email a book list to the members of the Biblio-files. Every title on the list has been personally read and vetted by me and has been compiled by age range in order to help you navigate the library with your kids. In addition, I also include a few books that you should be aware of--books that contain explicit language, sexual agenda, graphic violence, etc. so that you can make an educated decision when/if your kids should ever be interested in reading any of them. What's more, members are invited to join me in a private Facebook group where we help each other find just the right books for our kids and each other. We'd love to have you join us!

Best Olympic books for kids is a wonderful list of books to get your kids excited about the Olympics. It's a historical event that only occurs every 4 years. Use the Olympics as a learning opportunity for your homeschool or classroom.

Learning, crafting, and baking our way through Poland on Week 2 of our educational summer vacation!

I absolutely love to embrace the chaos of the Christmas season and tie the holidays into my December lessons! I love to find ways to make learning engaging for my students and still focus on my grade level reading standards. Below are a few books that are perfect mentor texts for teaching various reading comprehension […]

Are you looking for free weekly planners? A well-designed weekly planner is a powerful tool for staying organized, focused, and productive.

Are you looking for free preschool curriculum? This is the ultimate list of free preschool curriculum to help you make the best choice!

After Jack and Annie spent an afternoon in the Amazon rainforest dodging mangos and facing perhanas, crocodiles, vampire bats, and army a...

Giant list of Camping Books for Little Learners. Our favorite books for circle time that our preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten kiddos love. Books about forest animals, roasting marshmallows, fishing, nature, and camping with the family.

Fall is my absolutely FAVORITE time of year and I always go a little crazy with happy fall books in my classroom. So, here are my current favorite fall books with a few ideas for how to use each one to teach your kindergarten students some reading, writing, and phonics skills. SPOILER ALERT: I’ll

Find the best ocean animal books for kids from this carefully curated list for preschool, kindergarten, and early elementary. These are all great choices for the classroom!

A Teacher Blog by Jessica Meacham

Curriculum Map for Preschool, Pre-K, and Kindergarten for the whole year! Year plan, month plans, and week plans by theme.