Teachers and parents, do you need suggestions for good 4th grade read alouds? Here are ideas for your students and children.
Literature Circles in the elementary classroom. How to do literature circles with 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students.
Find an extensive list of primary Mentor Texts for Common Core Literature Standards to help compliment your lessons in the classroom.
Every school year is different. Different students, different needs, different plans. But one thing always remains constant: The need for engaging, SHORT novels. Maybe you're filling a shorter amount of time. Maybe you're dealing with short attention spans. Maybe you just need a quick read! Today I’m sharing 10 books your students will LOVE. These books are all 120 pages or less, making them an efficient read. BONUS: You'll also find 4 books that are 140 pages or less that I just couldn't leave off. Explore the list below of the BEST short novels for your school year. Let me know in the comments what I’ve missed and which are your favorites! Engaging Novels under 120 pages: 1. The Tiger Rising by: Kate DiCamillo Rob and Sistine's surprising discovery of a tiger gives them the courage to face past trauma. >>View my read aloud companion for this title on Teachers Pay Teachers!<< 2. Frindle by: Andrew Clements Join Nick Allen as he sparks a language revolution by inventing a new word, 'frindle', and learns about the power of creativity in the process. >>View my read aloud companion for this title on Teachers Pay Teachers!<< 3. Sideways Stories from Wayside School by: Louis Sachar Explore the eccentricities of Wayside School, a thirty-story building with a classroom on each floor, and encounter its quirky students and teachers. >>View my read aloud companion for this title on Teachers Pay Teachers!<< 4. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by: Judy Blume Peter Hatcher navigates the challenges of sibling rivalry and growing up with his mischievous younger brother, Fudge. 5. My Father's Dragon by: Ruth Stiles Gannett A resourceful young boy named Elmer sets off on an adventure to rescue a baby dragon. 6. The Chocolate Touch by: Patrick Skene Catling A boy named John discovers the consequences of his insatiable love for chocolate when everything he touches turns into chocolate. 7. Sounder by: William H. Armstrong A young African American boy and his dog, Sounder, face hardship and injustice in the rural South as they strive to reunite their family. 8. Sarah Plain and Tall by: Patricia MacLachlan A widowed farmer and two children eagerly await the arrival of Sarah, a kind-hearted woman from Maine, as they hope she will become their new mother. 9. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by: Betty MacDonald Enter the whimsical world of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, a magical woman who helps parents solve their children's misbehavior. 10. Fantastic Mr. Fox by: Roald Dahl Mr. Fox outsmarts three mean farmers who are determined to catch him and his family by relying on his cleverness and love for adventure. Engaging Novels under 140 pages: 11. Number the Stars by: Lois Lowry Two young Danish girls, Annemarie and Ellen, display bravery and resilience as they help Ellen escape the Nazis during World War II. >>View my read aloud companion for this title on Teachers Pay Teachers!<< 12. Tuck Everlasting by: Natalie Babbit A young girl named Winnie Foster discovers the Tuck family's secret of immortality and must decide between eternal life and the natural cycle of life and death. >>View my read aloud companion for this title on Teachers Pay Teachers!<< 13. Stuart Little by: E.B. White A small and adventurous mouse named Stuart Little embarks on a series of daring escapades in New York City, searching for his friend Margalo the bird. >>View my read aloud companion for this title on Teachers Pay Teachers!<< 14. Mr. Popper's Penguins by: Richard and Florence Atwater Mr. Popper's life takes a chaotic turn when he unexpectedly receives a penguin as a gift. >>View my read aloud companion for this title on Teachers Pay Teachers!<< Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. The compensation received will never influence the content, topics, or posts made in this blog.
Are you looking to elevate your Ecosystems and Biomes unit? This 4th or 5th grade project based learning unit for ecosystems incorporates science, nonfiction reading, research, writing, and the arts! Read to find out how I organized the research project, what our launch activity was, the driving que
Literature Circles in the elementary classroom. How to do literature circles with 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students.
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Free reading comprehension passages for grades 2 - 3
Okay teacher friend. It’s finally here. And I’m so excited! I’ve had this resource collecting dust on my computer for years now. I’ve been using this strategy in my classroom for the last few years, but haven’t had the energy or time (teacher life + mom life is exhausting, am I right?) to put it all together so that it’s ready to go for busy teachers like you! Well, it’s finally finished and I finally get to unveil it to you! Did you know I have a FREE downloadable reading response menu board that you can print now and use in your
Learn for easy lesson ideas you can use for teaching theme to your students in upper elementary.
Handy Aesops's Fables printables are a great way to learn morals using 10 different children's fables! Print FREE Aesop's Fables worksheets!
Start Using Literature Circles TODAY! Find out how to easily implement literature circles with grades 3-5. So easy, you can get started today (or tomorrow).
Main Idea Worksheet 4th Grade. Use this idea map for word work, main idea and supporting particulars, or to map out ideas. Teachers Pay Teachers is an internet marketplace where teachers purchase and sell unique academic materials. Skilled read
Free reading sorts for grades 4-5 with idea for implementation! These make perfect reading centers, stations, and independent practice reading activiites.
Enhance your classroom's math progress tracking with the 4th Grade Progress Monitoring by Standard - Reading Google Sheets resource. Specifically designed for 4th grade teachers, this comprehensive tool covers all reading standards, providing a clear and organized way to monitor and assess each student's progress. Key Features: Standards-Aligned: Includes all 4th grade reading literature and informational standards, ensuring your students' progress is tracked against the exact benchmarks they need to meet. Visual Progress Tracking: Features dynamic line graphs and doughnut charts for each standard, offering a visual representation of individual and class-wide progress over time. User-Friendly: Easy-to-navigate interface that allows teachers to input data quickly and efficiently, saving valuable time and reducing administrative burden. Data-Driven Insights: Helps identify trends and areas needing improvement, enabling data-driven instruction and targeted interventions. Google Sheets Integration: Fully customizable and accessible from anywhere, perfect for today's digital classroom environment. With the 4th Grade Progress Monitoring by Standard - Reading resource, you can ensure every student stays on track with their reading goals. Gain a deeper understanding of your students' strengths and areas for growth, and make informed decisions to support their reading development. Transform your approach to progress monitoring and watch your students excel! Included in this resource: 27 Google Sheets: Start Here, 4.RL.1 - Example, Individual Sheets for each 4th grade reading standard from RL.4.1 (except RL.4.10) to RI.4.9. This resource is designed and formatted to be used with Google Sheets. (c) Data Tracking Teacher.
If you are looking for some high-interest activities, try using animated shorts to teach inference. Free handouts focus on student learning.
One of the things I do every year that really makes a difference in my students' learning is having them use notebooks to store notes, examples, work, and
Looking for ideas as you implement literature circles in your classroom? This post explains what to do about literature circle roles and includes free printable bookmarks, assignment sheets, and assessment forms - all for free! Great resources for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade.
Teach EVERY reading literature and reading informational text common core state standard using inspirational and engaging short films and video clips! For an entire year of highly engaging, no prep…
I have used the reading workshop model for about 8 years now. It has changed a lot over the years! One thing that has stayed the same is the ‘Respond to Text’ station. This is a time where students get to write about their reading. The station stays the same all year, but the activities in the station change. Below is a list of activities you can add to your ‘Respond to Text’ station at the beginning of the year. 1. Bookmark Book Report At the beginning of the year, some students struggle to finish chapter books. I find that this bookmark book report helps them stay engaged in their reading. The students keep track of the pages they read, and complete activities as they read their book. There is a fiction and nonfiction version available for download. 2. Text Structures Tri-fold Students can use this trifold to ‘hunt’ for different text structures. Just put a basket of nonfiction books at the station and you are set! It’s a great way to get them reading nonfiction books. 3. Choice Board Students get to choose what activities they’d like to complete. This is great because it can be used for the story of the week (if you follow a basal) or the chapter book they are currently reading. You can have the students glue this page inside their reading notebook, or have them staple their responses to this sheet and turn in. Download the Printables: Click here to download the bookmark book report. Click here to download the text structures trifold and choice board. Add editing tasks to your reading workshop block! Math Resources: 1st Grade Tri-Folds 2nd Grade Tri-Folds 3rd Grade Tri-Folds 4th Grade Tri-Folds 5th Grade Tri-Folds Thanks for reading! I hope you will find these printable helpful :) Visit my blog @ Learning With Mrs S. Visit my TPT Store Follow me on Pinterest! Follow me on Instagram! Follow me on Facebook :)
Help students break the reading ‘code’ with these games for teaching themes in upper elementary.
Analyzing character traits is a key fiction reading skill that is needed for successful comprehension. In most cases, authors do not just come out and tell readers the traits that a character possesses. By teaching
We just finished our second novel of the school year....Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume. This is the first year I have read this book with my students. It was only $1.00 in the Scholastic book order, so I couldn't pass it up! It's still available in the 4th Graders September catalog if you are interested. My students absolutely LOVED this book. It was a quick, easy read so it was perfect for the beginning of the school year. I purchased an awesome novel study on TpT by Renee Smalley. I highly recommend it. At the end of the book, my students completed a super cute character analysis project that was also included in the novel study. Here are some pictures of the completed project. This was the perfect project to have on display during Parent-Teacher Conferences too!
Whether you're a homeschool mom looking for a great book for your 5th grader or a classroom teacher trying to build a great library, finding texts that are engaging and a great fit for your readers can be tough. I've compiled this list of the best books for 5th graders to help save you time and give you a
Need to teach theme but not sure where to start? I've gathered my favorite mentor texts you can use to teach theme in literature! Check these out!
These real life math activities are a great way to engage 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade students in financial literacy and project based learning.
Teaching theme is not an easy task! Not only do students need to have a strong comprehension of the story's elements (like plot, setting, and characters), but they also have to be able to make inferences to find the author's message, since most themes are not overtly stated by the author. So, what are some of my favorite activities for helping kids understand theme? I'll list a number of them here. 1. Make an Anchor Chart Anchor charts are a great way to make learning visual and to have a record that kids can refer to when they need a bit of extra support. Theme may be defined in a number of ways. To me, the theme is the author's message or what he/she wants the reader to take away/learn from the story. It is a BIG idea, with a real-world or universal concern and can be applied to anyone. Besides talking about what a theme is, you'll also want to go over what it isn't. For example, some kids confuse the main idea of the story with its theme. To help students understand the difference, it's helpful to use stories that everyone in the class knows, like previous read alouds or classic stories like The Three Little Pigs. You can take each story and discuss the main idea (what the story was mostly about - specific to the story) vs. the theme (the lesson the author wants the reader to know - not specific to the story), to contrast the two ideas. The second area of confusion for some kids is that the theme is not specific to the characters in the story. In the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes, for example. The theme would not be that...A little mouse named Chrysanthemum learned to accept the uniqueness of her name. The theme would be larger than the book and would be something like...It's important to accept oneself. Also, you'll want to explain to your students that often times, a book has multiple themes and there are several answers which work equally well to describe a book's theme. Since theme is very subjective, I tell students that I will accept any answer, as long as they have the text evidence to prove it. For example, in the book, Wonder, by R.J. Palacio, one might argue that the theme is about friendship, another might say family, or even courage, or kindness. Any one of these themes would be right, and counted as such, since they each fit the story and could be supported by text evidence. 2. Use Pixar Shorts to Practice Theme Besides the sheer enjoyment which comes from watching these mini-films, your students can learn a lot about reading concepts from these. They're great for ELL students or for struggling readers, and for all readers really since the text complexity piece is removed. You can find these clips on YouTube, but you'll want to make sure to preview them first, so you're more familiar with the plot and are able to focus on theme questions. Here are some of my favorite Pixar Shorts for teaching theme: Piper Partly Cloudy Lava Boundin' 3. Use Mentor Texts Mentor texts are one of my go-to teaching tools as picture books are able to portray examples of just about any reading concept you need to teach. One thing I like to do when using mentor texts for theme, is to vary the types of questions I ask. Rather than always saying What is the theme?, I might ask... What is the deeper meaning of this story? After reading this book, what do you think matters to this author? Which idea from the story do you think might stay with you? What did the author want people to learn from this story?... Once kids answer, you might say, Ah...so that's the theme! Some of my current mentor text favorites for theme include the following: Ish by Peter H. Reynolds I Wish I Were a Butterfly by James Howe Journey by Aaron Becker (a wordless book) Beautiful Oops by Barry Saltzberg The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal Pete and Pickles by Berkeley Breathed If you're looking for more titles, I have a FREE Mentor Text List for Literature which includes a page on theme which you can download from my TpT store. 4. Use Posters with Themes to Chart Book Themes I like to choose 8 - 10 common themes and place posters of them in the classroom. These are included in my Theme unit but you could easily make them yourself if you'd like. After we finish a class novel, a read aloud, or a mentor text as part of a mini-lesson, I like to have the kids discuss the theme of the book. Once we decide on the theme, I place a miniaturized copy of the book's cover (about 3 x 3 inches or so) under the correct theme poster. You can also make the posters more interactive by allowing kids to write titles of books they have recently read on sticky notes, under the posters as well. 5. Use Songs to Practice Finding the Theme I love to add music to the classroom whenever possible. Not only does it add instant motivation for some kids, but it is also just good for them in so many ways. There are lots of songs you can use to teach theme, from current pop songs to oldies, rap songs, and country songs. While all of these work well, I especially enjoy using Disney songs. Disney songs are easily recognized for some kids, have catchy, fun tunes, and have lyrics that need no censoring (yay!). You can easily find the lyrics online to project on a smartboard or document projector, and the song clips may be found on YouTube, Here are some of my favorite Disney songs which work well for theme: Hakuna Matata from Lion King Just Keep Swimming from Finding Dory Reflection from Mulan Let it Go from Frozen Something There from Beauty and the Beast A Whole New World from Aladdin 6. Introduce Short Texts Using Task Cards Using task cards for theme gives your students a great deal of practice in a short period of time, which makes them a perfect way to begin to practice finding the theme using text. I love the fact that students can read multiple task card stories and practice finding the theme 20 - 30 times, in the time it might take to read a story and find the theme once. You can do task cards as a center activity, to play Scoot, or as a whole class scavenger hunt. One thing I like to do for the scavenger hunt is to make sure everyone has a partner and to pair stronger readers with struggling readers. 7. Add Some Writing After students have worked on theme for a week or two, I like to have students create their own short stories which show a strong theme, without directly stating it. This changes each student's role from a theme finder, to a theme creator and gives students insight into how authors create a situation that allows a theme to unfold. When I introduce this project, we refer back to the task cards we just completed, as an example of story length and rich content. In a matter of 2 - 3 paragraphs, students learn that they can include enough information to let our readers know our message. After students are finished creating these short stories, it's fun to share them in some way, to give more theme practice. Sometimes I have students meet in small groups to share out, with group members guessing the theme. Other years, I leave a stack on my desk and grab several if we have a few minutes. Either the students or I read the short story out loud, and the class discusses the theme. 8. Move to Passages, Short Stories, and Novels. Once we have scaffolded a great foundation for the understanding of theme, there comes a point where kids have to move on to text which is more challenging. I like to use page-long passages which I have created, before using short stories, and ultimately novels. If you're looking for some ready made materials to help you teach theme, here's a packet I love to use which works well for 4th and 5th Graders. Click here to read more about the Theme unit. Want some more teaching ideas and activities to teach theme? Click here to read Teaching Themes in Literature. If you like this post, make sure to share it with a teacher friend! Thanks so much for stopping by! For more ideas and strategies focused on upper elementary, be sure to sign up for The Teacher Next Door's free email newsletter! Bonus, you'll also gain access to my FREE Resource Library which contains exclusive upper elementary freebies that you won't find anywhere else! I'd love to connect with you! The Teacher Next Door's Website Pinterest Facebook Instagram TpT Store
Do your students have to create timelines to meet academic standards? I'm sharing 10 engaging types of timelines that make this activity FUN for students!
Ivan The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla by Katherine Applegate, is the subject of these literature unit activities for kids.
The book Wonder literally allows you to teach all the Common Core Literature Standards with this book! Seriously....Read on to find out how.
This is a document with 4 pages of content. We have presented all the important spelling words that is required in the 4th grade. The fourth grade students
Learn fun literacy and math ideas.
Students will make inferences about the various scenes included in this reading exercise.
This post features literacy center ideas and printables for 4th-grade classrooms. It includes reading centers for fourth grade.
Subject English Language Arts, Science, Engineering Grade Levels 3rd, 4th, 5th Resource Type Lesson Plans (Individual), Activities, Novel Study File Type Compressed Zip File Be sure that you have an application to open this file type before downloading and/or purchasing. 11 MB|141 pages
Do you teach growth mindset to your students? These new growth mindset picture books by Kobi Yamada are perfect for helping students.
Pencils - how do I loathe thee? Let me count the ways! If pencils are the bane of your existence too, you'll relate to the 6 pencil horror stories in this post! Then read on to find out how to tackle the pencil problem once and for all!
Upper Elementary Novel Study Ideas - favorite book suggestions and novel study ideas for upper elementary ELA classrooms.
Learn about the most advanced ancient civilization in this fun, hands on Ancient Mesopotamia History Unit. This is fun for kids of all ages.
