This list of must have picture books for your classroom library includes a wide range of titles from seasonal to teaching points. Free activities too!
Teaching theme in fourth grade is not easy, but it is very rewarding to see the students' little light bulbs come on! In my experience, students need many
Use picture books personification examples as mentor texts for your writing workshop in the classroom at home to introduce figurative language.
Books for teaching sequencing should have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Here are 16 great books for kindergarten or first grade.
Teaching with picture books is remarkably effective. Here are some of the best picture books for principals to read aloud so you can make a different too.
Explore the BEST picture books that teach about Art or Inspire Art Making for kids to use for art infused lessons in your classroom, to teach art history and about making art and the creative process to your art students, or to use for creating an art-themed section in your home library. This comprehensive list explores famous artists, artworks, and the art making process through fun and creative, easy-to read picture books. It will provide you with ideas and inspiration for creating art lessons and projects that you can pair with these amazing books to help you teach about art making in depth in your classroom.
Booklist of diverse and multicultural picture books. Children need to not only learn about new cultures, places, and traditions but they also need to be able to "see" themselves in a book.
These 15 picture book activities go great with your preschooler's favorite stories. Great hands-on activities that help to further explore the books!
Looking for a book list for making inferences and predictions? Here you go! Be sure to check out all the book lists I have for teaching comprehension. *This post contains affiliate links. Making inferences and predictions are highly related comprehension strategies. In fact, most books for teaching comprehension lump them together. For the younger ... Read More about Book List for Making Inferences and Predictions
Alice loved her grandfather and wanted to do the things that he had done. She told him that she too would live in faraway lands and live by the sea. Her grandfather told her that those were great things to do but she must also do something to make the world a more beautiful place. As Alice got older she became Miss Rumphius and she spent her life traveling and living by the sea and wondering what she could do to make the world a more beautiful place. Miss Rumphius hurt her back on one of her trips, so as she was laying in bed tending to her injured back she could see her lupines growing outside her bedroom window. Seeing these flowers made her so happy. After Miss Rumphius’s back got better she took a long walk through the woods and discovered lupine flowers growing where they shouldn’t be growing. That’s when she decided she was going to plant lupines all over to make the world a more beautiful place. This made Miss Rumphius very happy. This book has so many great opportunities for teaching reading skills and strategies. Use the information below to help you quickly and easily create a meaningful lesson. Because I think this book is so wonderful and I love using it while teaching, I created a huge packet to go with it (link below). Reading level: 2.9 Theme/subject: individuality Genre: realistic fiction Suggested Vocabulary/phrases: lupine, stoop, wharves, bristling masts, conservatory, tropical isle, jasmine, fetched, mother-of-pearl shell, bird of paradise, headlands, sowing Reading skills and strategies: Asking questions - {possible questions before} I wonder what the story is going to be about. I wonder who Miss Rumphius is. {possible questions during} I wonder how many different places Miss Rumphius visited. I wonder what she is going to do to make the world more beautiful. {possible questions after} I wonder what the little girl at the end of the story will do to make the world a more beautiful place. **Remember to have your students answer/reflect their questions. Author's point of view – Third person. Be sure to find 3 pieces of evidence to support this (she, my, her). Author's purpose – entertain {evidence} The author is telling us a story. There is a character and a setting. The illustrations are beautiful. Beginning, middle, end - {most important event from beginning} Alice’s grandfather told her that in addition to living by the sea and visiting faraway lands she must do something to make the world a more beautiful place. {most important event from middle} Alice visited many faraway places and hurt her back as she rode a camel. {most important event from end} Alice lived by the sea and spread lupine flower seeds all over to make the world a more beautiful place. Cause and effect – Why did Alice want to visit faraway places and want to live by the sea? Because she wanted to do what her grandfather did. Why did Miss Rumphius go to a tropical island? Because the conservatory was almost like going to a tropical island, but not quite. How come Miss Rumphius finally lived by the sea? Because she hurt her back on a camel and needed to rest. Why was Miss Rumphius almost perfectly happy? Because she had not done anything to make the world a beautiful place yet. Why did Miss Rumphius have to stay in bed during the spring? Because her back was hurting her again. Why were there lupine flowers on the other side of the hill? Because the wind and birds carried the seeds there. Why did the people of the town call her The Crazy Old Lady? Because she walked all over town spreading flower seeds. Why do they call her the Lupine Lady? Because she is the one that planted all the seeds that make the world around them beautiful. Character analysis - describe Miss Rumphius {looks like, feelings, thoughts, character} Compare & contrast – your grandfather to Alice’s grandfather. Compare your idea to beautify the world and what Alice did. Connections - {possible text-to-self connections} Setting goals and accomplishing them. Visiting faraway places. Living by the sea. Planting flowers. Making the world a more beautiful place. Spending time with your grandfather. {possible text-to-text connections} Have You Filled a Bucket Today? By Carol McCloud – both books are about making the world a better place by doing something to better someone or something else. Drawing conclusions & inferencing – Why did people call Miss Rumphius That Old Crazy Lady? {text clues} Miss Rumphius scattered seeds as she walked around the town and countryside. {what I know} I know that some people think other people are a little different or crazy when they do things that aren’t understood. {my conclusion} I think Miss Rumphius was called That Crazy Old Lady because those people didn’t understand what she was doing when she was throwing her seeds around the countryside. Fact & opinion – {fact} Miss Rumphius visited faraway places. Miss Rumphius lived by the sea. Miss Rumphius planted lupines to make the world more beautiful. Miss Rumphius helped her grandfather. Miss Rumphius lived to be very old. {opinion} Alice’s grandfather was a smart man. It is fun riding camels. Lupines are the prettiest flowers. Miss Rumphius really was crazy for scattering seeds all over. Planting flowers is the best way to make the world more beautiful. Main idea & details - {main idea} The story is mostly about Miss Rumphius making the world a more beautiful place. {details} Alice’s grandfather tells her that she must do something to make the world a more beautiful place. Alice sees that the wind and birds have scattered her lupine seeds further into the countryside. Alice decides that scattering lupine seeds all around the countryside will make the world more beautiful. Alice orders tons of seeds from her seed catalogue. Plot - the turning point or climax in the story was when Miss Rumphius takes a walk and finds her lupines growing further in the countryside. Predict – what do you think the story is going to be about? Do you think Alice will visit faraway places? Do you think Alice will live by the sea? What do you think Alice will do to make the world a more beautiful place? What kind of faraway places do you think Alice will visit? Problem & solution - {problem} Alice has no idea what to do to make the world a more beautiful place. {solution} Alice’s problem is solved when she takes a walk in the countryside and sees lupines growing. She decides then that planting more lupines all over will make the world more beautiful. Sequencing – Alice sometimes helped her grandfather with his paintings. Alice wanted to visit faraway lands and live by the see just like her grandfather. Alice’s grandfather told her that she must also do something to make the world a more beautiful place. Alice grew up. Alice visited faraway lands. Alice moved into a house by the sea. Alice planted lupine seeds all over the countryside. People called her The Crazy Old Lady. Alice, Miss Rumphius, tells little Alice that she must do something to make the world more beautiful. Story elements - list title, author, characters, setting, beginning, middle, end, or problem & solution. Strong thought – Miss Rumphius thought that planting lupines all over the countryside would make the world more beautiful place. What would you say to Miss Rumphius about this? Summarize - {someone} Miss Rumphius {wanted} wanted to make the world a more beautiful places {but} but she didn’t know what to do {so} so she went for a walk and {then} then she saw lupines growing faraway from where she planted her seeds. Miss Rumphius {finally} finally know what to do, plant lupine seeds all over the countryside. Theme – Leave the world more beautiful than when you entered it. Set a goal and stick with it. Visualize – Miss Rumphius planted lupines all over. Visualize what you would do to make the world a more beautiful place. Happy reading,
Children's books about perseverance and determination that encourage growth mindset, grit and working towards goals and meeting challenges.
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!
STEM picture books with reviews! Great STEM books for kids to inspire.
Want to teach rules and expectations in an engaging way? Use picture books! These 15 picture books are some of the best to start your year.
Use these free printable Parts of a Book Poster & Worksheet to teach your pre-readers about book awareness and concepts of print.
"It was like herding cats!" That was my answer to my husband the other day when he asked how my day had gone. Seriously, the days I have first and second graders are just hard - fun, but exhausting. That is until I found the SECRET to STEM and the littles! Are you ready for
Books Come Alive for Children With Picture Book Activities. Crafts, questions, journal pages, printables activities for your favorite books!
Want to find standout STEM engineering and invention picture books that inspire engineering, tinkering, and invention in kids? Read one or all of these engaging...
In this huge list are 50+ texts {including poetry, picture books, and more} that you can use when modeling comprehension strategies to your readers.
Looking for picture books to use with your elementary students? I've listed six amazing Upper Elementary Picture books for you that I use to teach writing!
3 visualizing activities for first grade
Check out these children's books for point of view. Amazing books to teach point of view and perspective for elementary students!
Chapter books aren't the only options for 5th graders! Take a look at our top picks of 5th grade picture books, sure to delight your child.
Check out this list of picture books for upper elementary! Use them for interactive read alouds and as mentor texts! Such great picture books for older kids in third, fourth, and fifth grade. #readalouds
These are some of the most popular and best-loved books for circle time! They're wonderful other times as well, even in my own home at bedtime.
Free printable alphabet books with letter recognition activities and pictures to color. An amazing resource for exploring the alphabet with your preschoolers!
You can teach anything with children's picture books: Science. History. Writing. Math. Cooking. And Art. Especially art. Because picture books are an artform. I'll be writing a Five Day Series this week about connecting children's literature to art. Monday through Thursday I will be sharing four art project ideas inspired by children's picture books. On Friday I have …
Reading is vital for the development of toddlers, so make sure you have plenty of books for 2 year olds to help them grow and learn.
Are you teaching goal setting to elementary students? These goal setting picture book stories and activities will help you set goals with your students this back to school season. Freebies included!
Be an adventurous armchair traveler and read around the world with more than 50 these diverse children's books to teach them about different countries.
Ready to build your STEM library with the best picture books? Start Here! Check out my Top 10 all time favorite read alouds for elementary STEM
Teaching geometry can be FUN! Take a look at these geometry videos, books, anchor charts, activities, games, and freebies! Perfect for 1st and 2nd grade!
Interactive books for preschoolers are a great way to get them involved in a book in meaningful ways. Since social emotional learning in preschool is key, I created this wonderful "I Can" interactive book. Preschool children will learn important concepts about what it means to be responsible. This colorful interactive book for kids gets them reflecting on how they can and do contribute each day to their own homes and families. All you need to do to prep the interactive preschool book is print, cut out the cards, and laminate for durability. Your child will likely want to go through it again and again!
Historical fiction picture books for first grade through fifth grade.
For the past two weeks, my class has been learning about figurative language and how to use it to enhance writing. We worked through 6 elements of figurative language: similes, metaphors, hyperboles, idioms, personification, and onomatopoeia. Here is a listing of picture books I used to teach figurative language and the activity we completed for each piece of language: My lovely student teacher started off with a T-Chart on the board with "like/as" in the center. She had a variety of pictures and words on magnets. Students came up and moved the pieces to create similes such as "busy as a bee" or "cool as a cucumber." She then read the class "Crazy like a Fox." Afterward, she brainstormed with the class characters and a plot to create a class simile story. Pairs of students were assigned a page and had to write a few sentences, including one .". They are currently working on finishing off the illustrations. This story is great to read to your class even if you aren't teaching figurative language! It's all about a boy who can't help but shout out and the strategy he learns to stop it from happening. I didn't do much beyond read the story as the students were able to easily understand having done similes first. Again, I LOVE this story! There are two sequels as well: "More Parts" and "Even More Parts." They are quite funny. The entire book is an exaggeration, but there's also some idioms in here as well. I started off this lesson by having students wash their hands. They were so intrigued just from that! When they returned to their desks, there was a bowl of Alpha-bits cereal on each table group. I gave them 5 minutes to make as many words as they could. After, I told them "Eat your words." :) I explained that in this situation, I actually meant "eat your words", but that's not what the saying really meant. Only one student has actually heard the saying before, so they explained it to the class. As I read "Amelia Bedelia's First Field Trip" (you could read any Amelia story, they are all full of idioms) the students munched their snack and were on the lookout for other things that sounded one way, but actually meant something else. They were able to find them all! I didn't use a book for this one. We talked about onomatopoeia earlier in the year when working on "great grabbers" for writing. A student did tell me that Batman comics would be really useful for teaching this though. I heard about this book on my favourite website - Pinterest. I ordered it off Chapters website and am very happy I did. The little red pen has a whole lot of marking to do, and none of the other school supplies want to help her. But, when she falls into the Pit of No Return (the garbage can) the supplies get together to help her out. I started off by making a chart with all the supplies as headings. I also had an actual red pen, stapler, eraser, push pin and green highlighter. I had the students describe the items. After reading the story, we added more to the chart based on how the books are in the story. I called a student up to circle any "alive" words. It was at this point I introduced the term personification. Students made their own chart that had the headings: noun, verb and adjective. The added at least 5 items under each. From there, they could create personification sentences such as "the wind tapped softly on my window" or "the car grunted as it slowly climbed the hill". What books do you use for teaching figurative language? Leave me your suggestions in the comments!
What is citizenship? Is it the ability to vote? Does it mean having the right documents? Is being a citizen about being part of a community? And what does it mean to be a good
I love using picture books as inspiration for children’s art projects. Over the past 13 years I have curated a a massive list of project ideas and lesson plans. Here is my growing list of picture books and coordinating art projects for kids: A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni Abe Lincoln’s Dream by Lane Smith
Looking for some fabulous Christian picture books for your children? Be sure to check out the picture books on this list!
To say the least, I have A LOT of favorite picture books. {You can also see our Favorite Picture Books for Pre-K/K.} And once again, it was hard to narrow down our absolute favorite picture books for K-2nd grade. Many of these are texts that have such rich content, that I have used them over and ... Read More about Favorite Picture Books for K-2nd grade
These math books for kids are perfect for teaching math in a fun and engaging way! Discover the benefits of using children's math books in your homeschool.
This post shares 15 read alouds for teaching story elements with brief summaries and the specific story element skills each read aloud addresses.
Making inferences worksheets and activities aren't always easy for students, but there are fun ways to teach this challenging reading skill.
While all of our students don’t need ALL of these strategies, I’ve organized a lot of the things mentioned in this series of blog posts into six big categories. I hope that they’ll help you wrap your mind around SIMPLE things that you can do to help your students with some of their biggest learning obstacles in math. Place Holders & Trackers For many of our students, keeping track of their place is HARD. However, I love to have a few tools handy to help them keep track of where they are and what they’re doing. Bingo Markers Desk Pets…
