February means books for Valentine’s Day, and I have some really, really sweet ones to share. The bonus is that so many books for Valentine’s Day include themes of kindness, understanding, and respect. And if we’re being really honest, my students can use all the kindness reminders. Books for Valentine’s Day The Berenstain Bears’ Valentine … Read more
The beginning of the year is one of my favorite times of the school year. It’s hectic, and overwhelming, but it’s also filled with hope and excitement! Along with that hope and excitement is launching reading workshop. It’s the time when my students really become readers, and realize that often, the reason someone doesn’t like … Read more
I love doing novel studies with my 2nd graders! They get so excited, and so invested in the characters! We end the year with our Chocolate Fever Novel Study, and it’s by far our favorite! I’ve done the Chocolate Fever Novel Study with my 2nd grade class 5 years running, and as long as they … Read more
If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know I LOVE children’s books, and I especially love books that go with a specific theme, holiday, or season. In this post, I’m sharing my favorite Valentine’s Day Books that are perfect for any classroom library. Having themed or seasonal books that only make an … Read more
How to teach students to build reading stamina is a lesson we begin on the very first day of school (or close to it). Not only is teaching students to build reading stamina important for students as readers, but it’s important for me to keep guided reading running smoothly. Creating an environment where students are … Read more
It’s almost time for Earth Day (although we could argue that everyday should be Earth Day), and I want to share my favorite Earth Day read alouds with you. As I was putting my Earth Day read alouds on the shelf, and realized they were seriously lacking. Although I had a few goods books, I … Read more
I sort of feel like Groundhog Day is one of those “holidays” the sometimes gets overlooked, but it covers so many different teaching and learning opportunities, it’s worth taking some time to incorporate it into your lessons. I especially love THIS informational reading mini-unit. Throughout this post, you’ll find Amazon Affiliate links. This means I … Read more
As part of our folktale unit in 2nd grade, we spend about two weeks reading different versions of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. There are LOTS of different Goldilocks books out there, and a ton of activities you can do with those books. I’m sharing a few of my favorite Goldilocks books, and a few … Read more
Every year I spend about two weeks reading gingerbread stories, and doing all the gingerbread things. My BEST tip: do your gingerbread unit AFTER Christmas. Say WHHAAAT? I know, I know. But seriously, I have so many Christmas books (you can read about those HERE) I want to share with my class, that there’s just … Read more
December is jam-packed with lots of holidays, and celebrations. Just with any other time of the year, I love having read-alouds that compliment whatever is going on. I split this post into different sections so you can easily find the topic you’re looking for. Plus, there’s lots of non-fiction books too, which I marked as … Read more
Halloween seems an appropriate day to dust off the cobwebs on my little ol’ blog, and share some of my favorite Thanksgiving read-alouds. Favorite Thanksgiving Read-Alouds Thanksgiving is easily one of my most favorite times of the year, and I’ve collected Thanksgiving themed read-alouds since I first started teaching. There’s so many Thanksgiving books I … Read more
It’s no secret that I love books! I especially love books that help my students understand kindness, community, friendships, and teach valuable life lessons. The follow list of books is pretty extensive back-to-school read aloud list. I don’t read these all in one day, but rather spread them out over the course of the first … Read more
