Hi there! Thank you so much for stopping by my teaching blog. Today, I am going to be sharing three of my absolute favourite read-aloud stories that I have shared with my students (Grade K-3) in recent months. I am basing these choices on student engagement level, theme/overall message, and plot.
- The Cool Bean by Jory John and Pete Oswald: The writers behind The Bad Seed and The Good Egg are at it again, this time bringing a clever, fun, and inspiring story about the power of small acts of kindness. This book not only kept my students engaged, but led to fantastic conversations and brainstorming sessions about how we can be kinder to one another, and ensure that everyone in our class feels cared for and included. I would recommend this book for any Primary classroom!
2. In My Heart: A Book of Feelings by Jo Westik: This one is a newfound favourite for me. The illustrations are gorgeous, and the descriptions of each feeling are both vivid and kid-friendly. I used this story both with my SSC students on our Literacy Choice Board, and also with my small groups of students who come to my Resource Room for extra academic support. In every lesson, this book was a hit with students. They not only enjoyed the writing, but we were able to discuss many wonderful emotional regulation strategies, and I would absolutely use this book in my instruction in the future.
3. The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywelt: This story is, and will always be, one of my favourite fun read aloud books for Primary students. No matter which class I read this with, the students are always laughing out loud, and I’m often laughing along with them (mostly because I like to give each of the crayons a different voice, and I cannot take on different voices convincingly for the life of me!). On the surface, this book seems like just a funny, goofy read aloud to be used as an engagement tool. But I’ve also found that this story opens the doors to whole-group conversations about creativity, and it can also help your students to understand empathy as well as different points of view in a story. I would highly recommend this one as well!
I hope that your students enjoy these books as much as mine did. What are some of your go-to story books to read with your students? I would love to read your suggestions in the comments.
Happy reading!
From Strive to Thrive: Supporting the Success of At-Risk Students 