Great Holiday Books to Read Aloud

One of my favorite opportunities to connect with my kiddos in the classroom is by reading great books to them. I always try to choose books that will reach students on different levels, both academically and emotionally. Read alouds give me a chance to show students how much I love to read... The weaker readers have a chance to enjoy a book they can't read themselves... The stronger readers have a chance to think more deeply about a book as I guide them. They all get to enjoy a text being read with accuracy and expression. But there's something even more magical that happens with these read alouds during the months of November and December. This time of year is already filled with excitement for students, and I love to select wonderfully illustrated books with powerful messages of friendship, triumph, humor, and just a little bit of magic. ;)

Here are a few of my favorites that any elementary-age student will enjoy:

   

    

 

    

What are your favorite winter books?

Five for Friday {November 6, 2015}

It's already the first Friday in November, and it's been too long since I joined the Five For Friday linky. I have some fun things going on in the classroom, and I'm trying to ride the wave until the pre-holiday crazies hit!

   

I've created a few music play lists for my students to enjoy, and we've been using then mostly during independent writing. The students love it! I was a little nervous about whether it would distract them at first, but it seems to be doing the opposite! They have been quite focused. One student even thanked me today after class and told me that the music helps her focus while writing. Love.

    

  

Enemy Pie and Rosie Revere, Engineer are two of my FAVORITE read alouds. This week we applied what we've learned about partner talk (agreeing, disagreeing, and adding on to an idea) by using Chat Stations. Similar to a Four Corners activity, I create four questions I want students to discuss after any read aloud. I give a few minutes for discussion so that everyone has a chance to participate, then ring a bell for students to rotate to the next station. If you're interested, you can download the discussion cards and expectations/goals here: Chat Stations

  

Each year as I plan writing units, it's SO helpful to pull favorite books and see at a glance how I've used them in the past. I love using the same text for reading and writing lessons whenever possible, so I really benefit from this system of jotting down possible teaching points on sticky notes and taping them to the back of the read aloud. Not very fancy, I know. But it works!

I have a few students who are working with an occupational therapist, and they find writing extremely challenging... But they have amazing ideas! So I downloaded this free voice recording app and now the students can step into the hallway and record their stories. Not every story has to be written down. It's all about communication of ideas. As soon as I introduced this voice recorder to a student this week, his face lit up and his demeanor changed entirely. What a difference this has made for his self esteem and enjoyment of "writing". Little by little, he will be able to write down more of his ideas. And this is a great first step!

Our parent teacher conferences are next week, and I will provide parents with this handy guide to reading behaviors at each level. It's also great for you to use as the teacher throughout the year as you confer with students during independent (or guided) reading. Be sure to click on the pic above to download out the freebie!

Wishing you luck with your own conferences... or a few moments of well-deserved rest if you've already finished. ;)