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my favorite books as an upper elementary school teacher
30
items i used to teach 3rd and 5th grade! here are my favorite books i read to my students or made sure i had in my classroom library
Sections
9
chapter book read alouds for read aloud time
folklore picture books
picture book read alouds for social emotional learning skills and classroom culture
back to school read alouds
math talk books
books that inspire crafts
chapter book read alouds for read aloud time
these books are engaging to students with cliff hangers, and engaging plot, and lovable characters
LOVED mapping this out with my students and explaining the mathematical and grammar concepts as we went along. made for a really engaging read aloud
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, Jules Feiffer, Paperback
entertaining concept. students were at edges of seats waiting for more!
The Doll People
fun read aloud for halloween time! very entertaining for both students and teachers
Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery
folklore picture books
non-traditional folklore books that are truly captivating. students are enthralled by these!
This book was one of my favorite stories my mom would read me as a kid, so I had to bring it to my own classroom! Inspired by his famous song "Jolly Mon Sing," beloved songwriter and storyteller Jimmy Buffett wrote The Jolly Mon with his then-eight-y...
The Jolly Mon
In this Caldecott Medal-winning tale set in Old Japan, a lively little woman who loves to laugh pursues her runaway dumpling—and must outwit the wicked three-eyed oni when she lands in their clutches.
The Funny Little Woman (Picture Puffins)
A joyfully retold and vibrantly illustrated story about the origin of the constellations, based on a Wasco Indian legend. One evening, crafty Coyote climbs the moon to discover the secrets of the heavens. Instead, he finds a way to make the most wond...
Coyote Places the Stars (Aladdin Picture Books)
The winds have shifted once again, and you’re invited to hear the story of the boy and his obsession to become the world’s greatest sailor and a storm that carried them to a place where boats sail on the wind, instead of on the water.
The Wreck of the Zephyr 30th Anniversary Edition
Three strangers, hungry and tired, pass through a war-torn village. Embittered and suspicious from the war, the people hide their food and close their windows tight. That is, until the clever strangers suggest making a soup from stones. Intrigued by ...
Stone Soup
picture book read alouds for social emotional learning skills and classroom culture
these short books help students learn social emotional learning skills and classroom culture. sometimes, it helps kids to be read a story to look at examples of experiences to then connect it to their own lives. kids empathize with characters easily,...
a great book to teach inclusion and classroom community
The Invisible Boy
good picture book for classroom culture! especially if you have a diverse population of students with different needs, teaching students to approach each other with empathy and kindness can go a long way. you can even make an anchor chart with questi...
Just Ask!: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You
this is one of the sweetest books i've ever read!! jubari has my whole heart. this books teaches bravery and courage
Jabari Jumps: Motivational Story for Kids 4-8
Such a unique story of perseverance and practicing! On a "super secret island" in a "super super secret village," Little Kunoichi, is struggling at school. Inspired by tiny Chibi Samurai’s practice and skills, she works harder than ever and makes a f...
Little Kunoichi the Ninja Girl
Your Fantastic Elastic Brain is more than a book―it's a mindset revolution wrapped in a kid-friendly package. Written by renowned psychologist Dr. JoAnn Deak, this bestselling picture book will empower each young reader to S-T-R-E-T-C-H and grow thei...
Your Fantastic Elastic Brain: Growth Mindset Book
Nerdy Birdy likes reading, video games, and reading about video games, which immediately disqualifies him for membership in the cool crowd. One thing is clear: being a nerdy birdy is a lonely lifestyle. When he's at his lowest point, Nerdy Birdy meet...
Nerdy Birdy
back to school read alouds
read this for back to school to help build classroom community and to teach important values
I Promise: Slam Dunk Picture Book by LeBron James
such a cute story! i loved that it was from the schools perspective! it brought up some good conversations with students on how we can take care of our school and keep it clean
School's First Day of School
a great way to introduce science classes! the question “why” is very powerful, and a lot of kids can relate to the curiousity it brings
Ada Twist, Scientist: A Picture Book
math talk books
want kids to love math? read these! they LOVE to solve the math equations along with the story, and make connections with each other and the story. this was my students favorite way to start math class, was a class read aloud about math and then solv...
great book to bridge addition and multiplication! students can feel successful by getting the right answers by either addition or multiplication. scaffolded enough for all students to feel success
Each Orange Had 8 Slices: Counting & Math
this book is so fun! it helps students learn about simplifying fractions and equivalent fractions. highly entertaining story for both students and teachers
Fractions in Disguise: A Math Adventure
wonderful story about multiplication and doubling! this story is told as a folktale, which is an engaging concept for a math story.
One Grain of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale
another introductory book to multiplication! this is a fun and engaging read aloud, where students use the riddles and the pictures to solve the equations
The Best of Times: Math Strategies that Multiply
when i was a teacher, i loved the math start books! the stories are entertaining and well thought out, and the math fits in well with the stories. this one is a good reinforcement book on the concept of dividing in half
Give Me Half!: Fun Math Picture Book (Ages 6-10)
probably my FAVORITE math read aloud! i loved this one so much. for kids struggling with word problems, this book provides many different concepts being written as word problems. students loved it!
Math Curse
another fraction read aloud! very good visuals and easy to understand
A Fraction's Goal - Parts of a Whole
a read aloud on division! i always enjoyed having real life experiences in books to share with students to explain math concepts. math can feel so abstract to kids at times, and tying it to real world experiences can make it more concrete
Divide and Ride: MathStart Division Story
books that inspire crafts
students love to create! foster that creativity by tying art into your literature blocks by allowing students a different way to express what comprehension they got from the books.
this book inspires students to create art with just one big dot, or many little dots! or different sized dots! its fun to give students the opportunity to be creative on their own and see what they come up with !
The Dot (Creatrilogy)
science books
books with descriptive graphics and focus on explaining the specific science vocabulary work best for teaching science! science can be such an abstract or “big” concept at times, and so giving students purposeful books that create meaning to these ab...
this book is really helpful for teaching the weather. it focuses highly on the vocabulary about weather, and so it serves as a great anchor book for this concept.
Weather Words and What They Mean
mindfulness
students struggle with emotions! surprise! but students don't HAVE to struggle with them, and can learn coping mechanisms to calm down and regulate themselves. one way that WORKS is mindfullness. this list of books helps explain the concept in simple...
Mindfulness means being fully in the present moment. Children can learn how to manage their emotions, make good choices, and balance their busy lives by learning to be mindful, express emotions through speech, find empathy through imagination, and wo...
I Am Peace: A Book of Mindfulness (I Am Books)
this book is so cute! i loved reading it and seeing students eyes light up at the story. This wonderful picture book for children and adults alike introduces the powerful practice of mindfulness in a fun and exciting way. With the delightful Monkey a...
Mindful Monkey, Happy Panda
books about reading
for children who are just learning to read, teaching them WHY reading is important can only be done through.. another book!
this book is super relatable to students ! from young ages to ESL students, they can all see themselves in henry. Henry loves first grade - except for reading. When called on in class, Henry freezes. His teacher discovers it's not that Henry doesn't ...
I Don't Like to Read!