This list of books contains teacher-recommended, kid-favorite read aloud books for third (3rd) grade. (Third grade is about age 8 here in the U.S.) How do you pick which books to read with your class? INSTRUCTIONAL PURPOSE Consider your instructional purpose as well as cross-curricular themes in science, social studies, and writing. You can also use the books on this list to model and … [Read more...]
New STEM Books for Grades K – 3
I've been holding onto a stack of new STEM books and can't wait to share them with you today. These will be books you can use in the classroom to introduce concepts like simple machines, matter, and more. New STEM Books for Grades K - 3 How to Seesaws Go Up and Down? A Book About Simple Machines by Jennifer Shand, illustrated by Srimalie Bassani SCIENCE - SIMPLE MACHINES The … [Read more...]
2019 Newbery and Caldecott Awards
Today the Newbery and Caldecott Awards for 2019 were awarded by The Association for Library Service to Children today with the Newbery going to Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina and the Caldecott going to Hello Lighthouse written and illustrated by Sophie Blackall. My expectations for the Newbery winning book is that it should be amazing, life-changing, and so well-written you can't put … [Read more...]
Read Aloud Books for Second Grade
If you're a 2nd-grade teacher, librarian, or parent, this list of read aloud books will give you teacher and kid recommended titles plus a printable list. (For non-U.S. readers, second graders are 7-year-olds here.) As you consider which books to read, you also must consider the instructional purpose and potential curriculum tie-in. That's why I'm including themes, topics, and skills for each … [Read more...]
Word Play Kids Love
Get kids loving and learning words with these 6 fun word play activities -- guaranteed to entertain and delight! Once kids see the fun in words, there's no telling how much that will positively affect them as readers and writers... 1. Tongue Twisters My daughter’s drama teacher uses tongue twisters as a warm up. And we love practicing them at the dinner table. These are SO easy to mess up! Try … [Read more...]
Martial Arts Picture Book + Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2019
Welcome to our 6th annual Multicultural Children’s Book Day! I can't wait to tell you about a beautiful multicultural picture book I'm reading and a Twitter party we're having tonight. A Morning with Grandpa by Sylvia Liu, illustrated by Christina Forshay is an absolutely lovely picture book from Lee and Low! What strikes me immediately about this picture book is the warm-hearted, loving … [Read more...]
The Best Read Aloud Books for First Grade
Teachers, parents, and homeschoolers, are you looking for a good list of books to read aloud to your first graders? Here a list of favorite books recommended by first-grade teachers, kids, and me -- a mixture of newer titles and classic favorites. You are going to love these books! But first, here are some important considerations when picking a read-aloud book. Higher Reading … [Read more...]
The Ultimate Socratic Classroom Guide for Teachers
Disclosure: Chuck Fischer taught both my daughters in the 5th grade and I think he's an incredible teacher. When he asked me to take a look at his book, I was happy to read it. That being said, this is my honest review... The Ultimate Socratic Classroom Guide for Teachers Classroom teachers, I'm so excited to tell you about The Power of the Socratic Classroom by Charles Ames Fischer. It is a … [Read more...]
New Picture Books that Develop Emotional Literacy
Did you know that in order to feel empathy and have intuition, we need to feel our emotions? And that while these books are really helpful, this stuff is mostly "caught not taught" meaning that as parents and caregivers, we need to be our children's role models for feeling our feelings. (And not judge the uncomfortable ones as bad.) You probably also already know that emotional intelligence is a … [Read more...]
Similar Books for Kids Who Like Diary of a Wimpy Kid
If your kids like the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, you'll want to find read-alike books to keep your children engaged in reading. This book list contains books that are just as hilarious and appealing to kids. Happy reading! Books for Kids Who Like Diary of a Wimpy Kid Galactic Hot Dogs: Cosmoe's Wiener Getaway by Max Brallier, illustrated by Rachel Maguire and Nichole Kelley Kids LOVE this … [Read more...]
Punctuation Hunt Learning Activity for Kids
written by Terri of Creative Family Fun Need a fun, learning punctuation activity for your kids? Punctuation is a very important part of writing. And for some kids, it can be a bit hard to master. Sure, a period goes at the end of a sentence, but those commas can be tricky. I wanted my beginning writers to start noticing punctuation marks and see examples of correct usage, so I sent them on … [Read more...]
40+ Coding Classes, Websites, Games, and Apps for Kids
Updated: 1/1/19 If you're looking for coding or pre-coding classes, games, toys, and apps for your kids to learn to code, you'll find everything you need here. But first, let's define terms. Coding is learning a foreign language -- a machine foreign language. Just like any language, the ability to read and write it is a literacy of its own. The biggest benefit of learning to code is that … [Read more...]