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Are you getting ready to teach your students to compare and contrast? It's very important to have the right materials on hand. Here are some of my favorite books to use when teaching students to compare and contrast.

Books for Teaching Students to Compare and Contrast

Are you getting ready to teach your students to compare and contrast? It's very important to have the right materials on hand. Here are some of my favorite books to use when teaching students to compare and contrast.
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Crankenstein Craft and Writing

Are you reading Crankenstein by Samantha Berger to your students this year? I have a Crankenstein craft and writing activity that you can use with your students after reading this story.
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Spookley the Square Pumpkin

The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin by Joe Troiano is a great picture book choice for October! This fictional story of a square pumpkin provides the reader with a message of celebrating differences and helping others. I want to share a pumpkin craft booklet that you can use with your students when reading this story.
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Sharks are fascinating creatures that kids love to study. While there are hundreds of shark books for kids out there, not all of the material is easily accessible to young students. Here are several shark books that your kids can both read and enjoy.

Shark Books

Sharks are fascinating creatures that kids love to study. While there are hundreds of shark books for kids out there, not all of the material is easily accessible to young students. Here are several shark books that your kids can both read and enjoy.
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This School Year Will Be the Best Freebie

Do you walk into a new school year thinking that this school year will be the best? Of course you do! So why not start off by reading This School Year Will Be THE BEST! by Kay Winters. I want to share a little writing project you can use with this story.
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Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is an imaginative story to read during an air and weather unit, but could be shared in your classroom any time of year. There are so many activities you can pair with this text, but here are a few that I think your students will love!
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Reading the right book on the first day of school can set the tone for the whole year! While students love to hear stories more than once, you should definitely have some new books to share with your students each year. These books for the first day of school are sure to be a hit!

10 Books for the First Day of School

What is the first book you read aloud to your students on the first day of school? In the past, my go-to picture book has been First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg. However, that book's popularity has soared immensely in the past few years and many of the students are familiar with it. There's nothing wrong with reading it to them again. After all, they haven't heard ME read it, but I think it's important to have a few alternatives available. Here are some great books for the first day of school!
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Sterilite Drawer Labels

Sterilite Drawers have been a key organizational tool in my classroom for years and they work well in my home office, too! I love that I can keep all of the mess separated, contained, and still keep everything looking good just by adding labels to the front of the drawers. After sharing some pictures of my Sterilite drawers on Instagram, I have been asked where these labels can be found. So I thought I'd share a few sets of Sterilite drawer labels that you can download.
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The Mercy Watson book series by Kate DiCamillo is a set of books that are perfect for first and second grade readers who are just getting started with chapter books. The series centers around Mercy, a porcine wonder who loves hot buttered toast. Each story features a new adventure with Mercy in the middle of it all. Whether you are reading these chapter books aloud to your class or using them with your small groups, here are some activities and resources you can use with your students.

Mercy Watson Series

The Mercy Watson series by Kate DiCamillo is a set of books that are perfect for first and second grade readers who are just getting started with chapter books. The series centers around Mercy, a porcine wonder who loves hot buttered toast. Each story features a new adventure with Mercy in the middle of it all. Whether you are reading these chapter books aloud to your class or using them with your small groups, here are some activities and resources you can use with your students.
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Having stuffed animals in the classroom can provide emotional comfort and academic support. Here are five ways you can use stuffed animals in the classroom.

5 Ways to Use Stuffed Animals in the Classroom

Having stuffed animals in the classroom can provide emotional comfort and academic support. Here are five ways you can use stuffed animals in the classroom.
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Unplugged by Steve Antony is a picture book that follows Blip, a robot who enjoys being plugged in to her computer. One day she experiences a blackout and ends up outside. When she finally returns, she discovers she enjoys being unplugged. I've created a few resources you can use with your students while reading this story.

Unplugged Book Companion

Unplugged by Steve Antony is a picture book that follows Blip, a robot who enjoys being plugged in to her computer. One day she experiences a blackout and ends up outside. When she finally returns, she discovers she enjoys being unplugged. I've created a few resources you can use with your students while reading this story.
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The end of the school year can be filled with a variety of emotions. You are bound to find students who feel joy, sadness, and even fear about the school year ending. I always turn to books to help students cope with whatever they are feeling in that moment. Here are several books your students might enjoy at the end of the school year. You can click on any of the book covers below to learn more.

Books for the End of the School Year

The end of the school year can be filled with a variety of emotions. You are bound to find students who feel joy, sadness, and even fear about the school year ending. I always turn to books to help students cope with whatever they are feeling in that moment. Here are several books your students might enjoy at the end of the school year. You can click on any of the book covers below to learn more.
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Magic Tree House chapter books are enjoyable for primary students. If your students have enjoyed going on adventures with Jack and Annie, they will love becoming a Tree House Traveler! After reading one of the stories, students can add a stamp to their passport booklet. Once students have finished reading the first 36 books in the series, their passport is complete.

Magic Tree House Passport: Become a Tree House Traveler

Kids love the Magic Tree House series! Now your students can track their reading adventures through time and space with this Magic Tree House Passport booklet.
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When it’s time to teach my students to summarize, I love to use the Somebody Wanted But So Then (SWBST) strategy. Today I want to share a few tools you can use when teaching this reading strategy.

Summarizing Using the Somebody Wanted But So Then Strategy

Summarizing can be an extremely difficult skill for students. They need to be able to identify story elements: characters, setting, problem, and solution. It’s important to remember that summarizing is a higher-level skill that teachers need to model many times before expecting students to perform it independently. I love to teach my students to summarize using the Somebody Wanted But So Then strategy (also known as SWBST).
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If you want to encourage a love of reading in your classroom, you will need a wide variety of books. Finding those books is not always easy and your wallet can take a big hit! Here are ten ways you can add books to your classroom library.

10 Ways to Build Your Classroom Library

If you want to encourage a love of reading in your classroom, you will need a wide variety of books. Finding those books is not always easy and your wallet can take a big hit! Here are ten ways you can add books to your classroom library.
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