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Category: book activities

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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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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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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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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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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Between the leprechauns and the elusive search for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, there's no denying that kids get excited about St. Patrick's Day! As teachers, it's important to build upon that excitement and interest. I love to do that through literature. Here are some great books to read with your students near St. Patrick's Day. Some of these have great tie-ins to other curricular areas, but some are just plain fun to read!

St. Patrick’s Day Books for Kids

Between the leprechauns and the elusive search for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, there's no denying that kids get excited about St. Patrick's Day! As teachers, it's important to build upon that excitement and interest. I love to do that through literature. Here are some great books to read with your students near St. Patrick's Day. Some of these have great tie-ins to other curricular areas, but some are just plain fun to read!
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The Story of the Leprechaun by Katherine Tegen is a great story to read near St. Patrick's Day. This book companion is filled with comprehension questions, vocabulary words, graphic organizers, writing prompts, and a fun leprechaun craft!

The Story of the Leprechaun Craft and Book Activities

Do you know why the leprechaun decided to bury his gold at the end of the rainbow?  Katherine Tegen does and she explains it all in her book, The Story of the Leprechaun. Today I'm here to share some activities you can use with this story in your classroom.
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This lemonade craft booklet can be used with The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies. There are three different writing templates included.

The Lemonade War Craft and Vocabulary Booklet

The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies is a great story to read aloud to your class or use with your small group. This story follows both Evan and Jessie (who are brother and sister) as they dive into the world of running a lemonade stand. Along the way you will read about their grudges, misunderstandings, and competitive nature while also learning some kid-friendly business advice. Today I want to share two activities you can use with your students while reading The Lemonade War: a lemonade craft and a vocabulary booklet.
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After reading Love Monster by Rachel Bright, students can create their own love monsters with this free craft. You can choose between three different writing options.

Love Monster Craft & Writing Freebies

Can you imagine living in a world where no one loves you and you feel all alone? That's how Love Monster feels! This story written by Rachel Bright takes us on Love Monster's journey as he finds love when he least expects it. Today I'm sharing how to make this Love Monster craft and writing activity that you can use after reading this story.
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You can use these comprehension questions to guide your discussion when reading The Littlest Valentine by Brandi Dougherty.

The Littlest Valentine Activities

The Littlest Valentine by Brandi Dougherty is a sweet little story about a girl named Emma Valentine. Her family owns a gift shop and Emma finally gets to help with the family business. As she helps with different jobs, she is told over and over again that she is too little to help. In the end, Emma discovers that she isn't too little to share the love! Here are a few activities you can use with The Littlest Valentine in your classroom.
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Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch

Teaching Kindness with Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch

February is a great month for spreading kindness in the classroom. Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch, written by Eileen Spinelli, is an amazing book for demonstrating the impact a little bit of kindness can have on others. Today I want to share some of the ways I use this book in the classroom.
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If you're looking for an entertaining book to read to your students before Thanksgiving, you need to check out The Great Turkey Race by Steve Metzger! This book companion contains comprehension questions, vocabulary, and a directed drawing that pairs well with a writing activity.

The Great Turkey Race by Steve Metzger

If you’re looking for an entertaining book to read to your students before Thanksgiving, you need to check out The Great Turkey Race by Steve Metzger! This was always a favorite November read aloud in my second grade classroom and today I want to share a few activities that go along with the book.
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