Favorite September Read Alouds for the Primary Classroom

I absolutely love September in the classroom. The beginning of the school year brings a month of community building, fall, and all things apples!

Here are some of my favorite read alouds to enjoy all month long, and some ways I incorporate them into different lessons.

This book is fun to read during the first weeks of school. Amelia Bedelia is a character that your students will love visiting again and again!

Whether she's hopping off the bus, or gluing herself to her seat, Amelia finds herself on the first day of school with feelings of anticipation and excitement.

It's relatable for any student or teacher during the first few days back to school.

If you're using this as a Mentor Text for a poetry lesson, I have a great activity in my TpT shop to go with it! Your students will love creating a class book of idioms.

"There's something peculiar about that plant!" is a phrase your students will love reading throughout this story.

As Cassandra (the main character) starts school, her mother wishes she could go back to second grade again! So naturally, she disguises herself as a plant... a perfect tie in to Miss Gardner's lesson on plant facts! Overall, this is a funny and super lovely story about the relationship between how plants need love and care, and the love any parent has for their child.

This is a very fun Mentor Text to use for lessons on expanding vocabulary! With words like peculiar and ridiculous being repeated throughout the story, students can use context clues to determine definitions. I also love to encourage my students to use them in their Word Collectors so they can use them in the future!

This book is actually a realistic fiction text from the Scholastic Guided Reading Program, level E... but it can be used as so much more!

The story beautifully and simply follows two friends as they demonstrate activities that can be done in the Fresh Fall Leaves. In addition to building foundational skills like retelling the order of activities (jumping in the leaves, raking the leaves, etc.), it's a fabulous opportunity to build in visualizing by describing how leaves can look, sound, and feel.

Your students will most likely love to tell you all about their fall adventures, as well. Hooray for text-to-self connections!

In this story, a child takes a walk greeting the trees, birds, animals, insects, and even weather as he goes. Along the way, each one tells him how it is preparing for autumn! With beautiful illustrations that students will marvel at, this book is an awesome opportunity to discuss Author’s Purpose. I love to discuss with my students that even though the story has illustrations, it still gives us real information about the changing seasons.

In another nonfiction connection, this text is filled with ways for students to dive in and identify how Summer and Autumn are alike & different.

As you know, I'm a huge Gail Gibbons fan!

In this book all about, you guessed it, APPLES, your students can explore a simple concept in such rich, diverse ways! One of my favorite things that I've done over the years with this unit is Cara Carroll's Apple Investigation.

The students always have so much fun, and learn a ton about the different types of apples, and uses for them.

This book is always a favorite among my students each and every year. 

Bruce Goldstone takes us on a journey through all of the amazing phenomenons of Autumn. We use this in our classroom to focus on questioning of nonfiction concepts (Why do leaves change color? How does frost form?) and of more figurative, creative concepts (How does autumn taste? What is autumn shaped like?). Throughout the book, all of these questions are answered!

Another great way to enjoy this story is through the lens of nonfiction features, and author's purpose. The visuals allow students to truly immerse themselves in the beauty of the fall season!

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You can encourage your readers to enjoy books all month long with this FREE September Reading Log.

Did I miss any of your September favorites? I'd love to hear about the books you enjoy reading in your classroom this month.

Happy reading!

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Favorite May Read Alouds for the Primary Classroom

When I think about May in the classroom, it brings along warm feelings of sunshine and the HOME STRETCH to Summer Vacation!

Here are some of my favorite read alouds to enjoy all month long, and some ways I incorporate them into different lessons.

I bow down to Gail Gibbons as the expert of all things nonfiction.

We utilize her books a lot for examining nonfiction text features. Quite often, the texts are lengthy and full of amazing information. This one is no exception! It's perfect for breaking up over the course of a few days.

Students always love examining the diagrams, charts, and detailed illustrations to learn more about monarch butterflies grow throughout their life cycle.




This beautiful story takes the reader on a journey through the Spring season. All the while, we're encouraged to observe how new life begins in the Spring. The illustrations are gorgeous, and perfect for tapping into the five senses to create mental images.

We're usually wrapping up our comprehensive poetry unit of study around May, and this story is great for writing poems using descriptive language. Acrostic Poems (Write a poem based on the letters in SPRING!) or Spring-based Color Poems (Think, "Yellow is a buzzing bee." or "Blue is the clear, cloudless sky.") are some of my favorites!

I like to revisit how to build a strong classroom community and cultivate a sense of belonging as the year begins to wind down.

If you're familiar with bucket filling, you'll love The Big Umbrella. Just like we can fill each other's buckets with kind words and thoughtful actions, we can use an infinitely big enough umbrella to shelter each other from the rain.

This story can lend itself to amazing discussions about the importance of kindness, empathy, inclusion, and community.

Warm and fuzzy feelings guaranteed.

One of my very favorite things to do is integrate math and literacy! We explore our unit on measurement in the Spring, and this book is a perfect companion.

The main character, a small green inchworm, is the perfect representation for just what an inch looks like in real life. He also knows just how long other things (a toucan's beak, a robin's tail, etc.) are, because he is one inch long!

This story is the perfect partner for introducing how to use different units and objects to measure the length of other objects. Your students will also love the Caldecott Award Winning illustrations, and following the inchworm's story as he uses measurement to problem solve!

This one is so fun.

We dive into opinion writing during the Spring, and this story serves as a perfect springboard.

Is it a duck? Is it a rabbit? The world may never know for sure. That being said, your students will develop some pretty strong opinions and back them up with reasoning based on the observations they make from the story's illustrations and setting. I also love the embedded message that there's no one "right" answer, and that it all depends on our diverse points of view.

Are you team duck or team rabbit?

In the spirit of Spring and new life, this story is a must-read.

Eric Carle takes us on the journey of a seed with dazzling illustrations, simple text, and the perfect child-friendly explanation of a flower's life cycle.

I love to use this book as a mentor text to refer back to as we label parts of a flower, think about 5W questions (Where should we plant seeds? What do seeds need to grow?), and plant seeds of our own!

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You can encourage your readers to enjoy books all month long with this FREE May Reading Log.

Did I miss any of your May favorites? I'd love to hear about the books you enjoy reading in your classroom this month.

Happy reading!

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Favorite April Read Alouds for the Primary Classroom

Rain or shine, April is such a fun month to read about all things springy!

Here are some of my favorite read alouds to enjoy all month long, and some ways I incorporate them into different lessons.

This story captures the joy of spring weather through the eyes of one little boy and his kite.

When the wind picks up, the boy and his grandma chase the runaway kite into town. With descriptive language like "swirling leaves," "bobbing boats," and "flapping scarves," this book is perfect for taking notice of how quickly the weather can change during Spring.

This story is perfect for making mental images. In my classroom, I also like to attach it to the writing prompt, "If I were a kite, I'd fly to...".

If you've ever read Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type (and other books in this series!), you're familiar with the engaging, funny "daily diary entry" format!

In this story, we read the worm's diary entries and follow along on his adventures.

This is a fun story to compare and contrast fiction and non-fiction. It's also perfect for taking things in a more informational route, and studying characteristics of worms in real life.

The Berenstain Bears are a classic! In this story, Brother and Sister Bear enjoy the fun traditions of an Easter Egg Hunt. Things get a little bit competitive when the cubs are trying to collect the most eggs. Suddenly, they discover a mama bird's nest about to hatch, and they discover the true meaning of the season.

This story is perfect for focusing on the beauty of nature, and the wonders of Spring!

Doreen Cronin for the win! This is another one of her fabulous stories with the "daily diary entry" format. What can I say, they're super fun to read!

In this story, Farmer Brown's not bothered by the usual farm animals... but he is by a super cute baby duck who won't go to sleep.

This is the perfectly springy version of Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type. Delightful for an author study!

This lovely story examines the concept of why rules are important. Throwing one soda can out the window? No big deal, right? Calling out during school? I had something important to say! ....But, what if everybody did that? As they read, students begin to realize the importance of following the rules in order to make our world a better place. The story perfectly illustrates what responsibility looks like and sounds like. 

I love to tie this story into our Social Studies unit on Citizenship. The bit about the importance of taking care of our earth by not littering is very timely for Earth Day, too!

Kevin Henkes is perhaps my very favorite children's author!

While Lily and her Purple Plastic Purse, Owen and his fuzzy blanket, or Chrysanthemum with her sweet doll Petal do not make appearances, the season of Spring sure does!

This is a truly beautiful book. Henkes uses poetic techniques like repetition and alliteration to draw readers into the true beauty of the season. I also love to point out his use of ellipses (...) to my students. This story is a gem for integrating descriptive language and the five senses when it comes to recognizing Spring!

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You can encourage your readers to enjoy books all month long with this FREE April Reading Log.

Did I miss any of your April favorites? I'd love to hear about the books you enjoy reading in your classroom this month.

Happy reading!

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Favorite March Read Alouds for the Primary Classroom

Between Women's History Month and all things leprechaun-y, March is a time for celebration!

Here are some of my favorite read alouds to enjoy all month long, and some ways I incorporate them into different lessons.

An inspiring story to kick off March madness (I should mention that my love for this story and my next-to-nothing knowledge of sports is completely unrelated)! In second grade, we spend March diving into a comprehensive biographies unit. We always begin by exploring the difference between informational biographies and narrative biographies.

This is a perfect example of a narrative biography. As a little boy, Michael wants to to his best playing basketball, and dreams of growing taller. With the love and support from his parents, Michael learns that having heart and determination lead to amazing things.

I found this absolute gem at a thrift store for .25 cents (don't you love when that happens??). It is now one of my very favorite March stories to share with my students. 

MacKenzie O'Shamrock is the main character of this story. He's a snarky, uptight leprechaun who cares about protecting his precious gold from treasure hunters. When a playful, lovable pup named Lucky crashes through his roof one day, everything changes! Lucky won't leave MacKenzie's side. Throughout the story, MacKenzie's feelings change, and he realizes that friendship is worth much more than gold. 

Super heartwarming!

Hooray for strong women! This book features an exceptionally curated list of 13 women throughout history who have spoken out for what is right: Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller, Clara Lemlich, Nellie Bly, Virginia Apgar, Maria Tallchief, Claudette Colvin, Ruby Bridges, Margaret Chase Smith, Sally Ride, Florence Griffith Joyner, Oprah Winfrey, Sonia Sotomayor, and the author herself.

Combined with the beautiful illustrations, this is a wonderful way for readers of all ages to learn the power of persistence.

This one is just plain FUN. I love the idea of bringing in a little bit of St. Patrick's Day mischief with a story full of rhymes and fabulous illustrations.

Along with a lot of great opportunities for connecting reading with how-to writing, this story serves as an amazing mentor text for a STEAM connection. Students can have fun building their own leprechaun traps!

This is another fabulous biography mentor text, and aligns so nicely with Women's History Month. During our biography unit, I like to take a lesson or two to examine the timeline of a subject's life. This story takes us back to Vice President Harris's childhood, and how she was inspired by all of the unsung heroes around her. 

It's empowering, joyful, and inspires readers everywhere to make the world a better place. Did I mention that there's even a kid's guide to being a superhero at the end? A. mazing.

One of my most fond memories from my very first year of teaching is doing an author study on Tomie dePaola. I loved learning about his collection of books, and they have a special place in my heart!

Folktales are a great way to introduce students to different cultures and traditions. In this tale, we travel to Ireland! The main character, Jamie O'Rourke, is the laziest man in all of Ireland. His wife, Eileen, does all of the work. One day, she hurts her back and cannot do the gardening. Jamie is worried that they will not have enough food for the winter. 

In a magical encounter with a leprechaun, Jamie is tricked into wishing for the biggest potato ever (instead of taking the leprechaun's gold). The seed grows into a huge potato that rolls away and blocks the road! The villagers end up taking pieces of potato home to eat all winter. When spring finally comes, everyone is tired of eating potatoes. The villagers make sure that Jamie has enough food so he will never plant another potato seed. 

Along with story elements, this is a great mentor text to discuss character traits, and the importance of hard work & honesty.

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You can encourage your readers to enjoy books all month long with this FREE March Reading Log.

Did I miss any of your March favorites? I'd love to hear about the books you enjoy reading in your classroom this month.

Happy reading!

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