Read Alouds Archives

16 Favorite Folktales of All Time

Who loves to read folktales to their class?! Folktales are great because you can learn about different cultures and traditions. Most folktales teach some type of lesson that can be discussed with students. They make really great interactive read aloud stories for library time as well as in-class read alouds. Typically in folktales, the main characters are animals or objects instead of people. The exact definition of a folktale is a tale or legend originating and traditional among a people or folk, especially one forming part of the oral tradition of the common people. any belief or story passed on traditionally, especially one considered to be false or based on superstition. I made a list of my 16 favorite folktales of all time for you to check out for spring: *Links to purchase the books are all affiliate links which means that if you purchase from that link I

Using Picture Books to Teach Reading Strategies

Do you have a plan for teaching reading strategies to your K-2 learners? I’m talking reading strategies like these: making predictions making connections inferring setting a purpose for reading activating prior knowledge visualizing asking questions determining importance summarizing synthesizing Yowza-that’s a lot you are probably thinking! How can I teach them ALL of those strategies at such a young age?! The point of teaching K-2 students about reading strategies is to equip them with strategies to help them understand the books they read tomorrow and the day after that. With consistent modeling and guided practice, our students will make these strategies their own. We can absolutely address teaching many of these reading strategies using picture books for this age of students. Is it shocking to you that students can learn advanced reading strategies through a basic picture book? They absolutely can, especially when you find the best of children’s

5 Best FREE Websites for Digital Read Alouds

Are you teaching virtually this school year or sometimes just feel as if your students are more engaged by a digital read aloud story? Well I feel your pain and I’ve got you covered! I have compiled a list of the 5 best websites for digital read aloud stories. Do you want to know what the greatest part is?! They are all FREE websites! Anyone that is in the world of education loves free things, am I right?! Please enjoy and leave some feedback on which websites you like to use the most for digital read aloud stories. Storyline Online Storyline Online is available 24 hours a day for children, parents, caregivers and educators worldwide. Each book includes supplemental curriculum developed by a credentialed elementary educator, aiming to strengthen comprehension and verbal and written skills for English-language learners. Storyline Online is a program of the Screen Actors Guild Foundation (SAG). This means that

How to Plan the Perfect Interactive Read Aloud

I began my career many years ago and have worked with all grade levels at the elementary level now. I love what I do. I especially love my time reading aloud to students, no matter the age. It brings us together as a family and allows for all students to participate. It wasn’t always that way. I must say that I made my share of mistakes along the way: too many questions, low-level questions, covering too much in one book, to name a few. I have reflected a lot since then and have a much better sense now of what a read aloud should look like: it should be interactive between the teacher and students. What is an Interactive Read Aloud? An interactive read aloud is instruction involving the whole group in which the discussion revolves around literature. The teacher picks a piece of literature to read aloud to

Why You Should Be Using the Picture Book Digital Choice Boards for February

Have you tried using choice boards with your students yet when doing interactive read alouds? If you aren’t sure what an interactive read aloud is, I discuss it in great detail in this blog post. Teachers and students are loving these, especially in digital versions for distance learning for the 2020-2021 school year. I absolutely love using Google Slides whenever I can to create digital products for students to use. This Picture Book Digital Choice Boards February BUNDLE is perfect to help accompany all of your February read alouds! The Picture Book Digital Choice Boards February BUNDLE is great for ages K-2 to accompany 4 different read aloud stories (Affiliate links below) Click, Clack, Moo I Love You! Love, Splat I Am Abraham Lincoln Whistle for Willie Due to copywriting issues, I could not read the stories aloud and include them in the product. So you can purchase the

The Best Read Alouds to Celebrate Black History Month

February is National Black History Month. There are some great books for read-alouds that I love to use in February and some fun activities to go with them to help celebrate Black History Month that I would love to share with you today. Here are the best read alouds to celebrate Black History Month. *This post contains affiliate links. It just means that if you purchase the products that I recommend, I receive a small commission. Thanks! HENRY’S FREEDOM BOX: A TRUE STORY FROM THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD By: Ellen Levin Book Description: A stirring, dramatic story of a slave who mailed himself to freedom. Henry Brown doesn’t know how old he is. Nobody keeps records of slaves’ birthdays. All the time he dreams about freedom, but that dream seems farther away than ever when he is torn from his family and put to work in a warehouse. Henry grows

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16 Favorite Folktales of All Time

Using Picture Books to Teach Reading Strategies

5 Best FREE Websites for Digital Read Alouds

How to Plan the Perfect Interactive Read Aloud

Why You Should Be Using the Picture Book Digital Choice Boards for February

The Best Read Alouds to Celebrate Black History Month

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