The whole Harry Potter series is awesome. The magical elements of it all hook you in and make you not want to put the book down. Following Harry and his friends through their adventures is so suspenseful!
In the classroom, this could be used for whole group reading, literature circles, independent reading, etc. It could be taken in many different directions by teachers!
This was one of my favorite books growing up. I love how much creativity and imagination was put into it. Reading this book is like an adventure itself. You can truly visualize the settings, even though they’re unrealistic.
In the classroom, this book could be used for a class reading, literature circles, independent reading, etc. There is so much content that can be used for comprehension lessons also.
This book is just so fun! The characters consist of letters of the alphabet and numbers. It has repetitive elements and rhyming to make it exciting.
In the classroom, this book would be perfect for introducing and learning the alphabet and numbers.
This book is hilarious! It’s a simple story about a dad who takes his baby daughter with to the laundromat. There, the daughter accidentally leaves her knuffle bunny in the washing machine. She realizes it on the walk home and tries to tell her dad, but she can’t talk yet, so the dad just hears babbling. After returning home, the parents realize that knuffle bunny is missing, so they go back to the laundromat to find it. The baby babbling is sure to make the reader laugh!
In the classroom, this book works great for learning problem and solution.
I’ve read this book several times, but each time it still hooks me in. I love that it explores the concept of a society so different than ours. Everything in the community changes when Jonas becomes the receiver of memories; he has the ability to feel, see, and know things that no one else knows about. In order to help the community, Jonas plans to escape so that the truth will be revealed to everyone. His bravery and selflessness is admirable throughout the book.
In the classroom, this book is perfect for discussing themes and having older students compose opinion pieces.
1
This book is a great string of events starting with “if you give a mouse a cookie…” Each new event leads to another, until the story ends up back where it started. There are more renditions of it, like: If You Give a Moose a Muffin and more.
In the classroom, this book would work really well for teaching cause and effect.
This is one of my favorite stories ever; it cracks me up every time! The Grinch hates Christmas and plans to “steal” the holiday from the Whos. He pretends to be Santa and steals everyone’s presents and decorations. After the fact, the Whos all still find a way to celebrate, because they know that the true meaning of Christmas is not about the presents or decorations. When the Grinch sees this, he realizes that he misunderstood what Christmas is truly about.
In the classroom, this would be a great Christmas time read. Students could be reminded that the true meaning of Christmas (and other holidays) is about family and being together, not about presents.
This book is always a fun read, at any age. Sam-I-Am makes a valiant effort to make the other character try green eggs and ham, but he claims that he doesn’t like green eggs and ham. Sam-I-Am offers suggestions of where the character could eat them, or how he could eat them, but he still does not want to try. In the end, he ends up trying them and liking them. I love the book’s rhymes and illustrations!
In the classroom, this book would be great to use for learning about rhyming, especially during Dr. Suess week
I love this book and the meaning behind it. The tree gives everything that it has to a boy who spends a majority of his life unappreciative. There is a big lesson to be learned in this book, even though it’s a short and simple read. This book’s meaning goes deeper than what you see on the pages, and that’s why it is so awesome.
In the classroom, this story would be great for teaching students about lessons, morals, and values.
The Cat in the Hat returns to Sally and her brother’s house on a snowy day when they’re left at home alone again. The kids were instructed to clear some snow, but the cat appears again to cause trouble. The cat makes another mess, but is able to get it cleaned with the help of cats a-z, and clear the snow before the mother comes home. This is another fun read and is great to read after reading The Cat in the Hat.
In the classroom, this book can be read during Dr. Seuss week. It can also be used for comparing and contrasting with The Cat in the Hat.
When Sally and her brother are left bored inside on a rainy day, the Cat in the Hat appears to cheer them up. The cat, however, only makes the house a disaster with the help of thing 1 and thing 2, and they ruin the mom’s dress. Minutes before the mom gets home, the cat is able to come in with a machine to clean his entire mess. After that, the cat disappears, leaving Sally and her brother just as bored as they started. This book is such a fun read; kids love it!! The cat and his companions can have anyone laughing.
This book is a good read during Dr. Seuss week in the classroom. I can also be used to compare and contrast with The Cat in the Hat Comes Back.
There are many renditions of this story. This one begins with an acorn falling on chicken little’s head, then him thinking that the sky is falling. Before analyzing the situation, Chicken Little panics and runs to warn everyone else that the sky is falling. Everyone that he runs into believes him and joins him on his journey. They end up running into a fox, who offers his mouth as a cave for them to hide in. Before the fox has the chance to swallow the animals, he accidentally sneezes them out, which is the end of the story. Chicken Little’s lack of analyzing the situation almost leads to him and his friends getting eaten!
This can be used in the classroom for sequencing; students can sequence the events or the characters that chicken little runs into. It can also be used to discuss making assumptions and not thinking before acting, and how that can lead to trouble.
This story about a pig’s perseverance is great. With the help of a couple other animals, especially Charlotte the spider, Wilbur’s life is saved. Even though he was the runt, he had people (and animals) that believed in him. Charlotte’s Web is a very fun and entertaining read for any age.
This book could be used in many ways in the classroom. It could be used to read as a class, literature circles, or independent reading. The book could cover comprehension, characters, setting, plot, etc.
1
This is another simple and silly read. Very few words are used in the book, almost all of which are “no” and “david.” The story follows David as he does crazy things and his mother telling him no. At the end, his mom makes sure to reassure him that she loves him though.
This book is good in the classroom for showing how illustrations help to tell a story. The illustrations show everything that David does that he shouldn’t be doing.
Lexile Measure: BR
Even though Camilla loves lima beans, she pretends that she hates them so that she fits in with her friends, who all hate them. One day, Camilla wakes up covered in stripes. The condition worsens and she starts to become the things that she’s doing or eating, or even what people are saying to her! Camilla’s last hope of going back to normal was to eat lima beans. She was hesitant at first, but knew it was all she could do. After she eats them, she turns back to normal. Camilla learns a lesson about being yourself and not conforming to others’ opinions.
In the classroom, this book could be used for teaching lessons and morals about being yourself and accepting others as they are. Students can learn about how they should not be afraid to be themselves and have their own opinions, even if they are different.
The main characater in this book becomes best enemies with a new boy in town named Jeremy; when he confronts his dad about it, his dad offers to bake enemy pie as a solution. He expects this pie to be horrible, but it was actually just a way to make him and Jeremy spend time together and become friends. The enemy pie plan ends up working, and the two become good friends.
In the classroom, this could be used for learning lessons or morals, such as not judging someone before you get to know them.
Lexile Measure: AD330L
