Ramona Recommends
How I optimize this time daily in my classroom
“Should I use picture books in my classroom? I am not sure. I want to, but how can I get my upper graders to buy in?”- Upper Grade Teacher
If you take anything from me, please take this. Using picture books in the classroom will be one of the best instructional practices you can do this year. I have been teaching for 15 years and I have had multiple students- all upper grade kids- tell me how much they loved our picture book time. I use picture books for fun and for content.
Here are 6 ways I show, use, or decorate with picture books in my 5th grade classroom:
Picture Books Can:
Here are several reasons I believe picture books can be the best tool in your instructional toolbox to guide your students. As I type this section, I am so excited to get my school year started because picture books are so my jam. What CAN a picture book do? I am here to tell you A LOT. They can spark a love for reading. They can reignite a love for reading and be a teacher, friend, and role model. One big reason especially for upper grade picture books can help with reading comprehension and supplement content area lessons.
Honestly, right here I just dropped two game changers that have allowed my students to grow so much in one school year. Second, honest real talk, they have helped me be able to teach hard standards that bring down concepts. Picture books help model good writing to budding writers. A shout out to Josh Funk and Patricia Polacco for being two phenomenal writers who do a great job modeling show not tell. These gems also provide vacations to kids, yes please. Picture books support English language learners. I am here to tell you that picture books for students who are learning English give them so much hope of learning English. I saved the best for last: PICTURE BOOKS ARE JUST WHAT EVERY HUMAN NEEDS. I am proof of this.
[Send this handout home to parents about all the ways picture books are useful in all grades!]
Picture Book Corner:
Ok, picture this! Thirty-five 5th graders come down to the carpet and sit in the picture book corner with me to enjoy a morning of picture book reading and building community. If you can’t picture it, I can promise it is the best part of my morning. This is where memories are made and I think it really helps my students feel like family. We build community by answering morning meeting questions that match with the book we are currently reading. Want to see?
What makes my corner the best? My cozy chair, Sunny! I never knew I needed a cozy chair in my classroom until I saw other teachers in my school using them. This started my quest to find a cozy chair and how I found Sunny tucked away in a corner at Homegoods. It was love at first sight! She had to move into my house during the 2021 soft seating restrictions, but I am so excited to announce I am bringing Sunny back to my classroom this year and I can’t wait!
Where the Picture Books Live:
Picture books are always all over my classroom (in a neat way). I promote the use of picture books just as much as chapter books in my room. In the month of September, my students participate in National Open The Magic Day, Dot Day, and read to their little buddies. In our classroom, there is a ROYGBIV bookshelf of picture books and a Confetti Shelf full of current books. My favorite is watching my students gravitate to the books and sit on the floor and read to each other. In September our first writing activity is to create small Food Group stories using mentor texts from Jory John and Pete Oswald to guide their creativity. Want to do this in your classroom, click here!
Confetti Shelf:
This shelf is new for the 2024-2025 school year and I am SO excited for it’s debut! I emailed my principal to make sure it was ok to drill into the wall. The minute I received the O-OK, we went to Home Depot. I selected vinyl rain gutters and teacher talked myself into getting them cut for free. We attached it to the wall under my front board using wood nails, and VIOLA! This is my confetti shelf to display all of my paper back books in rainbow order.
Confetti Analyst
One of my student’s job is to be the “confetti analyst”. This student is the lucky kiddo that gets to select which book we read each day. Do I influence? Yes! I just can’t help it 😍
Inventory: Any way to save some time in lesson planning and while teaching is GOLD, am I right? One way I do this is through my Picture Book Inventory. I log each and every picture book that I own on a Google spreadsheet for ease in planning and locating the books I want to use for the week. Want more info on this? Check the blog here.
Looking for books to get started with? Check out this collection of funny picture books that your class is sure to love and start building some positive reading routines!
*Please note amazon affiliate links were used in this post.
