If we want our students to read with intonation we must model all year long. Make the read aloud in your classroom the reason your students become readers. 

Please understand, I do not think you have to be a broadway star to read a picture book, but you need to have some confetti in that voice. 

If you are a first year teacher, student teacher, or a teacher who does not want to be on broadway, this blog post is for you! Let me help you feel confident when you are reading aloud in your classroom. 

I teach fifth grade and I would say 95% of my students love it when I read picture books. This last week, I had my students fill out a rating form about their 5th grade experience thus far, and SO many said their favorite part of the day was Open The Magic. It made my whole week!

Speaking of my students, in the past I have asked them, “What do I do that makes you engaged during read alouds?” Here are their responses summarized.

“you are SO excited about picture books! It’s like giving EXCITEMENT VIBES.”

“You do cool voices!” (bless them, I try!)

“You raise and lower your voice at the perfect time”

“You find books that we can learn from or relate too.”“You find funny books, remember when you read, Where’s My Butt?.”

I teach fifth grade and I would say 95% of my students love when I read picture books. This last week, I had my students fill out a rating form about their 5th grade experience thus far, and SO many said their favorite part of the day was Open The Magic. It made my whole week!

Speaking of my students, in the past I have asked them, “What do I do that makes you engaged during read alouds?” Here are their responses summarized:

“You are SO excited about picture books! It’s like giving EXCITEMENT VIBES.”

“You do cool voices!” (bless them, I try!)

“You raise and lower your voice at the perfect time”

“You find books that we can learn from or relate too.”

“You find funny books, remember when you read, Where’s My Butt?.”

Here is what I do when I want to have a solid read aloud. 

#1 Read the book ahead of time.

Reading aloud takes practice. Sometimes you have to pull your inner broadway star out of you, but I promise it is worth it. I understand that time is vital; you do not always have the time. I get it, I am a teacher too. Just try your best! If you are using a book to teach a lesson, I highly recommend reading the book beforehand. This will help you utilize all the teaching confetti inside. I am the type of teacher that has to prep before I do an activity in front of my students. My brain works better that way. If you are not sure which picture books would hit in your classroom, be sure to check out The Confetti Bookshelf, where I give you picture books I read each month in my own classroom.

#2 Do not sound like a robot.

I ask you to please not read like you do not like to read. The kids notice and then they are not engaged. I have learned from over the years when I make reading a confetti moment is when I get the most buy in about books. I have had multiple parents tell me that their child did not like reading until they came into my class. If we want our growing readers to thrive we must model for them how to read, the importance of reading, and showing the excitement we get from reading a book we love. 

I provide a  free training where I walk you through how to engage your readers during a read aloud and how to not be nervous when reading. Grab it here. 

#3 Explain the confetti.

Make the read aloud fun and engaging so your kids buy in. I typically share why I choose the books we read during Open The Magic. When I am selecting the books for the week, the first thing I will do is look up the national days for the week. I will try to match a national day with a book. For example, October 22nd is National Color Day. I will most likely read the book Mixed: A Colorful Story. I have a detailed blog post about National Days that are kid friendly and I share which books pair well with every holiday.

I also share new books that have not been released yet, the kids LOVE this. They feel so cool. Mini perk of Ramona Recommends. Oh! We always start off with looking at the picture book wallpaper and to see if there is a secret cover. Yes, I have 5th grade boys begging to have me check if there’s a secret cover even before I sit in my yellow chair. 

Here is your plan for your next read aloud.

-Grab a book from my suggested list. 

-Read it aloud or in your head. 

-Think of 1 way this book will connect to your students.

-Go shine, bookstar!

Ramona Recommends partners with affiliate platforms where commission may be earned based on clicks and or purchases, and I would love it if you decided to use the links above! Affiliate links help bloggers like me to fund the free content that we provide on our blogs.

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“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: 

There 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.

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As back to school approaches, it is time to set expectations for the beginning of the year. Collaboration is key in a classroom and will help set your students up for success in the future. I like to call my collaboration activity a learning how to human activity. This activity is a great way to engage students, learn about their communication style, and read a picture book to your class. 

Prior to this year, I have always read Pig the Pug when introducing my collaboration lesson, but this year I am changing it up. 

Have you read Collaboration Station by Shannon Olsen? It is a new favorite for modeling the YESs and Nos of collaboration. 

There are many great parts to the book, but I really love how Shannon explained why working together can benefit all. I also love how she respectfully explains to kids how to lead and not boss. This skill is hard for kids who learn at all different paces. Model- Model-Model. 

Class in Session: Step by Step in my classroom

Step 1:

I explain to my students that in order to have a successful school year we MUST learn how to collaborate aka work together. I bring down the house playing my FAVORITE collaboration video featuring USA Olympians. I have been playing this video for about 8 years and it still gives me all the feels. One year I had a few kids stand up at the end and clap. We watch the video the first time for effect and then 2 more times for learning. I point out all the ways the athletes are working together and working alone. I stress that even though the athletes are working alone they are really working together for TEAM USA. 

Step 2:

Together we make a chart on how to be a good classmate in a team setting. What does that look, sound, and feel like?

Step 3:

We read Collaboration Station and look for more ways to be a good classmate and add to our chart. At this time, I have students work together in table groups and jot down what they learned from the book or their own ideas. We share aloud and then I write on the chart. This leads into showing my students our SAY SOMETHING posters where I have created sentence stems to help my students communicate effectively in whole and group settings.  You can grab these posters to display in your classroom, here!

Side note, if you have not read Say Something by Peter H. Reynolds, you should! It is such a great book to teach kids how to stand up for themselves respectfully. 

Step 4:

Lastly, as a closing activity, I have my students write their collaboration motto for the year. It is very simple. It is as simple as a post it note and a pencil. I provide a sentence frame: I will collaborate effectively this school year by_____________ . They bring their post it note to the front of the room and adorned it to my Collaboration Station poster and then before BTSN, I laminate and hang up in my class. Here is what I think the poster will look like.  During the year, I will refer back to the poster for my students who are leading by example or need reminders. 

As a veteran teacher, I know the power of modeling and teaching expected behaviors over and over again. Make sure to model collaboration all the time. Collaboration is key in a classroom and will help set your students up for success in the future.

Looking for more books for BACK TO SCHOOL, here is a great list.

*Please note amazon affiliate links were used in this post.

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I teach 5th grade and truly believe using picture books to engage readers will create lifelong readers. Want to know how I engage students while boosting their reading comprehension EVERY DAY?

Meet, Pop! Like a Confetti Moment 

I believe in giving students “confetti moments” while learning. This is like the classic “lightbulb” moment typically talked about, but more fun! I named my picture book companions that way because your students are guaranteed to learn and grow with the information I provide to teach with and THAT is worth celebrating with confetti!

One of my favorite back to school picture books is Carla’s Sandwich which focuses on celebrating being unique and how to problem solve. 

I know sometimes it’s hard to know how to use picture books especially in upper grade. BUT! I am here to help you. Below I have outlined how I used Carla’s Sandwich to build community, focus on standards, and review old standards.

Here are the activities and resources inside Carla’s Sandwich POP, Like a Confetti Moment. You can see all of Carla’s elements in my reel here!

• Morning Meeting Questions to get kids talking about themselves but on topic to the book. This starts building background knowledge of the topic and hooks them into the topic itself! (hellllllllo connections!)
• Vocabulary Building (not in every POP!, but most!)
• Several ways to show comprehension:
  • Talk About It Questions (verbal responses)
  • Write About it Questions (written responses)
  • 8 Comprehension Questions
  • A specific skill page: inference, character traits, summary, connections, theme, etc
• Mentor sentence for grammar
• Annotation Practice
• Writing Practice
  • RACE Written Response
  • 5 Pen Pal Letter Ideas (and cute paper!)

Every picture book companion I make has detailed directions for how to implement and get the most bang for your buck in your classrooms. These are tried and true teaching strategies that I use all of the time in my own classroom.

I can promise you your kids will LOVE these. I do it every month in my classroom and we have a blast. In fact, I already have mapped out my fall calendar of POPs! I made it easier for you and threw these gems into one place. 

August- Carla’s Sandwich

September- The Crayon Man

October- I Need My Monster

November- Peyton’s Perfect Pie

Want more picture book recommendations for Back to School? You can see my list here. I also have a GREAT resource that outlines how I use all of my back to school picture books here.

Want to see what other POP, Like a Confetti Moment resources we have? You can find them right here.

The post The Perfect Back to School Read Aloud appeared first on Ramona Recommends.

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Have you read part 1 yet? If not…head over there and get the first bit of info before I jump on in here! Part 1

July Themes and Info at a Glance:

This month, I chose the best picture books to match each theme again! {My Picture Book Inventory helped with this!}  Then I planned an activity and treat to match the book. I am just SO excited about engaging and memorable reading experiences for the kids and even whole families! What is better than building fun summer memories while also building their literacy lives?!

Here is a little about each week and what you can do to crank out that summer fun and build a love of reading:

Week 6- POPCORN
“Let’s Pop, Pop, Popcorn!” explains how popcorn is grown, harvested, and transformed into the delicious snack we all love. Along the way, readers learn interesting facts about popcorn, its history, and the science behind why it pops. 

After reading, head into the kitchen and makes some delicious popcorn! Turn it in to a popcorn bar with all of the fun add-ins! My favorite as a kid was to take a handful of popcorn followed by a scoop of M&Ms…DELICIOUS! Once everyone is full of their yummy popcorn, play some themed bingo! You’ll need some blank bingo boards- 24 squares drawn on paper in a 5×5 grid is PERFECTLY fine! Think of 24 words that have to do with popcorn and have your kids randomly put each word in a box (popcorn, butter, caramel, zebra, movies, m&ms…) Write their words on cards and be the bingo caller. (Use the pop corn as bingo markers- so fun!)

Speaking about Food, want to boost comprehension
with a fun read aloud about trying new foods? Check this out!

Week 7- POPSICLES
This week is another non-fiction highlight and oh-so-fun! “The Boy Who Invented the Popsicle: The Cool Science Behind Frank Epperson’s Famous Frozen Treat” tells the true story of young Frank Epperson, the inventor of the popsicle. Set in the early 1900s, the book follows Frank, a curious and inventive boy with a passion for experimenting. A fun extension to this book would be grabbing popsicle sticks and letting the kids build! If you need more structure (pun intended!), give them empty containers to build around or specific types of structures to build. (i.e. house, bridge, etc.) Once everyone’s brains are done, grab a popsicle and head outside! Some of my favorite places to eat this tasty treat are the beach, pool, and the front porch!

Week 8- BEACH
“Beach Hair” is such a neat book that celebrates diversity and all the different hair types at the beach. Spoiler alert- mine is always a hot mess. 🙂  What better way to celebrate hair than to get a summer haircut or new style! I have heard some parents even let their kids dye a strand of hair a fun color for just the summer. And you knew this was going to be the activity- Go to the beach and have a picnic with your favorite foods. Always bring something crunchy!

Week 9- SPACE
We end the month with another GREAT non-fiction read. “Hidden Figures” is about 4 African American women who worked at NASA and significantly contributed to the United States’ space program during the Space Race. After reading, check your local museums for Space exhibits. Do they have any exhibits with these 4 great ladies?! When you’re back home, grab some oreos and create the phases of the moon… and then dig in of course!

Want more summer reading ideas?! Check out this list of fun ideas!

Summer is so fun! I hope you find time to relax, soak up the sun, and create memories whether that’s with your own families or sharing ideas with your students and their families. Let me know below what other themes you’d like to follow as we finish out summer and head into a brand new school year!

The post Using Picture Books to Grow Readers – Part 2 appeared first on Ramona Recommends.

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Have you noticed your students or maybe even your own children losing reading skills over the summer? ME TOO! This summer, I wanted a fun way to try and prevent that but still have a relaxed and fun summer setting. This is how my Summer Series was born!

I used summer themes and national days to plan out what I would suggest to you each week.

After I picked topics/themes, I chose the best picture books to match! {My Picture Book Inventory helped with this!}  Then I planned an activity and treat to match the book. I am just SO excited about engaging and memorable reading experiences for the kids and even whole families! What is better than building fun summer memories while also building their literacy lives?!

Here is a little about each week and what you can do to crank out that summer fun and build a love of reading:

Week 1– SWIMMING
“Saturday is Swimming Day” tells the story of a young girl who is anxious about attending her weekly swimming lessons. The story captures the journey of facing and overcoming fears, and trying something new. To have some fun, go to the pool and SWIM. Play games like Marco Polo, Popsicle, or have funny hair competitions. Before heading out, create a quick Pool Day Themed Bag filled with Goldfish, Peachy Os (pool tubes), and watermelon on a stick to have on hand with that appetite you will surely have afterwards!

[Want more ideas using Saturday is Swimming Day? Check out our POP, Like a Confetti Moment resource featuring Saturday is Swimming Day. Inside you will find activities, reading comprehension questions, and mentor texts to go along. A simple reading activity for kids to practice is Story Elements. Print out this resource below!!} 

Week 2- ROAD TRIP
“Our Great Big Backyard” follows the adventures of a young girl named Jane. Initially reluctant about her family’s road trip to national parks, Jane soon discovers the wonders of nature and the joy of outdoor exploration. ANDDD that having technology all the time isn’t worth it!
How can we have fun with this theme? The License Plate Game! See who can find the most states, but the state can’t be repeated. (There is an app called Plates and States Free where you can track the states and answer a trivia question about the state.) Or you can play games like the Alphabet Game: A is for applesauce, B is for Blanket…
Oh and let’s not forget something yummy! Make S’mores. All you need are Graham Crackers, chocolate squares, and marshmallows. Use a fire pit or pop them in the microwave for 20 seconds. 

Week 3- NATURE
“Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt” is a beautifully illustrated picture book that explores the hidden and visible wonders of a garden through the changing seasons. After reading, have your child label parts of a plant. You will need construction paper, scissors, glue, and a pencil. Also get outside and plant a flower or seed with your child and let them cultivate it throughout the summer. Feeling hungry? Make the famous Dirt Dessert. You will need small plastic cups and spoons, chocolate pudding, crushed up oreos, M&Ms , and gummy worms.

Week 4- ICE CREAM
“Ice Cream Everywhere”is a delightful picture book that celebrates the joy of ice cream in all its forms. Naturally, you need to visit all the ice cream shops in town and rate the best ones. OR try and make your own ice cream! No sweet tooth? Create an ice cream sundae art project using ripped construction paper. Huge sweet tooth? Have ICE CREAM for DINNER! Go all out… all the flavors, toppings, and of course lots of WHIPPED CREAM!

Summer is so fun! I hope you find time to relax, soak up the sun, and create memories whether that’s with your own families or sharing ideas with your students and their families. Let me know below what other themes you’d like to follow in the summer series! I’d love to hear other treat and activity ideas, too!

The post Using Picture Books to Grow Readers – Part 1 appeared first on Ramona Recommends.