My Favorite Read Alouds - Part 2

One of the ways I try to share my love for reading is by reading aloud to my class every day. This is something I will never give up, no matter how full my classroom schedule is.

I model reading with fluency and expression, often using different voices for characters. I read books I enjoy which makes it easy to convey my excitement about reading to my students. I often read one book in a series and then offer the other books as a choice during our silent reading time. I read books that are at the reading level of most third graders, but I also read books that are above the reading level of my students as a child's listening comprehension is higher than his or her independent reading comprehension.

I've been teaching third grade for the past five years.  These are some of the novels I read to my class year after year:

Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo is an imaginative fantasy third graders enjoy as much as their teacher does.

Frindle by Andrew Clements is a fictional account of the way a new word comes into usage. The word lover in me loves this tale.

Punished by Vanessa Steel is the story of a boy who is cursed to use puns. Some may consider puns the lowest form of humor, but third graders and I love them.

PIE by Sarah Weeks is a mystery story about a pie shop. Each chapter features a different pie recipe. It's a unique story, and I have to admit reading it makes me a little hungry. FYI - I have not tried any of the pies recipes. My mother-in-law makes the best pies in the world which is, frankly, a little imtimidating to me.

Read-aloud is the best time of the day in my room.