The Read Aloud Classroom

It's that time again - Mock Caldecott 2024!  I'm sharing my predictions for which books might win the Caldecott award this year.  I even have a freebie for you to host your own Mock Caldecott award ceremony in your classroom.

🌟 FREE CALDECOTT ACTIVITY

📚 CALDECOTT PREDICTIONS 2024:

• Big
• An American Story
• Jumper: A Day in the Life
• The Tree and the River
• Once Upon a Book
• I’m From
• In the Night Garden
• Nell Plants a Tree
• Evergreen
• There Was a Party for Langston

See the show notes for the Caldecott Predictions 2024

Join the Colorful Apple Book Club!

Check out the TpT Store.
Join our FREE Facebook Group all about read alouds.

Keep your teaching colorful,
Sara :)

The Colorful Apple

Full disclosure: Amazon links in my descriptions are usually affiliate links which means if you purchase through that link, I receive a very small percentage of the sale.

Story elements are the foundation of our comprehension work with students.  Once they can retell the components of a story, they’ll be able to answer higher level questions.  Story elements include; characters, setting, problem & solution, main events.  And the best way to teach this is through read alouds!  Here are a few of my favorite picture books for story elements.

🌟 THE PAPER BAG PRINCESS LESSON PLAN

📚 PICTURE BOOKS FOR STORY ELEMENTS:
- The Paper Bag Princess
- Ruby Finds a Worry
- Ira Sleeps Over
- Enemy Pie
- If You Give a Pig a Pancake
- Where the Wild Things Are
- In Our Mothers’ House

See the show notes for Picture Books for Story Elements

Join the Colorful Apple Book Club!

Check out the TpT Store.
Join our FREE Facebook Group all about read alouds.

Keep your teaching colorful,
Sara :)

The Colorful Apple

Full disclosure: Amazon links in my descriptions are usually affiliate links which means if you purchase through that link, I receive a very small percentage of the sale.

Hibernation books for kids are a great way to teach students about this intriguing science topic!  Get ready to snuggle up with your class and dive into a collection of stories that will make this natural phenomenon come alive in the most delightful way.

🌟 BEAR HAS A STORY TO TELL LESSON PLAN

📚 HIBERNATION BOOKS FOR KIDS:
- Bear has a Story to Tell
- Hibernation Station
- Over & Under the Snow
- Time to Sleep
- Animals in Winter
- The Snowy Nap
- Bear Snores On

Get the show notes for the Hibernation Books for Kids

Join the Colorful Apple Book Club!

Check out the TpT Store.
Join our FREE Facebook Group all about read alouds.

Keep your teaching colorful,
Sara :)

The Colorful Apple

Full disclosure: Amazon links in my descriptions are usually affiliate links which means if you purchase through that link, I receive a very small percentage of the sale.

Kids have a lot of opinions!  But getting them to write those opinions and give reasons can be tough.  A great way to introduce opinion writing is to model how our favorite authors share their opinions through mentor texts.  Students need to be exposed to examples of the writing genre we are teaching.  These mentor texts are not just for exposing students to the genre, but they are powerful for explicitly teaching the structure and features.  Here are my favorite opinion writing mentor texts.

🌟 THE DAY THE CRAYONS QUIT LESSON PLAN

📚 OPINION WRITING BOOKS FOR KIDS:
- The Day the Crayons Quit
- I Wanna Iguana
- Hey, Little Ant
- Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
- The Perfect Pet
- I Don't Want to be a Frog
- The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs

Get the show notes for Opinion Writing Picture Books

Join the Colorful Apple Book Club!

Check out the TpT Store.
Join our FREE Facebook Group all about read alouds.

Keep your teaching colorful,
Sara :)

The Colorful Apple

Full disclosure: Amazon links in my descriptions are usually affiliate links which means if you purchase through that link, I receive a very small percentage of the sale.

Check out these new picture books released in December 2023!  Each of these books make a great read aloud for the classroom.  It's hard to choose which December 2023 picture book to read first!

🌟 FREE BOOK LIST

📚 New Picture Books December 2023:

• Wish Soup
• If I Were a Fish
• I’m Going to Be a Princess
• Mercy Watson is Missing!
• The Little Tiger
• Cupig: The Valentine’s Day Pig
• Small-Girl Toni and the Quest for Gold
• A Gift for Nai Nai
• Your Voice, Your Vote

Join the Colorful Apple Book Club!

Check out the TpT Store.
Join our FREE Facebook Group all about read alouds.

Keep your teaching colorful,
Sara :)

The Colorful Apple

Full disclosure: Amazon links in my descriptions are usually affiliate links which means if you purchase through that link, I receive a very small percentage of the sale.

Join me as I share my favorite picture books that were released in 2023!  All of these books make great read alouds for your elementary classroom.

📚 2023 Picture Books:

• January - The Kindest Red
• February - Once Upon a Book
• March - When Things Aren’t Going Right, Go Left
• April - Naming Ceremony
• May - Big
• June - Salat in Secret
• July - A Book for Bear
• August - Girls on Wheels
• September - Something Someday
• October - Nesting Dolls
• November - The Big Cheese
• November - Lila Greer, Teacher of the Year
• December - Mercy Watson is Missing!

Get the show notes for My Favorite Picture Books of 2023

Join the Colorful Apple Book Club!

Check out the TpT Store.
Join our FREE Facebook Group all about read alouds.

Keep your teaching colorful,
Sara :)

The Colorful Apple

Full disclosure: Amazon links in my descriptions are usually affiliate links which means if you purchase through that link, I receive a very small percentage of the sale.

It's almost 2024!  Around this time, I like to look into the picture books that will be released in the new year.  Well, I was not disappointed!  I planned to write a post that covered books for all of 2024.  However, I already had a huge list in just the first half of the year!

📚 New Picture Books: 2024

• Homegrown
• Time to Make Art
• There’s No Place Like Hope 
• The Fish of Small Wishes 
• Escargot & the Search for Spring
• Seeds of Change
• It’s Holi!
• Memory Garden
• A Rainbow in Brown
• When the Rain Came Down
• Don’t Wash Winston
• Look
• All I Need to Be
• Tricky Chopsticks
• The Mochi Makers 
• Someone Just Like You
• Avocado Magic
• Too Much: My Great Big Native Family
• Ollie, the Acorn, and the Mighty Idea
• A Maleta Full of Treasures
• Sister Friend
• Churro Stand
• Sydney’s Big Speech
• Ready to Soar
• This Table
• The Spice Box 
• The Last Stand

📝 Show Notes for New Picture Books 2024

Join the Colorful Apple Book Club!

Check out the TpT Store.
Join our FREE Facebook Group all about read alouds.

Keep your teaching colorful,
Sara :)

The Colorful Apple

Full disclosure: Amazon links in my descriptions are usually affiliate links which means if you purchase through that link, I receive a very small percentage of the sale.

These Christmas books for kids are perfect to read aloud in December!
The Christmas picture books share the spirit of the holiday and your students will definitely enjoy them.

🌟 FREE LESSON

📚 CHRISTMAS PICTURE BOOKS:

• Dasher
• Santa in the City
• The Polar Express
• Red and Lulu
• The Little Reindeer
• A Wish to be a Christmas Tree
• I Got the Christmas Spirit
• The Christmas Book Flood

🎄 Christmas Picture Books Show Notes

Join the Colorful Apple Book Club!

Check out the TpT Store.
Join our FREE Facebook Group all about read alouds.

Keep your teaching colorful,
Sara :)

The Colorful Apple

Full disclosure: Amazon links in my descriptions are usually affiliate links which means if you purchase through that link, I receive a very small percentage of the sale.

Check out these new picture books released in November 2023!  Each of these books make a great read aloud for the classroom.  It's hard to choose which November 2023 picture book to read first!

🌟 FREE BOOK LIST

📚 NOVEMBER PICTURE BOOKS:
- Lila Greer, Teacher of the Year
- The Big Cheese
- What’s in a Dumpling, Grandma?
- When I Smile: A Book of Kindness
- How to Love a Grandma
- Love Comes First

📝 New November Books Show Notes

Join the Colorful Apple Book Club!

Check out the TpT Store.
Join our FREE Facebook Group all about read alouds.

Keep your teaching colorful,
Sara :)

The Colorful Apple

Full disclosure: Amazon links in my descriptions are usually affiliate links which means if you purchase through that link, I receive a very small percentage of the sale.

In today's video, we're diving into picture books to teach elementary students about holiday celebrations. Join me as we explore the power of interactive read-aloud lessons to make learning about diverse holidays a memorable and engaging experience. 📚✨

✏️ Winter Candle Lesson

🌟 Free Lesson: Our Favorite Day of the Year

📚 PICTURE BOOKS ABOUT HOLIDAYS:
- Red & Green & Blue & White
- Our Favorite Day of the Year
- Winter Candle
- Let’s Celebrate!
- Sparkles of Joy
- Christmas Tapestry
- Come and Join us!

📝 Holiday Picture Books Show Notes

Join the Colorful Apple Book Club!

Check out the TpT Store.
Join our FREE Facebook Group all about read alouds.

Keep your teaching colorful,
Sara :)

The Colorful Apple

Full disclosure: Amazon links in my descriptions are usually affiliate links which means if you purchase through that link, I receive a very small percentage of the sale.