Read Alouds for First Day

Read Alouds for First Day

Archambault, Knots on a Counting Rope. It's about a young Indian boy whose grandfather tells him the story of his (the boy's) life. Each time he tells it he ties a knot in the counting rope and when the rope is full of knots, the story will be his own. I use this concept with my language arts classes. Each student has a piece of twine and they tie a knot in it each time they share their writing with others.
Dr. Suess... Oh, The Places You'll Go!
Howe, James. _I Wish I Were a Butterfly_ . It is a picture book with watercolors by Ed Young. The story is about a little cricket who wants to be a butterfly and refuses to make music, all because the frog has told him he is ugly. At the end of the story, he again is making music by fiddling his legs when a butterfly flies over and says, "What beautiful music! I wish I were a cricket." The kids (of all ages) get the message that we all have gifts and to respect the gift we have instead of being jealous of someone else's. I've read it to 2nd through 6th and all love it.
Peck, Richard. Poem -- I read.
Philbrick, Rod. Freak the Mighty
Priscilla and the Wimps
Reynolds, Peter. The North Star by Peter Reynolds. This beautiful allegory portrays the unique individual journey that each person makes through life, and shows that the path that is right for one may not be right path for all. It teaches respect for each persons uniqueness. It can easily be read in one sitting, and gets the students to think beyond themselves.
Scieszka, Jon. "The Math Curse"
Spinelli, Jerry. Maniac Magee in sixth and this will provide a great connection!

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