Read-alouds and Presentations Week to Week by Grade Level

Week of September 21, 2020 - TK - Having Grit & Fun with Numbers

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Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons, by Eric Litwin
​Pete the cat loves the buttons on his shirt so much that he makes up a song about them, and even as the buttons pop off, one by one, he still finds a reason to sing.
Video Pete sings his song 
Crafty Connection Print this Pete the Cat color by number 
Is That Wise, Pig? by Jan Thomas
Mouse and Cow are making soup, but Pig keeps trying to add strange ingredients.
Video Is That Wise, Pig? read by Story Time Pals 
Activity Connection Cooking with children (safety first!) is a great way to reinforce independence, math, science, language skills, and more. Try these No Bake Kids' Recipes: mud pie, pineapple bagel spread, cinnamon pears, pumpkin pie, and more!

​Week of September 21, 2020 - Kindergarten - Fall Leaves

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Fall Leaves Fall! by Zoe Hall
When fall comes, two brothers enjoy catching the falling leaves, stomping on them, kicking them, jumping in piles of them, and using them to make pictures. Includes a description of how leaves change through the year.
Fall Is Not Easy, by Marty Kelley
​With new expectations to be met, fall can be a tough season for a lot of us.
Crafty Connection Transform ordinary leaves found in the yard into colorful nature collages. Directions.

Week of September 21, 2020 - First Grade - Books and Reading

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Make a book-nibbling bookmark

I Am a Story, by Dan Yaccarino
A celebration of the art of storytelling traces how it has evolved from cave paintings and the invention of the printing press to the digital technologies that inform and unite today's diverse world. Sharp eyes will take note of the starry transition from cave people to contemporary folk as astrological signs reappear as constellations, with a tiny red bird on each page to remind us that stories give flight to our imagination.
Crafty Connection Tiny Birds coloring sheet ​
I Don't Like to Read, by Nancy Carlson
Henry the mouse likes everything about first grade except reading, but with some extra help at school and home, he is delightfully surprised.
Connection Read a book, of course :)
Nibbles the Book Monster, by Emma Yarlett
​Nibbles the Monster enjoys books a little too much!
Crafty Connection Make a book nibbling bookmark. Directions.

Week of September 21, 2020 - Second Grade - Empathy

Empathy is defined as the ability to understand the thoughts, feelings, or emotions of someone else. An example of empathy is feeling the same amount of excitement as a friend, when they tell you they are getting a puppy or a kitten.
Video Sesame Street: actor Mark Ruffalo and Murray help explain the feeling of empathy.
A Letter to My Teacher, by Deborah Hopkinson
Written as a thank you note to a cherished teacher, the ending brings the love of learning and teaching full circle. 
Discuss Do you think the new teacher will be able to feel empathy for her students when things don't go quite right for them? How might having empathy affect our relationships at home or at school?
Draw and Write Students draw a picture of themselves with their teacher and write a note including a personality trait that they know their teacher will enjoy, and a behavior that they hope to improve during second grade. Show it to your teacher on your next Zoom.

Week of September 21, 2020 - Third Grade - Welcome Fall

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Green on Green, by Dianne White
The animals, fruits, feelings, and colors that characterize each season of the year.
​Lawrence in the Fall, by Matthew Farina
Lawrence the fox accompanies his father into the forest to collect something to take to his school show-and-tell, and encounters the beauty of nature and finds exactly what he needs.
​Video Why Do Leaves Change Color?
​Leaves, by David Ezra Stein
A bear who has never experienced autumn before is puzzled by the falling leaves, unsure whether he should try to put them back or use them as a bed for a nap. Read by Michael DeJohn
Crafty Connection Transform ordinary leaves found in the yard into colorful nature collages. Directions.

Week of September 21, 2020 - Fourth and Fifth Grade
​California Young Reader Medal Intermediate Novel Nominees

Introducing the CYRM Intermediate Novel Nominees Students in 4th and 5th grade are invited to participate in deciding the most popular fiction novel in California by reading all three CYRM novels and voting for their favorite by June 1. General vote info. Specific Grand View vote info to come. More about the CYRM. Questions? Email Mrs. Snively at [email protected].

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The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street, by Karina Yan Glaser
The Vanderbeekers have always lived in the brownstone on 141st Street. It's practically another member of the family. So when their reclusive, curmudgeonly landlord decides not to renew their lease, the five siblings have eleven days to do whatever it takes to stay in their beloved home and convince the dreaded Beiderman just how wonderful they are. And all is fair in love and war when it comes to keeping their home. First in a series, fans of The Penderwicks will love getting to know Harlem's favorite family. A story of confrontation and understanding just right for our troubled times.
Video Book trailer at teachingbooks.net

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Save Me a Seat, by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan
Meet Ravi, who has just moved to the United States from India, where he has always been at the top of his class. Meet Joe, who has lived in the same New Jersey town his whole life, and lives with learning difficulties. Two fifth grade boys born worlds apart and so different from one another --how could they ever be friends? They are united by a common enemy, Dillon Samreen, the class bully. Dillon is Indian American and Ravi oh so wrongly assumes their shared heritage means they will be friends. This story about fitting in and overcoming obstacles features two points of view that will be a hit with fans of Wonder, by R.J. Palacios. 
Video Book trailer at teachingbooks.net

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Restart, by Gordon Korman
Chase's memory just went out the window. He doesn't remember falling off the roof. He doesn't remember hitting his head. He doesn't, in fact, remember anything. He wakes up in a hospital room and suddenly has to learn his whole life all over again, starting with his own name. When he gets back to school, he sees that different kids have very different reactions to his return. Some kids treat him like a hero. Some kids are clearly afraid of him. Pretty soon Chase realizes it's not only a question of who he is, it's a question of who he was, and who he's going to be.
Video Book trailer at teachingbooks.net

I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsberg Makes Her Mark, by Debbie Levy
​As a child in Brooklyn, Ruth learned the importance of a powerful dissent. Her mother objected to the notion that girls shouldn't get an education. Ruth objected to the discrimination facing her Jewish family. In school, she objected to having to take sewing and cooking classes (but still had to), and in college, she objected to the notion that, as a woman, she couldn't pursue a law career. Dissent is the through line woven into this picture-book biography of Justice Ginsburg, and it's a tidy way to demonstrate how her fearless objections to the unfair status quo not only led the way to her career as a Supreme Court justice but also contributed to dismantling many of those discriminatory laws that prevented equal treatment. 
Video I Dissent presented by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library