Questions and activity ideas for teaching the read aloud Last Day Blues to 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade students at the end of the year

Last Day Blues – Questions and Activity Ideas for an End of Year Read Aloud

If you start the school year off with the read-aloud First Day Jitters, then you need to end the year with Julie Danneberg’s Last Day Blues! At the beginning of the year, Mrs. Hartwell was nervous about teaching her class – but by the end of the year, she is sad to see her students go. 2nd, 3rd, and 4th …

6 Tips for Maintaining a Clean and Organized Classroom Library

You’ve set up your classroom library and organized all of your books – now how can you keep it looking great all year long? The tips below will help you keep track of your books, help 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students know how to return them to their proper location, and help keep your classroom library looking clean and …

Ideas for displaying your classroom library books - whether you want bins or no bins, and even if you don't have any book shelves!

Displaying Classroom Library Books: Bins Vs. No Bins, Shelves Vs. No Shelves

3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers have very strong opinions about the best way to display classroom library books.  Some might argue that the best way is use bins, while others think the best way is to show book spines. But there is not simply one best way – it depends on you, your students, and your classroom. And if …

How should you arrange your 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classroom library books? Check out these 9 different ideas.

Ideas to Help You Sort and Arrange Your Classroom Library Books

Figuring out how to set up your upper elementary classroom library can feel overwhelming – there is so much to think about! Lessen the overwhelm by starting with first things first – how do you want your books to be sorted and arranged in your 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade classroom? After you have figured out how to arrange your …

The best haiku books for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classroom libraries

Best Haiku Poetry Books for 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade Kids

Haiku poems are short, making this form of poetry great for introducing 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students to poetry.  Sometimes poetry can be overwhelming, but the list of haiku books for kids below is perfect for a non-scary introduction. This form of poetry is about using precise language to describe a brief moment in time or an insightful observation.  …

Tips for stocking your 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade classroom library with quality literature without breaking the bank

How to Stock Your Classroom Library with Quality Literature – on a Teacher’s Salary

Written by guest blogger Cindy Koopmans It can be a challenge to stock your classroom library with quality literature, especially if you are living on a teacher’s salary – with no additional side hustle or supportive spouse and no one is offering to give you money to buy books.   I’ve been in your shoes and here is how you solve …

Multicultural Read Alouds for third, fourth, and fifth grade students that will encourage them to be resilient and overcome obstacles

3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade Books About Overcoming Obstacles

Helping children learn to become more resilient and be able to overcoming any obstacles or challenges that might come their way is an important job for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers.  The book list below will help you add multicultural, inspiring books to your classroom library and read alouds. Written by guest blogger Amanda Bletsh From a very early …

A list of other books for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students to read if they loved Harry Potter

Books Like Harry Potter for Upper Elementary Classroom Libraries

Do you have a 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th grade student that loved the Harry Potter series and is now wondering what to read next?  The book list below is a great place to start. Written by guest blogger Cindy Koopmans It’s the perfect time to escape into the pages of a good book. Set down the remote, get off …

8 Authors that will bring diversity to your 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classroom library

8 Upper Elementary Authors to Help You Build a Diverse Classroom Library

As teachers, you already know the value of making sure your 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students are exposed to diverse, multicultural literature.  Unfortunately, books are expensive.  And when you are trying to stock your classroom library with books you find at garage sales and dollar sales, it can be hard to find quality, multicultural books. (Side note: These tips …

Nonfiction Picture Books / informational books that upper elementary students (third, fourth, and fifth grade) will love

Nonfiction Picture Books that Upper Elementary Students will LOVE

Engaging fiction picture books are easy to find.  3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers usually have plenty of them in their classroom libraries.  However, nonfiction and informational text picture books that are actually engaging and on an appropriate grade level are much harder to find. If you are trying to be intentional about doing more nonfiction read alouds with your …