Looking for a Good Read Aloud?

I have begun reading chapter books aloud to the crew in addition to continuing to read picture books. Reading aloud is fun and builds comprehension skills and vocabulary. We recently read Ready Freddy: Tooth Trouble by Abby Klein, the first book in a large series of books. The books in this series are so appealing to first graders. In Tooth Trouble, Freddy is the only one in his class who hasn't yet lost a tooth. He is so distraught about this that he creates and carries out several plans to try to make one of his teeth fall out. First graders can really identify with this theme. This illustrator also provides readers with the challenge of finding the word "fin" in every illustration. (Freddy is a shark lover so "fin" is one of his favorite words.) While this book is a "chapter book", it is written at a level that would be "just right" for about one third to one half of the students in our crew. So, many will be able to read the books in the Ready Freddy series on their own. Others will enjoy them as a read aloud.

Our current read aloud is Roscoe Riley Rules #1: Never Glue Your Friends to a Chair by Katherine Applegate.   The books in this series are all tales of how Roscoe ended up in the timeout chair - nothing outlandish, just his mishaps and mistakes that will feel familiar to most first graders. In this book, Roscoe is trying hard to help his teacher, a first year teacher, manage the behaviors in his class. His plans don't always work the way that he hopes that they will often with very funny results. Ask your child to tell you about this book.

Our future read alouds will probably include Gooney Bird Greene, Clementine,  The Dragon Masters, Anna Hibiscus and more - depending on our timing.

All of these books are available at the Douglas County Public Library so check some out on your next visit. Happy Reading!

Important Dates
Library - Tuesdays are check out only days for small groups and Fridays are whole crew library time. Be sure to bring back any books that you have finished with by those days if you would like to check out new books.

4/4 - 4/9 Douglas County School District's Art Show
4/9 - 4/13 State Testing for Grades 3 - 6
4/16 - 4/19 State Testing for Grade 5 only
4/19 Spring Voyage to Castlewood Canyon
4/20 No School
4/28 Outdoor Learning Environment (OLE) Work Day
5/9 Renaissance Art Museum Walk 4:00 pm
5/16 - 5/17 Student-Led Conferences for First Grade
5/23 Third Grade Showcase Portfolios 1:15 pm
5/28 No School
5/30 Sixth Grade Showcase Portfolios 1:15 pm
6/5 Sixth Grade Closing Circle 6:30 pm
6/6 Last Day of School - All School Drum Circle at 9:00 am