Great Read Alouds for the Last Month of School

It's that time of year...the countdown has begun; everyone has that end of year itch.  Here are a few read alouds (or audiobooks) that sing of summer.


1. A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck.

Set during the great depression, the book tells the story of Joey, his sister Mary Alice, and  and their outside of the box grandmother: Mrs. Dowdel.  The book chronicles nine summers spent with Grandma Dowdel, with each chapter representing a new summer.  Please Note; This book requires  deep inference as much of the humor is indirect.  It also contains some "questionable" content, such as when the children and their grandmother come across the town sheriff and his buddies on a fishing trip.  The men are drunk, in their underwear, and acting obnoxious - you might want to avoid if you think your students are not mature enough for this or they will find this offensive.

2. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit.

Set during one HOT August week, Tuck Everlasting tells the story of a family that lives forever.  This book is sure to get your students thinking even if they are already have "checked out" for the year.

3. No Talking by Andrew Celements 

Andrew Celements just gets school politics, student-teacher relationships, and student to student interactions, and he proves this best in No Talking.  This book tells the story of two smart kids, a exceptionally talkative fifth grade class, and a boys vs. girls no talking competition that turns into so much more.  This book is GREAT if  you have a 5th grade class preparing to graduate to middle school.  Also, it is lighter reading than numbers 1 and 2 on my list if  you are looking for something not quite so heavy.

4. Bud, Not Buddy
Bud, from Bud, Not Buddy, is in my opinion one of the most enduring child characters in the great hall of children's/young adult literature.  Bud's story is told through humor, emotion, and beautiful figurative language. The story is set in the summer months and is usually well received by students.

"You are almost there, the light is at the end of the tunnel, deep breath, finish strong."  I told that to my students daily during May and that first week of June, but little did they know I was really telling myself that too!   I hope you dig into a book or two from this list as you round out your year.

Audiobooks in the Intermediate Classroom Post 1

I'm a big fan of audio books in the classroom for several reasons.  Today I will focus on one.  They are practical way to fill time that might otherwise be wasted.  In other words, they help make the most efficient use of time in the classroom.

I preferred audiobooks instead of reading aloud to my class as I felt they made more efficient use of my time.  My read aloud time was scheduled for right after lunch.  At the building I taught in we were not lucky enough to have bathrooms connected directly to our classroom.  We had bathrooms in the hallway on our floor.  So as a general rule students from our floor used the restroom directly after leaving lunch recess.  I gave my students 5 mins to use the restroom and then they had to be back in the classroom. I found, knowing they were coming back in the room to an audiobook, usually hurried students along in the restroom as most of them did not want to miss the audiobook.  Also, it gave me time to take attendance and deal with any fires I might need to put out after recess.  In other words, the audiobooks allowed me to find in my read aloud time while taking care of attendance and handling recess issues.  Think about your day and evaluate if there is a time that audiobooks could help fill and make more productive.

In this series, I will focus on the audiobooks kids love and present best practices ideas for introducing and using  audiobooks.

Teaching Tuck Everlasting

Sometimes in that phase of half asleep and half awake, Tuck and Mae, Miles and Jesse will sneak into my mind.  Thinking of the Tucks leaves my mind heavy and so so so... tired.  I think about them wondering around the world, frozen as they are, while the world passes them by.  Sigh...

While Tuck Everlasting can be difficult for students to understand, I found the thought of living forever and never dying captivated and haunted them, just as it does me.

Here is a brief list of "tip and tricks" for teaching Tuck Everlasting.

Tuck Everlasting can be complicated.  Simply because there are many long descriptive passages.  Make sure your students are aware of this.  When I introduce the students to the novel I make sure they are very aware of this fact:  "Guys, this book is great!  Be aware as your reading that the author gets really descriptive with the setting and the setting includes the weather.  Don't "zone out" during your reading just because you have come along something descriptive.  Stay focused!"

 It sounds so simple  but this statement does help them.  When we are reading as a class and we get to one of those really descriptive parts, I'll pause the reading and remind them...."This is one of those descriptive parts.  Hang in there.  Stay focused."  The prologue sets up the really the perfect opportunity to do this.

When I teach the book we read one section at at time. A section is 3 chapters at time with the prologue and epilogue considered chapters.   First, we read the section together as class and then discuss what we have read.  I open the discussion by asking the students to help me jot some notes about what we read on the board.  We record the characters that appear, a few of the characters emotions in that section, the setting (place, time, and weather), and a few of the key events that occurred.  I found that my students start to naturally "train" their minds to look for these things as we move along in the novel study.

Next we move onto chapter work (usually completed as guided practice and then transitioned to independent practice as we move forward in the novel study).

Also, make sure the students understand the names of the Tuck family - Jesse, Miles, Mae, and Angus.  However, Angus is often called the family last name "Tuck."  I found Tuck's name really was a source of confusion for almost every class I taught. Make sure to provide clarity and explanation.

We we have finished chapter work we go back and re-read the section.  I can't tell you how much I my students comprehension sky rocketed when I introduced the second reading. I might also use the second reading as a time to introduce and discuss figurative language.  Tuck Everlasting is chalked full of figurative language, specifically personification followed by similes and metaphors.

I have a free worksheet packet for Tuck Everlasting in my Teachers Pay Teachers Store.  The packet includes a figurative language record, as well a 20 questions True/False Review, Quote Identification, and Identifying Theme through textual quotes review.

Free Worksheets

I also have a few paid products including a workbook with chapter work and old maid vocabulary game, a final test, and a product that bundles the workbook, old maid game, final test, and includes a smart board quiz game.
Tuck Everlasting Workbook and Vocabulary Card Game
Tuck Everlasting Test
Tuck Everlasting Bundle