Check in with Mrs G

Teaching Special Education & Social Skills

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Books for Read Aloud in the Elementary Classroom

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book-for-read-aloud

I love a good picture book. Books for read aloud are my absolute favorite ways to teach social skills for kids, spend 10 minutes before the bell, or celebrate a holiday with my class. I use them with every special education group, in my sub plans, and with my general education classes. No matter the student’s age, if you do it right, stories that are read aloud can be pure classroom magic. 

I hate to be so “elementary teacher basic” but picture books are up there with beautiful post its, colorful flair pens and fancy planners… right? So, if you are just starting out. I wanted to offer you a short list of my favorite books to read aloud to my littles and a tiny bit about how I use them.

I choose stories for read aloud that are high interest and beautifully illustrated. They teach quick but valuable lessons and you can build them into other skills you are already teaching.

They are linked below but Pro Tip: I have found that in a pinch you can search “read aloud books Youtube” to find almost all of them being read aloud for you. For free. Sometimes having someone else read them on screen is a nice change of pace for restless students. Also, this probably goes without saying but… watch them first, all the way through, just in case. Ok? Great!

Stories-for-read-aloud

Here are my Top 10 Books for Read Aloud

  1. No David read aloud: Use to start conversations about expected classroom behavior or about what it feels like when you make the wrong choice.  
  2. Enemy pie read aloud: I use this book at times of conflict among my students. It has a great lesson about friendship. 
  3. Green Eggs and Ham read aloud: I love to use this classic read aloud during lessons on CVC and rhyming words. 
  4. The Day the Crayons Quit: I LOVE this book. Use it to teach social norms and perspective. Warning, you may lose some students when the peach crayon is out of his wrapper and is “naked.” I once lost an entire group of middle school boys to laughter during this scene! But, it is completely worth it. The follow up, “The Day the Crayons came home” is also amazing. I could teach on each of these for a month.
  5. Pete the cat read aloud: Any, and I mean any Pete the Cat books will do for teaching a positive mind set and appropriate reactions. But, Pete the Cat I Love my White Shoes is a class favorite every time.  
  6. Three little pigs read aloud: Compare and contrast the original Three Little Pigs read aloud with The True Story of the Three Little Pigs read aloud which is told from the wolfs point of view. I use this to teach perspective.
  7. The Rainbow Fish read aloud: Use with lessons on making friends. 
  8. The Lorax read aloud: I teach with this book on Earth Day. It is also helpful that many of my students have seen the movie and have some background knowledge going into the conversation.   
  9. Very hungry Caterpillar read aloud: Another classic read aloud, I use this book when talking about healthy eating. There are SO many extension activities already in existence so it is nice that you can build on its big ideas with little prep. 
  10. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom read aloud: Basic letter recognition and introduction to rhyming words.

Organize & Store your Books by Skill

I like to store my books by the skill that they teach (in bright containers like these). This way I can access them as they relate to my curriculum. For example, I co-teach some general education classes and love to read aloud books on special needs in order to support inclusion and foster understanding. For my social skills group I have a collection that focuses on anger. I encourage you to build your read aloud collection slowly and always have a wish list of read aloud books handy! 

read-aloud-classroom-library

Read Aloud Resource

I created a read aloud companion. I print it in the beginning of the school year and use it off and on throughout the year. This is a journal that provides engaging extension activities that will work with any picture book with no prep. You can learn more about it here! It helps me turn my books into half hour lessons.

read-aloud-worksheets
read-aloud-worksheets

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5 Picture Books About Anger

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picture-books-about-anger

5 Picture Books about Anger

I love teaching students of all ages using picture books, especially in my social skills groups (you can read about it here). In my resource room, I see many of my kiddos when they are extremely angry. They have fled their gened classrooms and need to take a break or they were sent out and are infuriated. When the door blows open and they storm in, it is too late. (Read more about how I handle those situations here.) The teaching has to happen when they are happy to be coming to group. I infuse my lessons and conversations about anger during our normal, calm, everyday routines.

My Student’s Official Top 5 Favorite Read Alouds about Anger

  1. Sam’s Pet Temper
  2. Say Hello to Zorro 
  3. The Pigeon Needs a Bath!
  4. Zach Gets Frustrated
  5. Finn Throws a Fit 

Do your students have a favorite picture book about anger, frustration, or big reactions that I should bring into my classroom? If so, I would love to hear about it! Let’s connect on Facebook or Instagram.

See more of my student’s favorite picture books below:

My Student’s Official Top 5 Favorite Read Alouds about Special Needs

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5 Picture Books about Special Needs

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links which means we may make a small commission at no cost to you if you click and purchase something we recommend. The suggested products are ones we have tried and love! For more information see our full disclosure policy. Thank you!

picture-books-about-special-needs

5 Picture Books about Special Needs

I love teaching students of all ages using picture book. Especially in my social skills groups, you can read about it here. Because October is Disability Awareness Month, I wanted to share my student’s top five picture books about special needs.

So, read them aloud in your special education groups! But, be sure to read them in general education classes too! The age of your students does not matter. These stories discuss Aspergers, Down Syndrome, Visual Impairment, Cerebral Palsy, and Inclusion. Every single student can benefit from a deeper understanding of these topics. Basically, I love books that foster inclusion and friendship. These books do! Even better, in my experience they prompt thoughtful conversation and can lead to a more tolerant student body.

My Student’s Official Top 5 Favorite Read Alouds about Special Needs

  1. Armond Goes to a Party (Aspergers) 
  2. Princess Jaycee (Down Syndrome)
  3. Dan and Diesel (Visual Impairment) 
  4. Howie Helps Himself (Cerebral Palsy)
  5. The invisible Boy (Inclusion) 

Do your students have a favorite picture book about special needs that I should bring into my classroom? If so, I would love to hear about it! Let’s connect on Facebook or Instagram.

See more of my student’s favorite picture books:

My Student’s Official Top 5 Favorite Read Alouds about Anger

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Use Picture Books to Teach in Special Education

picture-books-to-teach-special-education

Two Ways to Use Picture Books

I love using picture books to teach social skills in special education groups. Students of all ages connect with the messages and benefit from the visuals. I use picture books to do one of two things: Introduce a new concept or reinforce a current learning target.

Using them with Older Students

When using them with my older students (in most case for me, my 5th through 8th graders) I typically start with a disclaimer that sounds something like this, “These books are for kids much younger than you but I like them. Please humor me and let me read them. If you end up liking them too you can tell me after. If not, you don’t have to listen.” It works! By page two most of my students are enthralled.

When I have older students that need a little more convincing, I invite kiddos from my younger grade levels in to join us for group. This works because most of the topics we address in social skills group are life long skills that all of my students can benefit from developing. I let my older student in on the lesson plan and explain to them that they are helping the younger students understand the big ideas from the book. It is amazing how my older students turn into tolerant role models (who love picture books) when we are joined by my littles.

When I read books aloud in my social groups I screen the content carefully. Each book is chosen with a focus on relevance. Of course good visuals are a plus too! Over the years a few books have emerged as clear favorites with my kiddos. (One book even draws consistent cheers from my fifth graders each time I bring it out!)

using picture books to teach social skills in special education groups

Here are some of my student’s favorite picture books by topic:

My Student’s 5 Favorite Picture Books about Special Needs

My Student’s 5 Favorite Picture Books about Anger