We are about 15 pages into our first read aloud of the year- Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me. So far I think it’s working out well with our 55 minute periods. I’ve been dedicating the first 10 minutes of the class to our read-aloud in order to motivate my students to get to class on time. Seems to be working so far!
What are you using as your first read aloud this year?
Filed under: read alouds | Tagged: read alouds, read alouds in the middle school classroom |
The Reading Zone 
Good question! We don’t start till Monday, but I’m mulling this over. I am considering When You Reach Me because of my NYTimes review and because it is my Newbery pick and it would be fun for the kids if it won. At least one child has read it already, however. (She was in a book camp program where they read the book and met the author.)
My first read aloud was Among the Hidden. My students could not get enough of it.
We are reading Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt in my 8th grade language arts class. I usually read The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis in 6th grade LA, but we are going to do When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt. I’ve done both in the past and the books have the perfect mix of great writing, characters that suck the students in, humor, and some excellent life lessons.
We are reading “Boomtown Book One Chang’s Famous Fireworks Factory” by Nowen N. Particular. It takes place in Washington which is where we are and the kids are loving it!
I have heard great comments about that book – do you think it would be a good read aloud for 5th grade?
Kate DiCamillo’s The Magician’s Elephant
I’m reading The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z by Kate Messner to my 7th graders. We are studying biomes this year in science, and the kids have to do a leaf project similar to the one assigned to Gianna in the book. The kids are loving the story. My 8th grade LA class is a tougher bunch. I’m reading them Freak the Mighty. I’m hoping the majority of them will get into it, but I have a weird dynamic in that class of mostly boys (13 out of 17 students are boys) where two passively surly boys silently intimidate everyone into not engaging, reacting, or showing any sign of enjoying what we are doing. That is my challenging group!
Giving London Eye Mystery aloud a try. Great choice with When You Reach Me!
I am reading The Top Ten Ways to Ruin the First Day of 5th Grade. Thinking of When you Reach Me for the next one. I teach 5th grade
I’m reading The Black Stallion to my fifth graders. It’s a little cheesy but SO good! 🙂 I’m reading The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil… to my 3rd/4th grade combo class.