Creating an inviting classroom and where students show respect and acceptance for one another can be challenging, especially in today’s world where we are seeing our students from a computer screen instead of in person. Teachers will get between 20-30 students with a mixture of cultures, personalities and share a single classroom every year. One of my favorite ways to build a classroom community is to share books with my kids to talk about kindness, inclusion, and the importance of friendship. Here are some of my must-have read aloud books for building classroom community! If your school doesn’t have these books in the library, you can use my links to grab them for yourself!
How Full Is Your Bucket?
How Full Is Your Bucket? It is a story about a boy named Felix and how interactions throughout his day will either fill or empty his bucket. He realizes that everything he does either fills or empties other’s buckets as well. As you follow Felix in this story, we all learn how easy it is to fill the buckets of our classmates, teachers, and everyone around us and how filling others buckets can also fill our own.
The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes
Every teacher and student should read this book! The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes is a book about growing and learning from your past mistakes. It’s a must-have in the classroom and a significant growth mindset book for kids! The story follows Beatrice Bottomwell, who has never ever made a mistake, until one day when she makes a mistake in front of everyone. This story reminds us to laugh through the mistakes and even how those mistakes make life more enjoyable.
The Invisible Boy
The Invisible Boy tells the story of Brian, who is an invisible boy in his school. No one notices him or includes him in anything until a new kid comes to class. When Justin, the new kid, arrives, Brain is the first to make him feel welcome. This story teaches how a small act of kindness can make children flourish and make them feel included.
Ish
Ish tells the story of a boy named Ramon who loves to draw. Drawing makes him happy, but all that changes by a reckless remark from his older brother. His younger sister Marisol helps Ramon open his eyes and realize that there is something more valuable than just simply getting things right. This story and creative spirit showcase how life is more wonderful than simply getting things right.
Wonder
Wonder tells the story of young August Pullman, who was born with a facial difference that kept him going to school. He wants nothing more than to be treated like everyone else, but his classmates can’t seem to get past his face. In a world of bullying, this book brings a refreshing narrative of hope as the novel focuses on kindness and gaining perspective, and the courage of friendship.
No matter which of these read aloud books you choose for your classroom, they would all be excellent additions to any classroom community read aloud!
