Favorite School Read Alouds

button for linky Teaching is a Gift blog is having a blog hop about great reads for your class. This hop includes middle school books, and she teaches gifted education. Visit her blog for some great ideas if your class or children need a captivating read. Teaching is a Gift also is participating in a “calming the chaos” blog hop (end of the year wiggles) that includes a giveaway and some freebies as you visit the participating blogs. Scroll down a little on the chaos post to find the blog buttons in the hop. The 2 Peas and a Dog blog has some great ideas for the end of the school year. She writes from Canada where spring has barely begun. Rachel Lynette’s Minds in Bloom has an end of the year linky with dozens of great ideas.

Today, I’m writing about last day of school read-alouds. Please scroll down for my freebies. I like having a firefly theme the last day of class.

When Lightning Comes in a Jar by Patricia Polacco

When Lightning Comes in a Jar by Patricia Polacco

Books about fireflies are a wonderful way to end the school year. Teachers can make an analogy of having a class to catching fireflies (that are later released). Teachers admire student talents, abilities, and kindnesses all year, and then let them go on the last day. It was wonderful while the class was together. It is a special thought and lovely way to say good-bye. I learned this idea from Anne Martin, just to give credit where credit is due.

Fireflies by Julie Brinckloe

Fireflies by Julie Brinckloe is a Reading Rainbow book, so very appropriate in length for primary children. When Lightning Comes in a Jar by Patricia Polacco is a long read and if there is time, and is a good book which includes summer visits with relatives. This book would be good for second grade and above. Both books could be on hand for whatever happens that sometimes unpredictable last day.

Thinking about all this, I made a free firefly theme autograph book printable. Two pages are in color (a cover and writing page, print as many of each as needed), and two are black and white for another printing option.

Here is the end of year link up at Minds in Bloom.

Here is the linky for the favorite read alouds. The giveaway and blog hop is at this link.

See also my post for NIGHT OF THE FIREFLIES, a story about the one day a year for fireflies in Japan, a book by K. Winnick. That post has a free PDF with firefly coloring pages. I’m adding the picture of the pages and the link here, as well.