by Julie Mcconnell

Created on: September 23, 2008

It is often said in the education community that we spend kindergarten through third grade learning to read and the rest of our lives reading to learn. This truth is one of the main reasons it is so important that parents and teachers strive to make reading a fun and integral part of every learning process. The great thing about reaching toward this goal as an elementary educator is that almost any well-written children's book can become an excellent teaching aid in the classroom.

Reading a book to your class is what you make of it. You must show enthusiasm throughout the entire reading of the book if you expect your class to respond well to the activities and discussion you try to derive from the reading process. Never read a book to your students that you personally do not like. Children are very perceptive and will know if you are not enjoying the book as you read it aloud. If you are not fully engaged in a book, you cannot expect your class to be either.

Books can and should be used for more than just teaching students to read, remember you are preparing your students for a lifetime of learning through reading! If your class is studying about what the Earth is made of, then why not check out The Magic School Bus: Inside the Earth from your school library? Your students will be much more eager to read about the Earth from the perspective of the zany characters created by Joanna Cole and illustrated by Bruce Degen than through their science textbook. The Magic School Bus series takes students on incredible adventures that are sure to leave them excited and wanting to learn more about science.

No matter what elementary age group you teach, with a little searching, you will be able to find books about the subjects your students are expected to learn about. Often, the teacher's edition of history and science textbooks have age-appropriate literature recommendations for certain lessons. Another great resource that all schools have is the school librarian. This person knows what books are available on certain subjects at your school better than anyone else. They may also be able to help you find a Big Book copy or a classroom set of a book you may be interested in reading with your class.

As you begin looking for children's books to use in your classroom, remember that any book can be a valuable tool if you use it to show your students how enjoyable reading can be.

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