Teaching with Books
Teaching with high-quality children’s literature matters. Constructivist teachers use authentic literature - all types of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and articles daily across the curriculum to engage students in learning.
Over 100 children’s literature titles are recommended in Constructivist Teaching by Heart. We use this page to share a wide variety of additional children’s books we love. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find your own “very favorite book in the whole wide world!” (Look up this title by Malcolm Mitchell.) Spoiler: The main character couldn’t find a book he likes until he wrote it himself.
CHECK OUT THIS TEXT SET* WITH THE CENTRAL THEME OF COURAGE
*Text sets are intentionally grouped sets of high-quality books, articles, or poems designed to support literary themes and content. Teaching with text sets can boost comprehension lessons by sharing a variety of connected texts. Books are read individually and then compared as a set.
BRAVO ANJALI! - by SHEETAL SHETH AND LUCIA SOTO
Synopsis:
Anjali is learning to play tabla despite it being an instrument that is typically played by boys. Her friend, Deepak, takes lessons with her, but he is suddenly being unkind, telling her she’s showing off and acting jealous. After an incident in the classroom with Deepak, Anjali has had enough. She storms to the bathroom and shouts out her frustrations, only to be overheard by a fifth grader who tells her, “Never dim your light, girl.” In the end, find out how Anjali uses this advice when it is time for the recital, and what happens regarding Deepak and Anjali’s friendship.
Key Questions:
Have you ever had trouble with a best friend? How did you solve it?
Themes:
courage, friendship, gender roles, dealing with conflict, forgiveness, and empowerment
imagine - by Juan Felipe Herrera and Lauren Castillo
Synopsis:
Juan Felipe Herrera writes his own experiences in poetic verse, sharing his life’s beloved events and transitions such as picking chamomile flowers in windy fields, letting tadpoles swim across his hands in a creek, and saying goodbye to his amiguitos each time his family moved to a new town. He went to school and taught himself to read and write English and filled paper pads with rivers of ink as he walked down the street after school. When he grew up, he became the United States Poet Laureate and read his poems aloud on the steps of the Library of Congress. The autobiographical ode ends with a plea to the reader to imagine their own lives’ possibilities.
Key Questions:
Have you ever imagined what you might be when you grow up?
Teach:
- Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song. Start with “If” and end with “imagine”.
- Find instances in the story requiring courage of Juan.
Jambari Jumps- by Gaia Cornwall
Synopsis:
Jabari has just learned to swim and has decided that he is ready to jump off the diving board. He tells his dad that it looks easy, and he is not scared at all. Jabari loses a bit of his confidence as he stands with his dad watching the other kids take their turns on jumping off the diving board. In a sign of encouragement, Jabari’s dad squeezes his hand, and Jabari squeezes back…will Jabari jump?
Key Questions:
Will Jabari Jump? How did Jabari’s dad help?
Teach:
- Address the comprehension skills of; identifying the author's purpose, understanding text structure, inferring,analyzing characters and making connections.
Lena's shoes are nervous - by Keith Calabrese and Juana Medi
Synopsis:
Young Lena is totally prepared, and excited to start kindergarten. She’s not nervous…but her shoes are. Lena enlists her headband who is “friends with everybody” and “a good listener” to talk to her shoes, and eventually, talking with her clothes help Lena work through her fears about starting school and everyone makes it to their first day of school.
Key Questions:
Why do you think Lena’s shoes are the most nervous items in her wardrobe?
How does Lena help herself work through her anxiety about school?
Teach:
Discuss how the author uses personification to tell the story. (Lena personifies her clothes by assigning different human characteristics to different clothing items.)