These back-to-school reading activities include read-alouds, classroom-library introductions, student reading surveys and movement-based reading discussions for students in 4th, 5th and 6th grade.
I have developed a variety of engaging back to school reading activities for upper elementary classrooms. I love to start every school year off with a variety of engaging back to school reading activities, trying to capture the joy and excitement I feel for reading and trying to pass that on to my new class of fifth grade students. Read on for some ideas on engaging back to school reading activities for upper elementary students.
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Upper Elementary Back to School Books to Read Aloud
Aside from getting the classroom organized and doing a few get to know you activities, I get my read aloud started as quickly as possible. I love to start the year off with the first installment in the Terrible Two series.
Back to School Read Aloud- Terrible Two
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The first book in the Terrible Two series is about Miles, a new student to Yawnee Valley Science and Letters Academy. Miles has always been the school prankster and is shocked to find that on the first day of school at his new school a masterful prank being played out by the school’s current prankster. Throughout the book Miles makes new friends and has to constantly defend himself from the goofy yet hilarious Principal Barkin.
I start the year off reading The Terrible Two aloud because it is a lighthearted, delightful treasure that I never tire of reading and find my students begging for me to read more.
Sometimes I have to stop and laugh myself because the book is just so funny. Even though I have read it aloud about 500 times, it is still a fun fresh read for the kids, most of whom have not enjoyed the series.
The Terrible Two is also a nice book to suggest for students who struggle to read anything other than Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Back to School Read Aloud- Aunt Chip
In a world of constant screen time, Aunt Chip and the Great Triple Dam Creek Affair is a picture book with an important and sweet message that celebrates the power of reading. This Patricia Polacco classic is a great picture book to kick off the year and have a class discussion on the negative effects of too much screen time. Click on the link to read more about reading Aunt Chip with your upper elementary or middle school classes.
Upper Elementary Back to School Library Tour- Show Off Your Classroom Library
On the first days of school it helps to give a tour of the classroom, highlighting where students will find the basics of the class. One thing I take extra time for is showing the class the classroom library.
I give a Classroom Library Tour by highlighting how the books in the classroom library are organized. I try to make it a point to highlight a few of the more popular books from each genre or book bin that is located in my library. I try to make this a captivating and lively experience by connecting students with books that they might want to try.
Some of the books that I highlight are ones that have been recently made into movies or TV shows on Netflix. We also discuss good books to try for students who struggle to finish books (short story collections are great for these students).
One of the highlights that drums up quite a bit of conversation is the collection of books I have in my scary story collection. Many students who struggle to find the interest to finish books usually devour Alvin Stewart’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark collection.
Many students want to read Scary Stories but the problem is that many teachers might not keep this one in their classroom library collection and it can be challenging to find in the school library. The reason it is challenging to find in the school’s library is because it is often placed in the non-fiction section where the folk tales are typically located, because weirdly enough scary stories are a type of folk tale.
Upper Elementary Back to School Important Papers- Movie Permission Slip
The beginning of the year is a time when I send many papers home for parents and families to sign, the school behavior code, the technology acceptable use policy, student and parent detailed information to name a few.
I try to send these papers home all at one and then send an email to the parents in my classroom to be on the lookout for these papers. This helps to get the papers completed and returned in a timely manner.
Since I send these papers home all at once, I also include a movie permission slip for the documentary series Planet Earth.
Planet Earth is a great series that highlights the different habitats throughout the world and brings to life many of the life science concepts we cover in fifth grade. The footage is quite engaging and the students find the various locations and animal and plant life quite interesting. I think my favorite episode is the one about caves.
The permission slip is great to collect at the beginning of the year because there are eleven fifty minute episodes to work through. Movies like this are nice to put on at the end of any weird day like a field trip, the day after Halloween or Parent/Teacher conferences or any time you might need a break. Planet Earth is something the kids have never seen before and they find it interesting, so they sit quietly and watch the show. It’s a win-win, as long as I have the movie permission slip.
Upper Elementary Back to School Introduce Yourself
I like to throw together a few pictures of me and my family to share about myself. This year I used Meet The Teacher Google Slides from Teacher’s Pay Teachers. It had a nice format and background, but honestly as long as you have pictures of yourself, the students won’t really care how the slides look. Buying a premade set saves me time, though, and it ensures that I actually have it done in time for the students at the beginning of the year.
I like to share about myself to build of connections and that relationship. I always highlight that my parents were divorced when I was a kid and that I lived with my mom and my grandparents growing up. Taking the time to highlight that I don’t have a perfect life helps to foster that understanding and trust.
Sharing pictures of my interests, movies I saw over the summer and different local things that I like to do, casts a wide net for making those connections in the classroom.
Upper Elementary Back to School- Vote with Your Body
Students sit so much throughout the school day and it is especially bad the first few days of school. Going from absolute sitting, standing and movement freedom of the summer to ‘sit at this desk now!’ is a tough transition. I try to give the student multiple opportunities throughout every school day to move, but I am extra aware of getting the kids moving the first few days of school
After a long part of necessary sitting, like students getting their desks organize or giving a classroom library tour, I like to switch it up and have students vote with their body. I will ask them how much they like reading and what books they have enjoyed.
For a student to vote with their body, I pick an open space in my classroom, usually where the kids line up to leave, and tell kids to stand in the spot that correlates to their feelings.
If a student loves reading stand by the window, if they hate reading they should stand on the opposite side of the room by the door, if they feel okay or it depends stand in the middle. This creates a line, gets the kids moving and is a nice way for me to see who is standing where as well as how they feel about reading, or whatever topic I had them vote on. It is the quickest way for me to tell what to focus on individually and as a class.
Depending on how the students vote, I can tell if I need to push more advanced topics like what to choose when you are done with the Harry Potter series or if I need to work on getting students to find a book that they might consider reading and finishing. It is a great way to get information on a topic very quickly.
Start the Year off with Easy Work
Give the kids a win at the beginning of the year. Build up their interest in coming back to school with some enthusiasm. So many students complain that school is the worst and that they hate it, and I get it because some of the things we have them do isn’t fun, enjoyable or even reasonable (I’m looking at you State of Illinois Science Assessment- that I NEVER see the results of! Thanks for taking so much time for nothing).
Needless to say, we need to try to bring back the joy and fun in the classroom, every day.
One of the ways we can bring back the joy is having fun work for the kids at the beginning of the school year. My students LOVE word searches, so I give them a new word search on their desk each day. I have a few but I really like the Word Search Puzzle Pack by Shelly Rees on Teacher’s Pay Teachers. I also like to give them my own Crack the Code cryptogram secret messages.
Many students love puzzles and see if they can be the first to find the secret message or the hidden word.
I like to put this type of activity out for my morning work, because it helps to transition into a school routine in a low-stress environment. Many students are not getting the sleep they need or are getting themselves ready without the help of parents. This is a nice way to help bridge that gap from whatever their morning at home looked like to getting ready to be a student for the day in the classroom.
Looking For More Resources for Teaching Reading?
Check out these posts-
Flashback Should Be Taught Before Foreshadowing When Teaching Reading
Teaching Narrator and Point of View
How to Find Good Independent Reading Books for Students
Teach Students to Abandon Books They Don’t Enjoy
Executive Functioning and Teaching Reading in the Classroom
You Need to Do a Teacher Read Aloud
Read Harry Potter Aloud In Your Classroom
Your Thoughts . . .
What reading activities do you like to include in the back to school rush? Share your thoughts below!
