Teach With Jam And Bread

The Wild Robot & The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown

I cannot recommend these two books enough. Like I’m obsessed. I’m a 32 year woman and I teach 2nd grade, and I can’t tell who loved these books more—me or my students. We all adored them.

I teach in a US city public school with majority EL students, and this sweet book and her sequel have been my favorite read alouds ever. It’s so EL friendly with most of the vocabulary being nature-themed. The books are so approachable for every kind of reader, and have simple, yet elegant poetic language and darling illustrations that are accessible for readers of all language levels.

1. Reading comprehension questions is not how people learn to love reading. Answering basic reading comprehension questions rarely helps students grow. The students who can already answer the questions independently don’t need to, and the ones who can’t answer the question won’t.

2. Read out loud. No matter the age, no matter if you’re all listening to an audiobook/podcast, no matter if it’s an op-Ed piece, no matter if it’s Strega Nona for the 30th time. Read meaningful and authentic text out loud.

3. When you’re reading out loud, pause only when necessary to clarify meaning so you don’t interrupt the flow of reading. Let them get hooked!

4. Make a class on epic! so your students can read and listen to books for free during school hours! Plus there are so many engaging nonfiction books at all level that you can present to your class.

5. Every student should have a chance to read something at their level every day. It’s their right as a reader.

6. Be open about what you love to read about, and talk about your own journey as a reader! I talk about my books clubs and describe to my second graders how I still stay up late reading, or how proud I was when I finished reading my 1,000+ page fantasy novel.

7. Use videos to supplement vocabulary/topics! Especially if you have students who are English Language Learners. Nat Geo has these great short (3-5 min) videos about so many topics.

8. When in doubt, read about animals. Every child loves reading about animals.

9. Allow space for students to recommend books they loved or ask them for recommendations.

10. Keep reading sacred and fun! And smile. You get to teach reading, the best thing in the world.

This nonpartisan guide is very helpful for Christians and people who are pro-life.