How might we deepen our thinking and teaching around strengthening our learners’ character foundation? What if we spend some time thinking deeply about children’s literature and planning how to use it in our read-aloud moments to connect to character, values, and social-emotional learning and growth?

Our media specialists, Meredith and Myra, continue to develop a collection of children’s books for this purpose. This collection will be available for check out (and back in) all summer.  You may also select books that you find and regularly use.

Let’s read 10 picture books and plan learning intentions to use them for character education and values learning during read-aloud and other teachable moments with our students.

When designing these learning intentions:

• Use the same Visible Thinking Routines, Sentence-Phrase-Word and/or Connect-Extend-Challenge, to read closely.
• Notice and note big Ideas, themes, and teaching points.
• Notice and note connection to reading and writing strategies.
• Notice and note connection to Progress Report Checklist of Skills.

See below for two examples and some suggested books:

Here’s what to do:

1. Select and read a book.
2. Open and make a copy of the lesson intention template.
3. Complete the lesson intention.
4. Share it with Jill and drop a link to your plan in the comments below.
   (There is an example there too.)
5. Repeat.

Here are some book suggestions from Meredith and Myra: