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Simple Homeschool Reading List for 6th Grade

Selena Robinson — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 10:00:00 +0000

Since we have a sixth grader this year (our first middle schooler!), I’ve been looking around for great kids’ books for her age range for some time.

If you have a tween, I don’t have to tell you that it actually seems as if you’re parenting two different children: one that acts about 20 and one that acts about 6. My daughter switches between both age levels almost simultaneously.

I really wanted her to progress to reading thought-provoking books this year, but I also want her to indulge her silly side a bit. So I put together this homeschool reading list for 6th grade. There are serious and eye-opening selections, as well as some playful ones – perfect for both sides of the tween mind.

Be sure to see our preschool reading list and our third grade reading list for this year also!

Image c/o: robertsrob / depositphotos

Homeschool Reading List for 6th Grade

1. The View from Saturday – E.L. Konigsburg

2. Miracle’s Boys – Jacqueline Woodson

3. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee

4. Drama – Raina Telgemeier

5. Homeless Bird – Gloria Whelan

6. The Skin I’m In – Sharon G. Flake

7. Bud, Not Buddy – Christopher Paul Curtis

8. Dork Diaries #1: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life – Rachel Renee Russell

9. M.C. Higgins, The Great – Virginia Hamilton

10. Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life – James Patterson

11. Sounder – William H. Armstrong

12. Out of My Mind – Sharon M. Draper

Don’t miss our other book lists!

Plus, get more tips for raising readers on my Reading for Kids Pinterest board!

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50 Beautiful Spring Books for Kids to Read

Selena Robinson — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 10:00:00 +0000

I absolutely adore spring…mostly because I detest winter. (Cold weather turns me into an actual bum.)

But once the days start to get longer and the weather starts to get warmer, I come alive! And it’s a wonderful time to explore changing seasons with our students.

This year, I want to put a greater focus on spring reading, so I put together a list of 50 spring books for kids!

These spring books for kids are great for talking about the change of seasons. They’re also a nice introduction to weather, spring animals, and plants!

Want to share more spring learning with your students? Don’t miss our All About Flowers printable unit study!

50 Engaging Spring Books for Kids

This list of books about spring includes both board books and picture books. So there are appropriate selections for preschoolers and early elementary students.

Some of the non-fiction books may even be good for upper elementary students, depending on their reading level.

How to Use Books about Spring with Early Learners

When you’re ready to share one of these spring books for kids with your students, try opening by asking the class what they already know about the topic.

For example, if you’re reading the book “How Do We Know It’s Spring”, start by asking questions like:

How can you tell springtime is here?
What does the weather look like?
What do the trees look like?
Are there any animals you see around us?

As your students answer, help them remember what’s been said and then compare what they already know with what they learn from the book later.

If you are working on a spring-themed unit, share a book together and then complete a craft. Here are a few spring crafts that may work well with these:

50 Beautiful Spring Books for Kids to Read

This list of beautiful spring books for kids features picture books young readers will love! Both fiction and non-fiction selections are included.

Note: This list includes affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.

Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert

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Flip, Flap, Fly!: A Book for Babies Everywhere

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A Rainbow of My Own by Don Freeman

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Cherry Blossoms Say Spring (National Geographic Kids)

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Storm Is Coming! by Heather Tekavec

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The Very Busy Spider (Step into Reading)

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Curious George Plants a Seed (CGTV Reader)

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Kitten's Spring (Kitten: Seasons)

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Scholastic Reader Level 3: Poppleton in Spring

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Spring Is Here, Corduroy!

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It's Spring by Linda Glaser

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Kite Day: A Bear and Mole Story

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And Then It's Spring by Julie Fogliano

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In Like a Lion Out Like a Lamb by Marion Dane Bauer

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Everything Spring (Picture the Seasons)

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Spring Stinks: A Little Bruce Book (Mother Bruce Series)

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Plants in Spring (All about Spring)

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National Geographic Readers: Seed to Plant

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The Tiny Seed/Ready-to-Read Level 2 (The World of Eric Carle)

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Mouse's First Spring (Classic Board Books)

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Let It Rain by Maryann Cocca-Leffler

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It's Spring! by Samantha Berger

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Weather in Spring (All about Spring)

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When Spring Comes by Kevin Henkes

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Little Blue Truck's Springtime by Alice Schertle

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Spring: A Pop-up Book (Seasons Pop-up)

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How Do You Know It's Spring? (Rookie Read-About Science: Seasons)

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Bear Wants More (The Bear Books) by Karma Wilson

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Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring by Kenard Oak

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Worm Weather (Penguin Core Concepts) by Jean Taft

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Fletcher and the Springtime Blossoms by Julia Rawlinson

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Lola Plants a Garden (Lola Reads) by Anna McQuinn

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Spencer Knows Spring: A Charming Children's Book about Spring by Tiffany Obeng

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A Little Book About Spring (Leo Lionni's Friends)

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Spring in the Forest (Lift-a-flap Surprise)

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Pete the Cat and the Cool Caterpillar (I Can Read Level 1)

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What Can You See in Spring? (Seasons) by Sian Smith

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Spring According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney

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The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

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Happy Springtime! by Kate McMullan

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Llama Llama Very Busy Springtime by Anna Dewdney

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Spring is Here! by Heidi Pross Gray

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All About Weather: A First Weather Book for Kids

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A Windy Day in Spring (Springtime Weather Wonders)

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Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit: A Book of Changing Seasons

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The Thing About Spring by Daniel Kirk

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Spring Walk (Seasonal Walks) by Virginia Snow

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Finding Spring by Carin Berger

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Curious George: The Perfect Carrot (CGTV Reader)

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Spring is Here: A Bear and Mole Story by Will Hillenbrand

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Did you love this list of spring books for kids?

If you’re looking for more ways to talk about the season with your students, check out some of these spring learning ideas!

The post 50 Beautiful Spring Books for Kids to Read appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

Our First Grade Reading List Homeschool Picks

Selena Robinson — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 10:00:00 +0000

Well, we’re down to our final reading list for the new school year and it’s time to show off our books for first grade! Roo is reading much more fluently than he was last year, but he’s still not really a leisure reader. He’ll read when I tell him to, but he’d rather play than anything else. Of course, he is six.

But I really want to encourage him to develop the habit of reading for fun, so I’ve selected stories he can read on his own and stories we’ll read together. Here are our first grade reading list homeschool picks for this year!

Our First Grade Reading List Homeschool Picks

Roo, like many young boys, loves construction, so I included a book with that theme. I also included a couple of books that are funny, since those hold his attention the best.

Several of the books below will be part of unit studies we’ll be completing as a family, so they’ll fit in nicely with some of our themes.

1. Pete the Cat: Construction Destruction

2. Ocean Babies

3. Harry the Dirty Dog

4. Ramona the Brave

5. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

6. The Pigeon Wants a Puppy

7. The Complete Tales of Peter Rabbit

8. Aesop’s Fables for Children

9. The House at Pooh Corner

10. The Story of Ruby Bridges

11. Where the Wild Things Are

12. Curious George: Snowy Day

And those are our first grade reading list homeschool picks! Do you have any “must-read” books for first grade? Share your suggestions in the comments!

To see our other book suggestions for this year, check out our Fifth Grade Reading List and our Second Grade Reading List!

For more tips to make your kids into readers, check out my Reading for Kids board on Pinterest!

This post is part of The Massive Guide to Homeschool Reading Lists by iHomeschool Network! Click over to read tons of awesome booklists shared by my fellow homeschooling bloggers!

The post Our First Grade Reading List Homeschool Picks appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

Our Fifth Grade Reading List Homeschool Picks

Selena Robinson — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 10:00:00 +0000

If you follow the Charlotte Mason method strictly, then you already know about what she called “twaddle”. Mason felt that kids should avoid books that had no educational or intellectual value. Instead, kids were to read “living books” – works that enlightened them and taught them new concepts.

Even though I love the CM method, I believe that there’s a place for “twaddle”. I’ve always been of the opinion that I want my kids to develop a love for reading. We can help them choose challenging selections later.

Eventually, however, it is definitely time to ease away from twaddle and into books that are designed to make kids think or dream. And that’s where we are with Tigger. So – here’s a look at our fifth grade reading list homeschool picks!

Choosing Our Reading List Picks

This year with Tigger, I wanted to encourage her to focus on some of the classics. She likes modern books like the Ramona series and “Smile” by Reina Telgemeier. And those are great books, but for her school reading list, she needs to be challenged.

During our public school experiment last year, Tigger got tested with the LEXILE reading system. Her score was within the 10th-grade range. However, she’s not quite ready for the advanced topics covered by high school books, so classics it is! I also added a few books featuring characters of color so she can have some figures to whom she relates.

I’ve only included 12 books on our “official” list, because I want her to finish one per month. We’ll be doing unit studies for each one (stay tuned!), so that will give us time to drop anchor and really explore each work.

Our Fifth Grade Reading List Homeschool Picks

1. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

2. Charlotte’s Web

3. Anne of Green Gables

4. The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond

9. Kidnapped

10. The Secret Garden

11. The Mighty Miss Malone

12. Where the Red Fern Grows

And those are our fifth grade reading list homeschool picks! To get a look at our other reading lists for this school year, visit the posts below!

Get even more of our homeschooling tips by following the board Homeschooling with Look! We’re Learning! on Pinterest!

What’s on your homeschool reading list this year? Share your picks in the comments!

This post is part of The Massive Guide to Homeschool Reading Lists by iHomeschool Network! Click over to read tons of awesome booklists shared by my fellow homeschooling bloggers!

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