Are you looking for literature to support classroom instruction about Words? Check out Our Editors’ Choices for titles recommended by the Education World team. Then it's your turn to share books that you enjoy or use in your classroom in the Our Readers’ Voices section below. With your help, we will build the best list on the Web of Best Books for teaching about Words.
Dear Deer: A Book of Homophones
by Gene Barretta
Clever Aunt Ant has just moved to the zoo. Speaking in homophones, she describes the quirky animal behavior she sees. There's the moose who loved mousse and ate eight bowls, and the whale who was allowed to wail aloud -- and that's just for starters. This playful picture book introduces children to the richness of language through the concept of homophones. A romp through the zoo has never been so eye-opening.
Frindle
by Andrew Clements
When Nick learns some interesting information about how words are created, suddenly he's got the inspiration for his best plan ever...the frindle. Who says a pen has to be called a pen? Why not call it a frindle? Things begin innocently enough as Nick gets his friends to use the new word. Then other people in town start saying frindle. Soon the school is in an uproar, and Nick has become a local hero. His teacher wants Nick to put an end to all this nonsense, but the funny thing is frindle doesn't belong to Nick anymore. The new word is spreading across the country, and there's nothing Nick can do to stop it. Enjoy other titles from this popular children's author.
Now It's Your Turn!
We've shared a few Editors' Choices for teaching about this theme. Now it's your turn to contribute to the Readers' Voices section below. Do you have a book related to this theme that you and your students enjoy? Just click here to share it!
Don't miss our Editors’ Choices for Teachers and for Parents. We're waiting for you to add your Readers' Voices there too.
Max's Words
by Kate Banks
Max's brothers have grand collections that everyone makes a big fuss over. Benjamin collects stamps and Karl collects coins, and neither one will share with their little brother. So Max decides to start a collection of his own. He's going to collect words. He starts with small words, but soon his collection has grown. A thousand stamps is really just a bunch of stamps, and a lot of coins is only a heap of money. A pile of words, however, can make a story.
Orange Pear Apple Bear
by Emily Gravett
A plump brown bear adds a humorous touch to this charming book about shapes, colors, and sequence. Five words, four of which appear in the title, make up the entire text. The cuddly-looking bear changes color and shape as he balances, juggles, and eventually eats the three pieces of fruit before loping off. Children and adults alike will relish this delectable book. (School Library Journal)
Double Trouble in Walla Walla
by Andrew Clements
A young girl is sent to the principal's office when she can't stop speaking in hyphenated slang words such as higgledy-piggledy, mish-mash, nit-wit, and so on. As it turns out, her teacher, the school nurse, and the principal come down with the same affliction and soon run through a veritable compendium of hyphenated words and nonsense phrases, most of which rhyme. (School Library Journal) Read a more detailed review of this book from Education World. Enjoy other titles from this popular children's author.
Cassie's Word Quilt
by Faith Ringgold
In this 32-page book we join Cassie, the main character from Ringgold's Caldecott Honor picture book Tar Beach. Cassie takes early readers on a remarkable tour of her 1930s-era Harlem home, school, and neighborhood. The tour serves as a vocabulary jaunt, as dozens of objects are clearly labeled. Ringgold's vibrant art captures the excitement of urban life in an era gone by. Seldom have we seen a word identification book as artful. After reading, students in your class might create a "word quilt" book of their own community.
Add your voice to our list of books for teaching about Words.
The Education World Editors’ Choices above represent just a handful of the fine books that might be used to support classroom instruction about Words. Now we’re waiting for you to add to our list! Simply send us your review of a favorite book in 100 words or fewer and we will add it to the Readers’ Choices below.
Punished!
by David Lubar
For grades 3-5: Logan is put under a spell by Professor Wordsworth from the local library. The punishment for his misbehavior is that he can only speak in puns. To end the vocabulary voodoo, Logan has to complete a quest: in three days he must find seven oxymorons, seven acronyms, and seven palindromes. School Library Journal's starred review says: "The language concepts are deftly explained and the clever, wordplay-filled dialogue proves numerous examples." Part of the Darby Creek Exceptional Titles series.
Max's Words
