Picture books have a place in the upper elementary classroom. In fact, there are times when a picture book offers a unique learning experience that a student will never get from a text book or news article. Over the years I have found ways to infuse picture books into my units of instruction.
Whether you are looking for a single lesson focused on one skill or an entire unit of instruction, keep reading to see all the different ways you can use picture books to teach content and deliver meaningful instruction in your upper elementary classroom!
Find a Video Online
The internet makes life easier. I love that if I want to use a picture book in my classroom, I can usually find a video on the internet where someone is reading the book aloud. It's a bonus when the video includes sound or visual effects.
Oftentimes, I will upload the video link to our LMS so the students can access the video over and over again. It is very common for students to access the video on their own and enjoy the book over and over again.
I will sometimes play the video while walking around the room turning the pages in sync with the video. The students like to see the illustrations up close and the change of focus helps keep them engaged.
Get Multiple Copies
For picture books this can be a challenge. We have an amazing librarian who is always on the hunt for anything we need. If you can get your hands on multiple copies of a picture book, then you have a host of options open up.
Students can work in small groups to dissect a section of the text or scrutinize the illustrations. You could also set up stations/centers where the task at each area is a little bit different. One station for vocabulary, one station for illustrations, one station for literary devices, one station for characters, etc...
Multiply copies also means that you can pair students up to read (or reread) a section of the text. Books in hands sometimes gives students that extra bit of "tangible" to dive deep into the meanings and symbolism.
For Long Texts- Break It Up
Picture books offer visual appeal, but sometimes they have long, elaborate text that can make a read aloud challenging. If you choose a book with long text, break it up into sections. Perhaps read one half before lunch and the second half after lunch. Maybe read it in small sections throughout the day. Get creative with your planning and you can find a way to get the whole book read to your class.
When you are ready to dive in deeper, you can focus on smaller sections of the text that can be used to meet your goals.
Listen Before You Watch
I love to have the students close their eyes and listen to the story before showing them illustrations. It's a growing concern that imagination and creativity are declining. Students are handed everything to them through graphic novels and social media; it can make it difficult to downright impossible for them to use their own imagination or creativity.
Side Bar:
One strategy I use to help students get their imaginations fired up is Reading Response Journals. Although graphic novels are allowed for independent reading, students cannot choose them over and over again. They must move back and forth between a graphic novel and classic chapter books. It's a formula that has worked well for many years.
I also use picture books to help spark imagination. Two books that work well for this are A Visit From St. Nicholas ('Twas the Night Before Christmas) and Owl Moon.
In December I gather as many copies of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas as I can. The best part is that each copy will have different illustrations. I set them aside.
Then, I read the poem to my class as their eyes are closed and ask them to imagine the story as they listen. I like to focus on the section regarding sugar plums; I've yet to meet a fourth grader that can describe a sugar plum! I love the discussions this one small section of the poem generates.
To extend the activity, ask students to draw what they envisioned. It can be the sugar plum section, or any other part of the story. You could also break up the story and have students illustrate the different sections so that you end up with your own illustrated version of this holiday favorite. The possibilities are endless.
Pick a Standard (or Two)
Picture books give you the best of both worlds. You can choose to create a full unit or focus on a standard or two. Sometimes a picture book can help you truly zoom in and practice a standard. Figurative language can be a very broad and abstract concept; the right picture book can clarify!
For example, I have used Survivor Tree to help my students better understand personification and Owl Moon to focus on simile and metaphor.
Picture books can also give teachers an engaging text which encourages students to dig in, examine text in a broader manner through written resonse, or even develop their own creativity.
When I want to focus on a writing standard, I will use books that lend themselves to the task.
During my Women's Suffrage unit I use three books to focus on three different writing standards: Two Friends (compare and contrast), Around America to Win the Vote (narrative), Heart on Fire (opinion). Listening to the stories gives the students more exposure to the content, continues to build their knowledge base, and expands their capacity for writing about content-specific topics.
Other themed picture book bundles offered in my TpT Store:
Discuss the Illustrations
It would be fair to say that a picture book with a subpar plot can hook me in if the illustrations are top-notch. When the text and the illustrations are both well done... oh boy! I especially love piture books that use text as part of the illustrations. (Ex: John, Paul, George and Ben, Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom, Locomotive)
Too often, students will use the illustrations to learn the content but fail to truly scrutinize the art. Take some time and ask the students which illustration they liked the most. Ask them to articulate the part of the illustration that caught their eye. Discuss color, theme, composition, symbols, technique!
Review & Reinforcement of Previous Skills
Picture books give teachers an opportunity to revisit a skill previousy taught. A revisit will give students a chance to reinforce or master the skill. This is especially true when I am going to focus on only one standard (or two). I will choose the picture book and then make sure it works with the standard(s) I am going to teach/reinforce.
Enrichment
The visuals of a picture book add so much to stories- this is especially true for content. Nonfiction science picture books have all sorts of amazing and eye-catching ways to deliver meaningful content beyond the words on the page. The same can hold true for social studies.
Instead of paragraph after paragraph of content, students can listen and engage visually with the science or social studies being presented to them. It shifts the cognitive load and engages a different part of the brain.
Find a book that brings the science "up close" or delivers the content in a different way. Find a history book that teaches about how a person made a difference in our history or gives students a glimpse into the childhood of some of our most famous history-makers.
Picture books can enrich the discussions and understanding of some of the most complex content.
Centers
Choose a book and create centers that focus on different standards. Teachers can get multiple copies of the book and do a carousel of centers, or switch out the task each day when students visit the center.
Ideas for Picture Book Centers:
- Vocabulary Station
- Illustration Station
- Comprehension Station (ex: Evidence Charts, Summary, Multiple Choice)
- Figurative Language Station (ex: Personification, Simile, metaphor, etc...)
- Mirrow versus Window Station
- Short Response Station
- Character Traits Station
Sub Plans
Picture books are absolutely perfect for subtitute lesson plans. You can use them for one hour of plans, one day, or even longer! Keep your sub planning easier with a print and go approach.
There are so many picture books out there. It can be down right impossible to know where to begin or what to choose. Don't let the prospect of endless choices deter you. Think back to your favorite picture books and build from there. Start with one, just one! Soon you'll find it easier and easier to just grab a book and go!
Other picture book blogs you may be interested in: