I am a huge believer in reading to students above their grade level. Not only does it help build vocabulary and comprehension skills, it also allows for more deep conversations. Getting to know a character over time, tracking their arcs really allows for complex challenging activities.
I usually begin with Charlotte's Web. A classic that I think still holds up. We read the first chapter at the end of the day on the first day of school. (I skip over the whole axe part). This leads to conversations about whether or not animals communicate with each other, with us-maybe not in words but in gestures and expressions. We learn about the word "humble" and "radiant". One of my favorite memories was when I was reading a line that said something like "she stepped back and marvelled at the web". I explained what the word marvel meant and one of students said "I love that word. Marvel". I know she was echoing something I often said when we hit a word I loved.
After that I pretty much know my students and factor that into what to read next. This past year they really didn't have much of an attention span. So we read:
One of the best examples of voice I have read for young children. I read Wedgie's part (a high energy corgi) with him talking very fast and they get a real kick out of that. :) Gizmo is a guinea pig who wants to conquer the world and Wedgie is your average superhero dog. My class last year loved this book so much they begged me to read the sequel too.
This is one of my favorite books to incorporate depth and complexity concepts.
This character changes so much Over Time. We see him through Multiple Perspectives and he offers something different to each person who owns him. We can talk about Trends in dolls and toys-has it changed over the years or are there classic ones? And the deepest discussion on whether it is better to love and lose than never to love at all. And yes, even my Kinder kiddos get it and think some deep thoughts about this. I like to read the Velveteen Rabbit and compare/contrast the stories as well.
The rest of what I read depends on the class. One year I had a class obsessed with wolves so we read A Wolf Called Wander. I have read the Wizard of Oz, Beverly Cleary (old school I know)-Mouse and the Motorcycle. I like other Kate Dicamillo stories like Tale of Despereaux. We have read the One and Only Ivan and even the Wild Robot (although this one is pretty long).
I love the conversations and writing activities we can do to incorporate the themes of these books. If i need a journal entry idea we can write about this. Most of my students are not read to at home-whether it's because they don't have the resources or parents do not believe it is worthwhile (just read an article about how Gen Z thinks reading to your kids is boring). Modeling fluent reading is so important for young learners. Comprehension withtout relying on pictures is essential too. So many benefits!
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