Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection we can see our own lives and experiences as part of the larger human experience.
—Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop
This school year I am returning to the classroom as a first-grade teacher after more than a decade in other supporting roles. I am beyond excited to create a classroom with six- and seven-year-olds. As I think about the ways I want my students to feel and grow in our classroom, I know that literature will be a large part of how we shape our classroom culture. While selecting books for the first week of school, I want to create the moments of windows, sliding glass doors, and mirrors for my students. I want to create a culture of acceptance, growth, and most of all, love. I want to intentionally pick books that will make every child feel like they belong in the classroom.
I am stepping away from many of the books I had in a plastic tote from the last time I was a first-grade teacher and welcomed new students. As I unpacked the tote to see what books I used at the beginning of the year in the past, I knew these titles would not create feelings of acceptance and love. The old titles, although great before, would not lay the foundations for this next school year. I have intentionally picked new books, books by authors who may not look like me or my students’ parents.
I have selected lots of books—books that have imagined characters, books that have humor, books that have sadness and joy, books that will help us talk about all of our feelings. I plan to read a large stack of books to my first-grade students in the first week to create conversations about how we want to grow together. Many of these titles will be read the first week of school but will also live in a basket to be revisited. These books will be read the first week but can then live in our hearts.
All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold
This book shows a group of students from different backgrounds and celebrates everyone with open arms. I am reading this book so students know that each person is welcome in our classroom and has a special place. My hope is for every child to feel welcome and to welcome others.
School’s First Day of School by Adam Rex
This book is about a new school that is welcoming children for the first time and feels very nervous. I am reading this book to create a space for talking about feeling a little nervous or anxious in the first days of school. I am also introducing my favorite illustrator of children’s books, Christian Robinson.
The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig
This is a story about how small acts of kindness can help others as the main character, Brian, is noticed by the new student and starts to change. I am reading this book to talk about how to notice and include everyone in our classroom. My hope is that no child feels invisible.
You Matter by Christian Robinson
This book by Christian Robinson shares simple language and beautiful illustrations conveying the message that you matter. I am reading this book to tell students they all matter in big ways and small ways. This book will give us the opportunity to talk about the fact that even if we fall down or make a mistake, we matter.
The Pigeon HAS to Go to School! by Mo Willems
Mo Willems created another book with a familiar character, Pigeon, who is feeling scared about going to school. I am reading this book for the humor of a familiar character from an author we will study later in the school year. This book also demonstrates the changes that can come even when you feel scared about leaving home, meeting new people, and being in a new classroom.
Little Brown by Marla Frazee
This is a story about a dog named Little Brown that is cranky and doesn’t play with the other dogs. I will read this book to think about if we are like Little Brown sometimes, feeling cranky and getting crankier. We might revisit this touchstone text several times throughout the school year when we have a problem to solve.
Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal
This is a story about a little girl who was named for many of the special people in her family. Her father tells her that she will make her own story with her name. I will read this book to my class to let each child know they are special and that they will make their own story with their name. We will celebrate how special each name and child in the room is as we learn each other’s names on the very first day of school.
My hope is to fill our first days with experiences around books. Selecting books carefully to create a sense of community in the classroom from the very beginning of our 180 days together is the goal. I plan to add many of these books to a basket to revisit later in the year when we experience tough situations and need to process our thinking with the help of a familiar text. When we want to celebrate that we all matter and belong, these books will be part of our classroom.
