Mentor Texts and Read-Alouds

I don't call my blog "All Four Reading" for nothing!  I am a fourth grade teacher who will (luckily, in my opinion) only be teaching Reading, Writing, and Language Arts this upcoming school year.  I am super-excited as I am so passionate about teaching and instilling a love of reading and writing in my students.

This summer, I have been hard at work updating my Mentor Text List for all Common Core Reading Standards.

 It is currently over 150 pages long!  I have enjoyed researching books.  Using mentor texts in the classroom is one of my favorite things to do as a teacher.  Students are able to notice and learn important reading and writing skills in context, which makes learning much more fun for everyone.

Some of my favorites are:

See the Ocean by Estelle Condra
Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne
The Secret Knowledge of Grown-Ups by David Wisniewski
Rimshots by Charles Smith, Jr.
Twilight Comes Twice by Ralph Fletcher

I have also found some great potential read-alouds for my fourth graders.  I want to read them all at once!:

Wonder by R.J. Palacio
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz
The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo
Chew on This by Eric Schlosser

My daughter (a rising 8th grader) has me reading the book Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children which is great, but not suitable as a read-aloud for my fourth graders.  I would highly recommend this book for middle and high schoolers, however.  It is full of mystery, suspense, and horror.

So, what will YOU be reading with your class this year?