Anyone who has seriously considered going into teaching at the elementary level or is currently teaching is always on the lookout for great books that can assist them in their career or ambition to teach. A little help never hurt even the most seasoned of elementary teachers and there are books that are considered to be some of the best for both novice and experienced teachers. Five great books for elementary school teachers include:
1. The Daily Five
The Daily 5, second edition, by Gail Goushey and Joan Mosher is a widely used and well known book that helps elementary teachers to begin the school year in a more organized structure. The book provides material suggestions, behavioral modeling, sample lesson plans and tips for implementing the daily five. It emphasizes strategies that help students to achieve five daily practices that include literacy and mathematical understanding as well as dependence, work stamina for all levels, and student accountability. It aids teachers in managing workloads and preparing for more individualized instruction within small groups. The end result is teachers spending less time on classroom management and more time on teaching through solutions to everyday challenges.
2. The First Six Weeks of School, 2nd Edition, (Responsive Classroom)
This is a great book for elementary teachers in that it focuses on the daily aspects of creating and building a productive, well-mannered and respectful elementary classroom from the first day of school. Positive discipline and behavioral skills are incorporated for enhanced learning. Dr. Becky Bailey has put together varying proactive educational activity examples as well as teaching tips along with effective teacher language examples for teachers to use through interactive songs, games and other tasks that are applicable to grade levels from Kindergarten through sixth grade.
3. Conscious Discipline – Building Resilient Classrooms
Dr. Becky Bailey has written another great book for elementary school teachers as it is life changing in its approaches to classroom management. With so many teachers today directly involved in discipline and management situations in the classroom, no matter the grade level, this book deals with the outlook and frame of mind of teachers and how to channel situations concerning emotions, actions and feelings in the most appropriate and productive manner when dealing with classroom issues. With that in mind, the book empowers teachers to access the necessary skills to deal with social and emotional behaviors, academics and the connections with parents while modeling productive skills to children.
4. The Reading Strategies Book
Every elementary school teacher will welcome this guidebook and what it offers in the way of reading strategies for use throughout a school year. Hundreds of strategies are incorporated in the book along with goals concerning fluency and analysis. Author and teacher Jennifer Serravallo has gathered and provided necessary techniques, which are easily adaptable to varied reading programs and elementary curricula. She helps teachers develop reading goals for individualized strategies and teaching tips that include demonstrations and explanations. With basic reading skills sorely lacking across all grade levels, this gold standard book will help with reading dilemmas at the elementary level and produce skilled readers at the same time.
5. Reading With Meaning, 2nd Edition: Teaching Comprehension in the Primary Grades (K-2)
True reading comprehension that teaches elementary students to think is what author and teacher Debbie Miller has tried to achieve in her book, which is designed for Kindergarten through second grade, though this great book for elementary school teachers can be used at any primary or elementary grade level. Miller presents an entire school year in a month to month format with small lessons, charts and suggested reading materials for each month. Teachers and students can profit from the all around benefits that this book provides which include child matched assessments, book recommendations for students, reading aloud picture books and strategy instructions.
Related Resource: 5 Great Books for Middle School Teachers
Great books for elementary school teachers should provide the necessary essentials to help both elementary education hopefuls and veteran teachers pave their way to better teaching strategies and classroom management systems that allow them to teach and children to learn. The expertise provided by professionals in any one of these books can bring student achievement and teacher satisfaction and fulfillment to new heights.
