Books are a fun and engaging way to get students invested in research skills.
When focusing on one research skill at a time, picture books are helpful. Picture books invite conversation. They open a window to another perspective or considerations.
Plus, read alouds are just FUN 🎉. Who doesn’t like to be read to?
Reading aloud picture books are a fun way to introduce research skills. Below are a handful of my favorites to use with K-5 students.
I Am Jane Goodall or Shark Lady – These are great books to teach children what it means to be a researcher.
I Wonder – This is a super fun book to teach children about developing research questions. If you have students who struggle with developing researching questions, this book is for them!
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The Sad Little Fact – This book is great for teaching children about veracity. I find it to be a perfect introduction to identifying fake sites & news.
This Is Not My Hat – This funny classic is a great intro for teaching students about citing sources, images, videos, and other sources. It doesn’t belong to you, you can’t claim it.
Honestly, I tend to grab a handful of picture book biographies about scientists. They all have something great to teach children about curiosity, diving deep into a topic, and sources of information.
Read-alouds are frequently forgotten. An abundance of available interactive teaching strategies makes them seem lackluster.
Not so.
The next time you prepare to teach research skills, grab a picture book, and read aloud.
