Picture books are a valuable tool that teachers can use to help students understand and learn new concepts. When used effectively, picture books can be a powerful teaching tool to help students grasp difficult concepts such as Main Idea. The following are five picture books that can be used when teaching Main Idea. If you are looking for other blog posts about picture books, you can check them out here.
The Recess Queen by Alexis O’Neill – This book is about a girl named Leslie who loves recess and being the recess queen. She is always coming up with new games for her friends to play. One day, a new girl comes to school and Leslie is no longer the recess queen. She has to figure out how to get her throne back. This book is a great way to introduce the concept of main idea because it shows how one event (the arrival of the new girl) can change the entire story (the fall of the recess queen).
The Bad Seed by Jory John – This book is about a seed who is born bad. No matter what he tries, he just can’t seem to do anything right. He causes mischief wherever he goes. However, even though he is a bad seed, he still has some good in him. This book is a great way to teach students that everyone has some good in them, no matter how bad they may seem on the outside.
Dinosaur Lady by Laurence Anholt – This book is about a woman who loves dinosaurs. She loves them so much that she decides to become a dinosaur herself! She dresses up in a costume and goes to work at the local museum where she teaches children about dinosaurs. This book is a great way for students to see how someone’s passion can lead them to do something unusual (like becoming a dinosaur!). It also shows how knowledge about a topic can be used to teach others.
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Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin – This book is about dragons who love tacos! They love all kinds of tacos too… beef tacos, chicken tacos, fish tacos, even lettuce tacos! But there’s one thing they don’t know about tacos… they’re spicy! The dragons have to figure out how to deal with the spice before they can enjoy their tacos again. This book is great for introducing the concept of main idea because it shows how one small detail (the spice) can change the entire story (the dragons not being able to eat tacos).
The Emperor’s Egg by Martin Jenkins – This book is about an emperor penguin who has to hatch his egg all by himself because his wife has gone off to hunt for food. He has never hatched an egg before but he does his best. When the egg finally hatches, he is surprised to see what comes out! This book is good for showing students that sometimes things turn out differently than we expect them too, but that doesn’t mean they’re bad. We learn from our mistakes and surprises which helps us become better people.
Picture books are valuable tools that teachers can use in order help students learn new concepts such as Main Idea. The five picture books listed above are all great options for teaching this concept in an engaging and effective way.