The Power of Making Connections- First Grade Read Aloud

Ready, Freddy Tooth Trouble by Abby Klein is a chapter book that was read aloud in January to the first grade at the beginning of reading workshop. Students connected to this book in a very direct way. Freddy, a first grader, feels that he is the only one in his class who has not lost a tooth. He longs to be able to write his name on the picture of the big tooth hanging in his classroom. No matter how hard he tries, he just can’t lose a tooth. The students shared connections from their own life and loved to tell vivid stories about having lost a tooth.  Each classroom also has a picture of a big tooth that students can sign when they loose a tooth- just like in the book!  

Along with the plot, students described the personalities of the main characters and saw that there is often more than one side to a character. For example the student who has been a bully in Freddy’s class is happy for him when he finally loses his tooth. Also, Freddy often squabbles with his older sister but we also see how much they care about each other. At the end of the book there is a letter from the author that explains how she thought of the idea for the story. The first graders were able to share in partners and then with the larger group the specific parts of the book that they saw inspired the author. There is such power in reading aloud to children all through Lower School- the opportunity to make connections, learn more about why characters act a certain way and also to gain strategies to help make decisions. The strategies that students’ gain listening to a book read aloud and sharing their ideas are then applied to their own reading.