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Students will mark with a pin where their family comes from to visually represent the class. Have a discussion about it

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Students can research and write a biography about a special person in their life, such as an immediate family member, a relative, neighbor, or community leader, and share with the class

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When you walk into some schools, you can feel it: the energy, the vibe, the culture. That feeling permeates everyone that enters and everything that happens behind the school doors. The culture of a school is that important.

There are many ways to build a positive, effective, and forward-thinking school culture, but looking to our classrooms for guidance reveals a powerful tool with the potential to change a learning community: the read-aloud. And if we link classroom read-alouds together across an entire school, we can positively impact the culture in our school-wide community too. The shared experience of coming together around books can be a powerful unifying force.

Here are 10 school-wide read-alouds for building culture, with a few prompts for both teachers and students to get the conversation started. These books can be read in classrooms with students and, if it feels right, might even be shared in faculty meetings with teachers as a model first.

The Circles All Around Us by Brad Montague
For Teachers: For Students:
Buy it on Amazon: The Circles All Around Us

The World Needs Who You Were Made to Be by Joanna Gaines
For Teachers: For Students:
Buy it on Amazon: The World Needs Who You Were Made to Be

Ten Beautiful Things by Molly Beth Griffin
For Teachers: For Students:

List 10 beautiful things in your life.

List 10 beautiful things from our classroom and school.

Buy it on Amazon: Ten Beautiful Things

Don't Hug Doug by Carrie Finison
For Teachers: For Students:
Buy it on Amazon: Don't Hug Doug

Tomorrow I'll Be Brave by Jessica Hische
For Teachers:

We are always focused on the next thing in education. What have we already done that we can celebrate?

How do we give ourselves grace as educators to keep growing and learning?

For Students:
Buy it on Amazon: Tomorrow I'll Be Brave

Five Minutes by Liz Garton Scanlon and Audrey Vernick
For Teachers: For Students:
Buy it on Amazon: Five Minutes

The Big Orange Splot by Daniel Pinkwater

Who knew that a big orange splot could transform a cookie-cutter neighborhood into a collection of people pursuing their passions? This book is perfect to remind us to be who we were meant to be and follow our dreams. After reading, consider these questions:
For Teachers: For Students:
Buy it on Amazon: The Big Orange Splot

My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero
For Teachers: For Students:
Buy it on Amazon: My Papi Has a Motorcycle

Milo Imagines the World by Matt de la Peña

Milo takes a long subway ride to visit his mother, imagining the lives of other passengers to pass the time, but he realizes things might not always be as they seem. This emotionally powerful book forces readers to rethink their assumptions and rewrite their stories. After reading, consider these questions:
For Teachers: For Students:
Buy it on Amazon: Milo Imagines the World

Idea Jar by Adam Lehrhaupt

The idea jar is a beautifully illustrated book showing the powerful role of ideas and what happens if those ideas do not have the proper outlet. After reading, consider these questions:
For Teachers: For Students:
Buy it on Amazon: Idea Jar

Each of these books offers a starting point for important conversations in our classrooms and schools that could build school community and culture.

Have you tried a school-wide read-aloud? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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10 Wonderful Read-Alouds for Building School Culture

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These titles make great read-alouds for building culture whether you read them to students, faculty, or both!

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Purposefully celebrate our students’ cultures. We can make Mexican American students feel special by using red, white, and green counters and pointing out that those are the colors of the Mexican flag. Another way to celebrate Mexican culture in math is using “frijoles” for counters.