I love doing read alouds during the end of the school year. Actually, I love using read alouds all throughout the school year!
I have been an upper elementary teacher for over 7 years now and I can tell you with confidence that read alouds are not just for lower graders! Yes! Third, fourth and fifth graders love and enjoy them too!
Read aloud books serve a very important function in my opinion. They are not just for teaching reading and writing strategies, but they also do an amazing job at communicating important or complex messages.
That is the main reason why I do a lot of read alouds during the end of the school year!
Ending the school year can be tough since there are so many feelings in the air! Excitement is obviously one, however there is a lot of anxiousness in the air as well.
The message of “The Invisible Web” by Patrice Karst does a wonderful job at helping ease this anxiousness and therefore should be added into your end of year read aloud list this school year.
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What is this end of year read aloud book about?
You might have heard of the book called “The Invisible String” which was also a picture book by Patrice Karst. “The Invisible Web” has the same concept of “The Invisible String” but in a larger sense!
“The Invisible Web” talks about how we are all connected through an invisible string. You are not just connected to one individual but a group, and those individuals in the group are also connected to each other. Essentially, we are ALL connected in one way or another.
It illustrates how we never truly say goodbye to someone because we are still connected to them through our hearts. It also talks about how a web can be broken when someone feels sad and left out. The broken web can also be restored by love and kindness.
The visual representation of the invisible web communicated through this picture book, helps students better understand and grasp the abstract concept of love as well as connectedness.
So why is this book a great end of year read aloud?
During the end of year, a lot of students are extremely excited and looking forward to summer. However there are also a lot of students feeling anxious about having to say goodbye and leave the classroom.
You might think that students are so ready to leave and start their summer at the end of the school year. And that is true for many! However, to some students the classroom has been a safe place for them for almost a whole year. To some students, their teachers are adults that they could come to for love and comfort.
For almost a whole year, teachers and students have shared so many memories and built a tiny family, then all of a sudden it’s gone. It’s a really bittersweet situation that is a part of life.
“The Invisible Web” reassures our students that everything will be alright. The uplifting message from this picture book shows how we never truly say goodbye and that the connections we created last forever. This is the reason why this book is an important book to read at the end of the school year.
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The Invisible Web Read Aloud Lesson Plan for End of Year:
My Objective:
To show how love and kindness foster connections
Pre-Reading
If you have been reading my blog posts for a while, you can probably guess what strategy I am about to use in this read aloud lesson plan. That’s Turn and Talk!
Until someone finds a better way to get all the students to voice their opinions and feel heard at the same time, I will continue to use this strategy during all my class discussions.
Use Turn and Talk strategy to get students curious and start thinking about the read aloud book.
Questions for Turn & Talk discussion:
- How are we connected to one another?
- What do you think the title of the book means?
- Have you heard of the invisible web before?
During Reading
I stop during the important points in the picture book to let students reflect on the meaning of each symbolism; for example, after the invisible web is introduced, after it shows the invisible web could be broken and how it was mended. The questions for the Turn and Talk discussion also follows along the stopping points.
Questions for Turn & Talk discussion:
- What is the metaphor for “The Invisible Web”? What is the symbol of the “Invisible Web?”
- What can cause the invisible web to be broken?
- How can you mend a broken web?
Post Reading
We ended the read aloud with some discussion questions using Turn and Talk strategy before we moved on to the activity.
Questions for Turn & Talk/Class discussion:
- How are we connected in this classroom?
- Has your web been broken and how was it mended?
There are two different end of year activities that you would do along with this end of year read aloud.
End of Year Read Aloud Activity #1: Create Your Own Invisible Web
In this activity, students reflect on the people they are connected to. Then, students draw out their own invisible web. It’s like a mind map but instead of connecting information, you are connecting people!
I also model the activity first to help students picture what they can do on their own. I love using gallery walk to help students view each other’s work after everyone has completed the activity.
End of Year Read Aloud Activity #2: The Positivity Web
This is quite a fun interactive activity that I did in one of my classes in college. It’s a great team building activity and the students love it!
You will need SPACE and YARN for this one.
Get all the students to stand in a circle. You will need a moderator. I always act as the moderator when I do this activity in the classroom.
Start with one student holding onto the ball of yarn. The student picks another student in the circle, says something nice about them such as thanking them for something during the school year, a memory they have of them during the school year, or a character compliments, then tosses the yarn to that student. That student repeats the same steps and on and on until you go around the entire circle! Instead of tossing the ball of yarn, I usually will be the person moving the ball of yarn around the circle. You can keep going if you have more yarn or more time.
In the end, your students will end up forming a web of positivity!
Need to save this for later?
Pin this Blog Post or The Invisible Web Read Aloud Lesson Plan for later use!
Need more last week of school ideas? Check out my other end of year read alouds below:
- End of Year Read Aloud: Book #1 – I Wish You More
- End of Year Read Aloud: Book #2 – Say Something
- End of Year Read Aloud: Book #3 – In A Jar
- End of Year Read Aloud: Book #5 – Wherever You Go
So what do you think? Are you planning on adding “The Invisible Web” to your end of year read aloud list?
What are some of your end of year read aloud favorites?
I hope that this has been helpful to you and please let me know if you do divide to read this picture book and follow along with the activities!
Comment or tag me on instagram, I would love to see how you implement this in your classroom. 🙂
The Invisible Web Read Aloud Lesson Plan:
Need End Of Year Gift Ideas for Students? Check out these posts below:
DIY End-Of-Year Scratch-Off Cards and DIY Student Word Art Self-Portrait.
Thank you for reading! Let’s connect and follow me for more teaching resources and ideas 🙂
Prima from LittleYellowStar
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- Meaningful And Fun Back To School Activity: Create A Classroom Wreath!