Fall read alouds for upper elementary students can bring the season into your classroom while still supporting meaningful reading instruction. Fall picture books about pumpkins, scarecrows, harvests, and changing seasons can be used to teach everything from inference and character change to figurative language and theme.
The fall picture books below work especially well with 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students. Each one gives you opportunities to enjoy a seasonal story while also connecting to skills you are already teaching.
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The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg Picture Book
The Stranger is a great fall read aloud for practicing inference with upper elementary students. After Farmer Bailey accidentally hits a mysterious man with his truck, the stranger stays with the Bailey family while recovering from his memory loss.
As the story continues, unusual details begin to appear. The weather stays warm, the leaves around the farm remain green, and the stranger seems unusually connected to nature. Students can collect clues from both the text and illustrations to infer who the stranger might be.
ELA skills: inference, text evidence, setting clues, illustrations as evidence
Hello, Harvest Moon by Ralph Fletcher Picture Book
Hello, Harvest Moon is a beautiful fall picture book for exploring poetic language with upper elementary students. As the harvest moon moves across the night sky, Ralph Fletcher uses vivid descriptions to show how its light changes the world below.
Students can look closely at the author’s use of metaphor, personification, and imagery. It is also a good choice for discussing how specific word choices help create a peaceful mood of an autumn night.
ELA skills: metaphor, personification, imagery, word choice
The Scarecrow’s Dance by Jane Yolen Picture Book
The Scarecrow’s Dance is a fall read aloud filled with rich language and vivid word choice. One autumn night, a scarecrow leaves his post and dances his way around the farm.
Jane Yolen uses rhyme, figurative language, and precise verbs to bring the scarecrow’s movements to life. Students can also use context clues to determine meaning of unfamiliar words. The scarecrow’s decision to return to the field gives students an opportunity to analyze how his experiences influence his actions and help develop the story’s theme.
ELA skills: character analysis, context clues, figurative language, precise word choice, rhyme, theme, prepositions
Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White Picture Book
Too Many Pumpkins is a fun fall read aloud for exploring how a character can change throughout a story. Rebecca Estelle wants nothing to do with pumpkins, but an unexpected pumpkin in her yard eventually leaves her with more than she knows what to do with.
Students can trace how Rebecca Estelle’s feelings and actions change from the beginning to the end. They can use specific events to explain what causes that change. The many ways she tries to solve her pumpkin problem. Also make the story useful for discussing plot and how a character’s response to a problem moves a story forward.
The ending also gives students an opportunity to think about theme as Rebecca turns something she dislikes into a way to share with others.
ELA skills: character analysis, character change and development, plot, problem and solution, theme, text evidence
The Scarecrow by Beth Ferry Picture Book
The Scarecrow begins in an autumn field and follows an unexpected friendship through the changing seasons. Scarecrow has always stood alone until he helps a young crow that falls nearby.
Students can examine how the relationship between Scarecrow and Crow develops across the story. Specific events show how friendship changes, Scarecrow’s feelings and actions. The story also gives students a strong opportunity to determine theme and support their thinking with evidence from the text.
The changing seasons helped show the passage of time and how the relationship relationships grow and change.
ELA skills: character analysis, character relationships, setting, text evidence, theme
The Scarecrow’s Dance and The Scarecrow also make a great paired read aloud. Students can compare the two scarecrow characters, the events that influence them, and how each character changes throughout the story.
Frequently Asked Questions about Fall Read Alouds for Upper Elementary Students
What are the best fall read alouds for upper elementary students?
The best fall read alouds for upper elementary students combine seasonal appeal with strong ELA connections. Look for books that support skills such as inference, theme, figurative language, character analysis, and text evidence.
How long should a read aloud take in a 4th or 5th grade classroom?
Most picture book read alouds can be completed in about 10 to 20 minutes. If you plan to stop for discussion, inference, or skill practice, you may want to spread the book across more than one lesson.
What ELA skills can be taught with fall read alouds?
Fall read alouds can be used to teach many important ELA skills. Depending on the book, students can practice inference, theme, character analysis, figurative language, vocabulary, setting, and using text evidence. Picture books also make it easier to model these skills with a shared text before students practice them independently.
What are other great seasonal read alouds for 3rd, 4th, & 5th grade?
I have a few lists you can check out.
- spring read alouds
- winter read alouds
- Halloween read alouds
- Thanksgiving read alouds
- Christmas read alouds
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