February Read Alouds and Related Activities

It’s February, which means it’s time to mix up your book lists and bring in new seasonal read alouds! Here are some of my favorite February read alouds to use during morning meeting, during your ELA block, or even display in your classroom library.

Topics for February Read Alouds

Lunar New Year. Black History Month. Groundhog Day. Valentine’s Day. There is a lot going on in February! I have always found that reading seasonal books is the best way to explore different holidays and celebrations. Here are some February read alouds and related activities you can use right away in your classroom.

Geoffrey Groundhog Predicts the Weather by Bruce Koscielniak — Geoffrey Groundhog predicts the weather every year (successfully, he might add). At first, only a few people came to see Geoffry’s weather predictions, but now the crowd is out of control. With the lights and camera, he can barely see his shadow! Will Geoffrey be able to make a prediction this year? This book provides an opportunity to dig into characteristics and character analysis. After reading the story, ask students a few questions. How do you think Geoffrey was feeling? What does his solution tell us about Geoffrey? What character traits does Geoffrey show? You may need to scaffold this process by giving students a list of character traits, or asking additional guided questions to get to the answer!

Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed — Mae Jemison dreams of becoming an astronaut. Her teacher says to lower her dreams to something more realistic. But her mother encourages her to shoot for the stars. Will Mae be able to accomplish her dreams? This book is based on the true story of Mae Jemison, the first Black woman to travel in space. Pair together this fictional children’s book with a nonfiction article on Mae Jemison. Then, have students write a summary about who Jemison is based on the information they have learned.

Bringing in the New Year by Grace Lin — Decorations. Cooking. Cleaning. Families across the globe are celebrating Lunar New Year! In this book by Grace Lin, student’s can explore the different traditions that take place during Lunar New Year. After reading this story, have students compare and contrast their New Year’s celebration with that of Lunar New Year. Help them form connections between their families celebrations and the celebrations of others. In fact, some of your students may also celebrate Lunar New Year! Give students a Venn Diagram graphic organizer to complete this activity.

When I’m With You by Pat Zietlow Miller — This rhyming picture book tells the story of two best friends and the love they share. They talk about the different activities they do together, and how they feel together. It is a heat-warming story of friendship that gives depth to who can be celebrated during Valentine’s Day. When you have read this story, there are a couple things you can do. First, this book includes several puns, similes, and figurative language devices. You can pull these snippets and ask students to interpret what they mean. For example, what does “You’re the apple on my tree. You’re the honey to my bee” mean? You can also have students write their own rhyming poem to their best friend. They should describe the activities they like to do together, and how it feels when they are together.

The Love Letter by Anika Aldamuy Denise — One day when Hedgehog, Bunny, and Squirrel were walking in the forest, they stumbled across a letter. But it wasn’t just any letter. And who wrote the letter? This book shows the impact of a simple act of kindness. Have students complete a quick write activity. Set a timer for 3-5 minutes (depending on your students). Then, ask them to write nonstop about how they can show love through their actions. For example, they might open the door for another student or let someone borrow their pencil. Then, have them reflect on the impact their actions might have on others.

Need more February read alouds? Here are more of my favorites:

• You are my Happy by Hoda Kotb
• Tiny T. Rex and the Impossible Hug by Jonathan Stutzman (my students LOVE all of the Tiny books!)
• Nosostros Means Us by Paloma Valdivia
• Groundhog Gets a Say by Pamela C. Swallow
• Groundhog’s Day Off by Rob Pearlman
• The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
• How to Catch a Dragon by Adam Wallace
• Ruby’s Chinese New Year by Vickie Lee
• Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levin
• Let the Children March by Monica Clack-Robinson
• The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles

February Classroom Activities

Along with February read alouds, it’s fun to bring in seasonal activities that create a change of pace in the classroom! Here are a few classroom activities for Valentine’s Day and Groundhog day.

The First Groundhog Day

The actual history of Groundhog is often unknown! Have students read an article about the origins of Groundhog Day (such as this History.com article). Then, have students paraphrase or summarize the information in the article.

Take it a step further and have students publish their work on a nice lined sheet of paper. They can add or draw an image that fits the summary. Then, you can display the published work in your classroom for Groundhog Day.

Groundhog Day Story

Get into creative writing and point of view by having students write about Groundhog Day from different perspectives. For example, you can have students write from the perspective of the Groundhog on his special day. Then, they can write from the perspective of a reporter or writer who is there to watch the groundhog.

Valentine's Letters Inferencing Activity

If you want a cute, hands-on Valentine’s Day Inference Activity that also packs in inferencing, then this is the resource for you. Students will solve the mystery of Valentine’s Day cards that are missing names. You will put together six stations that students will work through to solve the mystery.

My students enjoy this activity each year, and it’s super easy to set-up. Plus, you can reuse it year after year. 

Valentine’s Day Math and Literacy Activities

Need a plan for Valentine’s Day, but have limited time to plan? I’ve been there. This Valentine’s Day Math and Literacy Activities Bundle includes two math activities and three literacy activities.

The bundle includes Valentine's Day math project and math task cards to help students review fourth and fifth grade common core math skills, like place value, operations, line plots, and fractions.

For ELA, strengthen students' writing skills with a love note activity. Then, brush up on reading skills with Valentine’s Day reading skills task cards and a context clues activity.

Valentine’s Day Math Project

Have your students plan a Valentine’s Day party, all while practicing math! With this print-and-go Valentine’s Day Math Project, students will practice factors and multiples, problem solving, fractions, place value, and more. This activity is both print and digital, so you can choose the best format for your classroom. This works great as a group activity on Valentine’s Day or fun center rotation.

Black History Month Book Tasting

Pair up with your school librarian and host a Black History Month book tasting. For this activity, have the librarian pull books from Black authors or about famous Black athletes, scientists, inventors, and more.

Then, students will look through the books and select three that they are interested in reading. They will write down some information about each book, and why they want to read it. This is a great way to introduce students to new books.

Hopefully these activities will give you plenty to do all month long! For more February fun, check out this Valentine’s Day digital learning activities post. You can also learn about a fun Valentine’s Day compliment bag activity on this post.

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