How to Use These Teacher Guides

These guides are just that—guides, not gospels.

They are meant to support, not dictate.

They offer one way—not the only way—to explore a story in your classroom.

Each group of children is different. What resonates with one group may not land the same way with another. As a teacher, you know your students best—their curiosities, their struggles, their energy on a Monday morning, and their wonder on a rainy afternoon.

So please feel free to

• adapt the questions

• modify the activities

• skip what doesn’t feel right

• go deeper where the room seems ready.

The core intention is simple:

To use stories as a doorway to spark thinking, feeling, and conversation.

Not to extract “right” answers. Not to moralize. But to create space—for reflection, voice, and quiet noticing.

You are not just leading a discussion. You’re holding a room where children learn to feel, imagine, and relate.

And that can look different in every classroom.

So, bring yourself into the guide. Make it yours.

And if you do—tell us!

• How did you use this guide in your classroom?

• What worked well?

• What did the children surprise you with?

We would love to know your creative ideas. Use the comment section under each guide to share your thoughts.

We read every comment—and your ideas might spark someone else’s next great classroom moment.