Shark Books and Art Activities

Happy May, teacher friends! It’s no secret that we love sharing all types of animal activities here on the blog and through Rooted in Reading. Throughout my time in the classroom, I quickly came to realize that students get very excited about researching animals. They especially love ocean animals. Anytime I felt the excitement and/or engagement lacking in the classroom, I figured out a way to tie in learning about a specific animal or group of animals. I’ve hosted many shark-themed weeks as a teacher, so this week I’m going to share ALL THE SHARK things! I’m talking about the best shark books, shark activities, freebies, and even classroom transformation ideas!

Let’s go ahead and dive into my favorite shark books and shark art activities for the classroom.

Shark Books

This year I added a few new shark books to my collection that I just HAVE to tell you about!

1. I’m a Shark by Bob Shea is about a BIG SCARY shark who isn’t afraid of anything. Well, except for one thing. Shark is afraid of spiders. I love Bob Shea’s sense of humor. This is a quick read that has tons of personality. Great for modeling VOICE and EXPRESSION. You can actually visit his YouTube channel (HERE) where he teaches kids how to draw!
2. I Am The Shark by Joan Holub is a fictional story with facts about sharks thrown in. I love a book that is entertaining but also shares information. The main character thinks he is the GREATEST shark in the sea, but he quickly learns that there are a lot of other sharks that are larger, smaller, faster, etc. My son is 9 and he LOVED this book!
3. The Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark is a spin on the 3 Little Pigs. This is a quick read, but great if you are learning about folktales. Bonus Points for this story because the fish that makes the strongest house is a girl 🙂
4. Everything Awesome About Sharks– This isn’t a book that you will read in one sitting, but it is a great one to have on hand for your students to peruse. I love this series of stories by Mike Lowery

Other Fiction Shark Books I Love:

1. Gilbert in Deep
2. Misunderstood Shark
3. Malie the Mano
4. Clark the Shark
5. Nugget and Fang

Other Nonfiction Shark Books I Love:

1. If Sharks Disappeared
2. Sharks by Gail Gibbons
3. Shark Lady
4. Who Would Win
5. Sharks by Anne Scheiber
6. Ultimate Book of Sharks

Shark Activities

Create a Shark Booklet

After you’ve chosen the perfect shark book for your classroom, you’ll need an art activity to go with it, of course! I have a FREE Shark activity for you and your students.

Sharky Stories Booklet

If you are reading a fiction book about sharks, students can make a Sharky Stories Booklet. The booklet is created by folding a circle in half. Students use the decorative pieces to make it look like a shark. On the inside, students staple the booklet pages.

Ideas for Using the Booklet with Fiction:

1. Retell the beginning, middle, and end of the story.
2. Write about how the character has changed throughout the book.
3. Write the problem and solution of the story.

Shark Facts Booklet

This same shark booklet can be used with an informational text about sharks. Students use the Shark Facts booklet. On the inside, students write facts about sharks.

If you want your students to do more than jot down a few facts and turn this into more robust research about Sharks, consider a Shark research activity. You can read more about it in THIS post.

Need More Shark Art Activities?

It’s hard to choose just one favorite shark project that our students have completed over the years, so here I have a little sample platter of it all! Whether they are creating a shark craft, labeling a shark diagram, drawing a Great White, or using newspaper to make a shark… we just love them all! One thing we know for sure:

STUDENTS LOVE ALL THINGS SHARK-RELATED!

Find all of the activities mentioned above by clicking HERE!

Grab Your FREE Shark Activity below:

DON’T WANT TO FORGET THESE SHARK ACTIVITIES? PIN THE IMAGE BELOW TO SAVE FOR LATER!

{Amazon Affiliate links were used in this blog post}