3-Minute Video About a Year-Round Read That Helps to Teach Measurement, Nonfiction Units, and So Much More
by Tatiana Florival
![]() |
“We love [Inch by Inch] for so many different reasons. It touches upon social-emotional skills, math skills, and the visual and performing arts!” —This Week’s Book Talks Teachers
![]() |
At any time during the school year, Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni presents a charming way to lead into all kinds of lessons: measuring, nonfiction research, and even imagining ourselves in someone else’s shoes…or whatever inchworms wear on their feet!
In this video, first grade teachers Ana Dinkins, Jean Ilano, Trisha Johnson, and Helen Mui from Blandford Elementary in Rowland Heights, California, share some of the many different lessons they teach incorporating Leo Lionni’s classic Book of the Week, such as:
• Nonstandard Measurement: Using a paper cutout of a small inchworm, students can measure different objects in and out of the classroom.
• Text-to-Self Connections: Encourage students to perform a short dialogue in which they are the inchworm and the nightingale from the story.
• Nonfiction Writing: Students may be excited about the many different types of birds in Inch by Inch, so encourage them to research the birds, take notes, and write about what they learn.
• Nightingale, Come Find Me: Try this variation of hot potato! One student goes outside the classroom while the other students sit in a big circle. While music plays, students pass around a small object representing the inchworm, and when the music stops, the students say, “Nightingale, come find me!” The student returns and tries to guess which student has the small object.
How do you plan to use Inch by Inch in your class? Please share with the Scholastic Book Clubs community on Facebook and Instagram using the hashtag #ScholasticBookClubs.
![]() |
This Book Is Available from Scholastic Book Clubs
![]() |