March brings forth a lot of excitement in first grade. While the rest of the country is filling out brackets for March Madness, first graders at BZ are participating in our very special tradition of Mo Madness! During the month of March, first grade classrooms read all 25 Elephant and Piggie Books, written by Mo Willems. Through many intense battles, we vote on our favorite books until we crown an ultimate champion!

This unit focuses on Mo Willem’s unique style as an author and allows for students to practice reading books with expression. In the first round, teachers read all of the books to the class noting text features and character voices. In round 2 and beyond, students take on the role of reading the books, acting as Piggie or Gerald. This is a wonderful way to practice fluency by reading accurately, with appropriate emotions, phrasing and pauses, and volume. Students are able to apply the decoding skills they have practiced in Fundations in their reading. It is amazing to see their confidence and growth! We even have fun finger puppets to act out our stories!

At the end of the month we’ll celebrate with an Elephant and Piggie Party! Here, we will dress up as our favorite characters and participate in activities based on our favorite books. This will culminate in the reveal of the final match up and the 2026 Mo Madness champion!

Who will be the ultimate champion? We can’t wait to find out!