Happy Wednesday everyone! I hope your week is going well so far. I’m trying to enjoy my last couple weeks of freedom before it’s time to set that alarm clock again. Once August hits, I get into “back to school” mode where my mind just starts going. One of my favorite ways to get back into school mode is a trip to my favorite book stores. Doesn’t every teacher just love to sit in the children’s section for hours and look for new books? Well, I don’t have hours anymore, but I do love that this is one thing I can do for work that my own kids can enjoy too. I was on a mission this time to find some new (to me) read-alouds for that first week back. I had always done the classics, like Wemberly Worried, The Kissing Hand, Jitter Juice, and What I Did for my Summer Vacation. I am ready for some new books but with the same themes: feelings about the first day, friendship, and school. I’m happy to say I found some new (to me) favorites!
Link to book: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/peanut-butter-cupcake-terry-border/1117745887?ean=9780399167737
This book is adorable! My boys wanted to read it over and over again. The illustrations alone sparked conversation before we even got to the words! This is a great book for the first week because it’s all about friendship. There are plenty of opportunities for discussion while you are reading this book: how the main character must be feeling, how the other characters treat him, and to be a good friend. My favorite part is the little jingle that Peanut Butter sings as he tried to make new friends. Get your students giggling on day one with this wonderful story! If I were crafty, I would think of a cute bulletin board idea with the heading: We all go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly. This could be a great way to introduce the concept of a classroom community/team.
Link to book: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/monsters-love-school-mike-austin/1117007208?ean=9780062286185
This is another cute story that is perfect to talk about first day feelings. I love the rhyming on each page and the monster characters are so lovable. This would be a great book to start with so you can address all those first day feelings and you could do the classic feelings graph with your class.
Link to book: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-day-my-mom-came-to-kindergarten-maureen-fergus/1113758749?ean=9781554536986
I bought this book last year when my son was entering kindergarten. We read it the night before I went into volunteer. He thought it was hilarious of course. I joked that I hope I didn’t act like that mom! He immediately went into some of the rules that I should know about. 😉
Link to book: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ally-saurus-the-first-day-of-school-richard-torrey/1120134936?ean=9781454911791
This is a cute story that highlights our unique interests. I love the illustrations on each page, showing what each child wants to be (princess, astronaut, dragon, etc.) There is a good lesson in this story too, as some of the girls aren’t very nice in the beginning. This would be a great way to bring up how we should treat each others.
This little activity would be great to do afterward:
Link to book: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bunny-loves-to-write-peter-bently/1114110451?ean=9781781868256
This is a great book to read a little later in the week when you are ready to get kids excited about writing. I would use it before introducing the writer’s notebook. I probably would want to leave them wanting more, so I think I would show them my writer’s notebook first then tell them that they get to have their own…soon!
Now it’s your turn. What are your favorite read-alouds for the first week of school?
To see my previous posts related to Back to School, click here.
