Back to School Books

Back to School Books

Wondering how to turn a class room full of strangers into a community of learners?  Try reading back to school themed books aloud to your students.  Whether you teach kindergarten or tenth grade, reading books aloud is one of the best ways to break the ice during the first days of school.  When you share well written, engaging stories with your students, you provide them with a sense of common knowledge and give them something to connect with.  A well stocked arsenal of back to school books can also serve as a springboard for discussing classroom expectations, bullying and team work. The following are some back to school book suggestions that you might use with your students:

First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg is an irresistible choice for back to school books that will bring comical relief to the most weary of readers.  First Day Jitters is the story of Sarah Jane Hartwell, a girl who does not want to go to her first day of school.  She, like most students, is worried that she won’t know anyone.  As she drives to school, her hands are clammy, and she is short of breath.  She has a terrible case of the First Day Jitters.  It is not until the end of the book that the girl’s identify is revealed.  Sarah Jane is actually a brand new teacher!  Readers will delight in the surprise ending as they realize teachers get first day jitters too!  When you combine this book with First Day Jitters Lesson Plans that support reading comprehension, you can teach your students to enjoy books and better comprehend.  You might design or find First Day Jitters lesson plans to teach students how to make connections, retell, make inferences and make predictions.

Chrysanthemum is another good back to school books pick.  Through combining this book with Chrysanthemum Lesson Plans, students will learn to comprehend and enjoy books.  While reading, readers will be reminded to think before they speak.  Before going to school, Chrysanthemum thought her name was the most wonderful name in the world.  She loved the way it looked when it was written with ink on an envelope, she loved the way it looked when it was written with icing on a birthday cake and she loved the way it looked when she wrote it herself using a fat orange crayon.  In summary, Chrysanthemum thought her name was absolutely perfect.  Then she started school where jealous bullies made her feel badly about her name and about herself.  Chrysanthemum’s experience with her first few days of school will remind readers how important it is to treat one another with respect. Chrysanthemum will find a way into your students’ hearts and quickly become a favorite among your back to school books.  Revisit this book and use Chrysanthemum Lesson Plans to improve reading comprehension among your students.  Design or find Chrysanthemum Lesson Plans to teach readers how to retell, make connections, identify the author’s message and make predictions.

Using First Day Jitters Lesson Plans in Your Classroom

First Day Jitters is a amazing book to employ in your room. You will be able to develop quite a few First Day Jitters lesson plans to enhance reading in your classroom.This text works well since students will connect with the theme of the text. You could use this book to build classroom community or teach reading comprehension strategies.
First Day Jitters is the story of Sarah Jane Hartwell, a girl who does not want to go to her first day of school. She, like most students, is worried that she won’t know anyone. She is uncomfortable with the thought of going to a different school. Sarah has a terrible case of the First Day Jitters. At the end of the book the audience understands that Sarah is not what they thought Sarah Jane is not a student. She is really a teacher Students will really like the big surprise ending and will discover that teachers get first day jitters too!
When producing First Day Jitters lesson plans you might decide to teach readers to make connections, retell, make inferences, and make predictions. Fist Day Jitters lesson plans could be used in many instructional settings, including whole group and small group instruction
It is important to read the whole book before you begin to teach reading comprehension strategies When you read the book before introducing a reading comprehension strategy, students gain a fundamental awareness of the text and will be able to attempt numerous comprehension strategies to build their understanding.
If you use First Day Jitters lesson plans to teach readers how to make connections, you should ask them questions prior to reading the text. Try asking students to remember their first day of school. Ask them questions about what they were scared of and how they felt Ask students to share what the expression jitters means to them. By asking students these types of questions, you help them to connect to the book. Next allow the students to write about the connections they made to the text. Give to them a reader’s notebook and allow them to illustrate a picture or write about their first day of school.