School's First Day of School
by Adam Rex
It's the first day of school and everyone's a bit nervous especially the school itself. What will the children do once they come? Will they like the school? Will they be nice to him? The school has a rough start but as the day goes on he soon recovers when he sees that he's not the only one going through first-day jitters.
Reading Tips for Story Explorers
Find a comfortable space to read together
Slow down and enjoy the illustrations
Ask and answer questions together
Make reading part of your routine - bedtime is a great time for reading
Use these prompts to encourage deeper thinking with your children:
"Tell me more, why do you think that?"
"How do you know that?"
"Interesting, did you notice anything else?"
Phonemic Awareness
When introducing the book, share the title and notice these phonemic elements:
The word “First” in the title begins with the letter Ff. This letter says /f/, like fish and fun. Point to the letter and say the sound together: /f/, /f/, /f/. Brainstorm other words that begin with the sound /f/ with your child (fix, finish, fall).
Ask the children to say the word after you. Show them the cover of the book and have them read the word out loud with you as you point under each word.
Vocabulary
Foundation: The stone or concrete structure that holds up a building from beneath
Janitor: A person whose work is to clean and take care of a building
Creaked: To move with a squeaking noise
Freckles: A light brown dot or mark on the skin
Squirted: To be shot out in a thin jet
Embarassed: To make uncomfortable or uneasy
Questions to Discuss
Who is the main character in this book? What makes School’s First Day of School different from other books about the first day of school?
If you were a school, what would your name be? Do you agree with the school that “Frederick Douglass Elementary” is a good name for a school? Why or why not?
How did the school feel before the kids came to school?
After the older kids called the school boring, the author writes that the school “sagged.” What does the author mean by this? Why did the school sag after hearing this?
Look at the picture of the kids sitting on the blue rug. Which student do you identify with? Why? How are most of the students feeling in this illustration?
How are the little girl with freckles and the school similar in this story? How are they different?
How did you feel on the first day of school? Why or why not?
Let's Play
This activity will help your child make connections to the text, which helps children improve comprehension.
Oftentimes authors “personify” things, which means they make things or animals like humans - able to talk and to have feelings. This author personifies a school by allowing the school to talk to the janitor and to have feelings, like being embarrassed.
Work with your child to personify places that you go together. What does the grocery store think about being empty? What questions might a grocery store ask? What is your home thinking when no one is there? What does the park think about overnight?
Take it a step further by drawing these different places.
If you liked School's First Day of School, be sure to check out...
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Jabari Tries
by Gaia Cornwall