Starting the Year with Chrysanthemum

I love to start the school year with the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes.  I read it to my class, then we read it together--I have a class set of the books.  We do several activities with character, setting, plot, and sequencing.   We also do some vocabulary and comprehension activities.  My students' first weekly vocabulary assessment will be with vocabulary words from this story.  We also do several activities focused on our own names.  Students have a homework assignment to talk about their own names with their parents.  They write a paragraph about their names after having this chat with their parents.  We make a bar graph based on the number of letters in our names.  Students make a colorful poster of their names.  Kids love to learn about their names and talk about their names.  This short little unit is a great vehicle for getting to know your kids!  These activities are available on Teachers Pay Teachers.  For a limited time, the unit is being offered free.  You can find it here: www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Chrysanthemum-Reading-Guide
Have a great start to a great school year!