School is beginning and the stress of fitting it all in begins. Literature is one of the ways to work on many skills all at once. Some of the most important skills children need to work on are kindness, inclusion, and being a good friend. I love to use literature as a discussion point for these on a weekly basis, and I have several favorite friendship read aloud stories I love to share with my students at the beginning of the year.
Friendship Read Aloud Freebie
One of my favorite friendship read aloud stories for back to school is Peanut Butter and Cupcake. Peanut Butter is new, and he is looking for someone to play with. When he finds Jelly, he meets his match. The illustrations, theme, and creativity draw the children in and are great for beginning of the year discussions. Today I’m excited to share a few friendship read aloud activities that you can grab here and implement for free. I have included sequencing cards, a sequencing activity, a word search, text connections, and character match. Don’t miss the opportunity to discuss why the author named the story Peanut Butter and Cupcake, not Jelly.
If you want even more goodies for this story, you can check out my Peanut Butter and Cupcake book companion.
Read Alouds for the First Weeks of School
This story is also part of my Guided Reading with a Purpose series. In this reading series, children learn new comprehension strategies week by week while enjoying a new story every day. The stories are based on a theme, so it is cohesive and provides a solid purpose. Peanut Butter and Cupcake is part of my August bundle that focus on characters, setting, and retelling. The first week, Rules and Routines, involves stories and activities that provide discussion on rules and routines. During the second week, the theme is friendship.
You can check out this great back to school bundle here including even more great friendship read aloud activities!
Read more about these Guided Reading with a Purpose Units or find out more about the Guided Reading with a Purpose curriculum in my previous blog posts:
- “First Week of School with Rules and Routines”
- “Friendship & Retelling GRP Week 2”
- “Guided Reading with a Purpose Building Strategies One Week At A Time”
Free Back to School Ebook
Not only am I offering this freebie, but I teamed up with a bunch of other teachers and we created a free Ebook full of back to school goodies. Each page has a great freebie you can grab and use in your classroom.
We are also all teaming up for a giveaway. One lucky person will receive all these books! Of course, I will be giving away Peanut Butter and Cupcake. Don’t miss out!
Best of luck this school year!
