Back-to-School Books Blog Hop

Today I'm linking up with Tiffani from Time 4 Kindergarten.  One of my favorite read alouds for the first week of school is The Rat and The Tiger by Keiko Kasza.  

This is a sweet story about two friends getting along and taking turns.  The characters act exactly like kindergarten children.  There is a big turning point in the story while the friends are building with blocks.  To respond to the story and extend the lesson on being a good friend, I like to partner up the children and let them play with blocks.  Here are some ideas from Dr. Jean to give some structure to block playtime.  Florida kindergarten teachers-  you can use this time to start your FLKRS Checklist.  Many of the indicators can be observed during this play time.

I like to end the activity by calling the children back together on the carpet and creating an anchor chart for friendship.  Some ideas for a chart are "Looks like/ Sounds like", "A good friend can", "What friends do together".  Display the chart for the next few weeks as a reminder to the children on being a good friend.

I can't wait to see all the ideas and books others have to share for the first week of school!