Author: Adam Rex
Illustrator: Christian Robinson
Main themes: first-day nerves, belonging, classroom community, empathy, new experiences
Target Age: 4 – 7 years
Table of Contents
School's First Day of School Summary
In School’s First Day of School, Frederick Douglass Elementary is brand new and ready for students, but the school feels nervous about its first day.
The janitor tries to reassure the school, but once the children arrive, the school has to deal with noise, routines, confusion, mistakes, and lots of feelings.
The clever part is that the school is the nervous one. That shift gives students a little distance from their own first-day worries.
Why Use School’s First Day of School to Teach Making Connections?
During a read-aloud, I’d pause when the school starts wondering what the children will be like.
Ask:
- “What do you notice about the school here?”
- “What makes you think that?”
Students have to look at the school’s questions, the illustrations, and the way the building reacts to work out how it feels.
That’s why this book works well for teaching making connections. Students are not just jumping straight to, “I felt nervous too.”
They notice the school’s feelings first. Then they connect those feelings to real first-day moments, like walking into a new room, learning names, finding where things go, making mistakes, or wondering if people will be kind.
Students can also think about what the school needs from the people inside it, then move on to what classmates need from each other.
A simple teaching path is: notice the school’s feeling → find evidence → make a connection → name what helps a community feel welcoming
What This Looks Like During a Read-Aloud
Early in the book, I’d pause when the school is unsure about the children coming inside.
I’d ask: “What do you notice about the school here?”
Students might say:
- “It sounds worried.”
- “It doesn’t know what the children will do.”
- “It is asking lots of questions.”
- “It might be nervous because everything is new.”
Then I’d follow with: “What makes you think that?”
This is where students move from guessing to using evidence. They may point to the school’s questions, the way it reacts to the noise, or how it depends on the janitor for reassurance.
Later, after the school has experienced more of the day, I’d ask: “What helped the school feel differently by the end?”
Students might notice that the school sees children learning, playing, eating, making mistakes, and coming back together. That gives you a natural bridge into classroom community: “What helps people feel like they belong in a classroom?”
Keep the answers concrete. Students might say:
- “People learn your name.”
- “You know where things go.”
- “Someone helps you if you make a mistake.”
- “The classroom has routines.”
- “People come back tomorrow.”
Key Teaching Themes
Point of view is what makes the book stand out. Students are not just talking about a nervous child starting school. They are watching the school notice noise, routines, mistakes, and children coming together. That gives them a bit of distance before making their own connections.
Feelings and change gives students a clear path through the story. They can track how the school feels at the beginning, middle, and end, then use text and picture clues to explain what caused the change.
Classroom community comes naturally after that. Instead of ending with “be kind,” students can name small actions that help people feel welcome, such as learning names, explaining routines, helping after a mistake, or inviting someone to join.
Read-Aloud Questions for School’s First Day of School
Before Reading
- Look at the cover. Who do you think is having a first day of school?
- What might a school notice on the first day?
- What helps you feel ready when something is new?
During Reading
- What do you notice about the school before the children arrive?
- What makes you think the school feels nervous?
- How does the janitor help the school?
- What surprises the school when the children arrive?
- How does the school react when the day gets noisy or confusing?
- What mistake or tricky moment happens during the day?
- How do the children and adults help the school understand what school is for?
- What changes in the school’s feelings by the end?
After Reading
- How did the school feel at the beginning, middle, and end?
- Which event helped the school change the most?
- What connection can you make to the school’s first day?
- What does this story show about being part of a classroom community?
- What can classmates do when someone feels unsure?
- Why do you think the author made the school the main character?
Simple Activity After Reading
School Connection Chart
Use a simple three-column chart:
- What happened to the school?
- How did the school feel?
- What connection can I make?
Model one example first.
Example:
- What happened to the school? The children came inside.
- How did the school feel? Nervous and unsure.
- What connection can I make? Sometimes people feel unsure when they meet a new group.
Then students choose one moment from the story and complete their own chart.
Younger students can draw the school’s feeling and tell their connection to a partner. Older students can write a short explanation using evidence from the book.
If students get stuck, ask:
- What part of the day did the school react to?
- What did the school say or do?
- Have you seen someone feel that way before?
- What helped the school feel more comfortable?
Keep personal sharing optional. Students can make a general classroom connection instead of writing about themselves. For example:
- “People can feel nervous when something is new.”
- “A kind person can help someone feel welcome.”
- “Mistakes do not have to ruin the day.”
Free Making Connections Activities
After students complete the connection chart, you can turn one answer into a simple classroom connection page. Ask students to choose one moment from the story, name how the school felt, and show one way classmates can help someone feel welcome.
This works well as a calm first-day or first-week follow-up because students are not writing a big personal reflection. They are staying close to the book, then naming one small classroom action they can use right away.
School’s First Day of School Making Connections Activities
If you want the follow-up ready to go, the full *School’s First Day of School* literacy pack gives students a structured way to respond after the read-aloud.
Use it when you want students to focus on the school’s feelings, make a text-based connection, and link the story to classroom community without pulling together separate worksheets.
Schools First Day of School Book Activities
$4.25
Differentiation Suggestions
Younger Students: Focus on one moment from the book. Ask students to point to a picture clue, choose a feeling word, and draw what helped the school.
Older Students: Ask students to explain the connection with evidence. They can compare the school’s first-day feelings with a student’s first-day feelings or explain how the point of view changes the story.
Students Who Need More Support: Use three feeling choices, such as nervous, happy, and embarrassed. Give students one sentence stem:
- “The school felt ___ because ___.”
- “This connects to classroom community because ___.”
Multilingual Learners: Use picture word banks for feelings, places in school, and classroom routines. Let students rehearse their answer with a partner before writing.
Sensitivity Note: Keep first-day feelings and school experiences low-pressure. Some students may have had difficult school experiences, moved schools often, or feel anxious about sharing personal details. Students can respond about the school, a made-up student, or the classroom community instead of themselves.
Optional Extension: Use This Skill With Other Books
Once students practice making connections with School’s First Day of School, you can use the same routine with other first-week picture books.
Try this repeatable routine:
- What happened in the story?
- How did the character feel?
- What helped?
- What connection can I make to our classroom?
This works with books about new schools, new friendships, names, identity, routines, mistakes, and belonging.
FAQs About School’s First Day of School Activities
- What activities can I do after reading School’s First Day of School? After reading School’s First Day of School, students can complete a classroom connection chart, draw how the school felt at the beginning and end, or write one small action that helps someone feel welcome. Keep the activity tied to a clear story moment so students are using the book, not just writing a general first-day reflection.
- How can I use School’s First Day of School to teach making connections? Start with the school’s feelings. Ask students what the school notices, how it reacts, and what clues show its feelings. Then ask students to connect that moment to a classroom situation, such as learning a new routine, meeting new people, making a mistake, or needing help.
- What skills can I teach with School’s First Day of School? School’s First Day of School works well for making connections, point of view, character feelings, character change, inference, and classroom community. The school’s point of view gives students a clear way to talk about first-day nerves without having to share personal stories.
- Is School’s First Day of School good for classroom community? Yes. The story helps students talk about what makes a classroom feel welcoming. Students can name concrete actions, such as learning someone’s name, explaining a routine, helping with a mistake, inviting someone to join, or noticing when someone looks unsure.
- How can I teach this book without making students share personal feelings? Keep personal sharing optional. Students can write about the school, a fictional student, or a general classroom situation instead of writing about themselves. For example, they might write, “Someone might feel nervous when they do not know where to go,” or “A routine can help people feel calmer.”
Ideas of What to Read Next
- Back-to-School Picture Books – browse more books for the first week of school, routines, nerves, and classroom community.
- Picture Books About Classroom Community – good if you want more stories about belonging, kindness, and helping students feel part of the group.
Final Thoughts
School’s First Day of School works best when the lesson stays close to the book. Start with what the school notices, how it feels, and what helps those feelings change.
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