The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson and Comprehension Questions
Do some of your students struggle with making connections to their classmates? Read on to find The Day You Begin activities and comprehension questions that focus on a sense of belonging, relationship skills and overcoming fears of entering a room where you don’t know anyone.
The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson considers the difficulty of entering a room where you don’t know anyone and the courage it takes to share your personal story with others. The book reinforces themes of:
- identity and culture
- inclusion
- self-esteem
- positive friendships
- similarities and differences
- welcoming classroom environment
- celebration of diversity
Scroll down for The Day You Begin activities, discussion questions and videos.
The Day You Begin Synopsis
The Day You Being celebrates diversity in the classroom and how we can learn about the world from each other. “There will be times when you walk into a room and no one there is quite like you until the day you begin to share your stories.”
We learn about one student who feels self-conscious that she stayed on her block during the summer while her classmates traveled the world. Woodson highlights we are all different, whether this is our accent so “no one understands the way words curl from your mouth.” Or the food we eat that is “too strange or too unfamiliar for others to love as you do.”
Woodson reminds us we are all outsiders, and it takes courage to be ourselves. The day we share our stories is the day we begin. The story shows our stories help us make connections to other people and realize our special and unique differences.
Our race, cultural traditions, the way we look, what we eat are not a barrier to making connections with others, but only increase open-mindedness, appreciation and positive friendships.
Rafael López incorporates rulers into the illustrations as a metaphor for measuring ourselves against others.
The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson
Illustrator: Rafael López
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
ISBN: 9780399246531
Take a look inside
Related Books
- The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
- The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig
- My Name Is Yoon by Helen Recorvits
- All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold
- Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson
- I Walk With Vanessa by Kerascoët
- We’re All Wonders by R.J. Palacio
The Day You Begin Activities & Resources
I have created a bundle of literacy graphic organizers and The Day You Begin activities. You can find them at my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Click on the image to go directly to the pack. There are many activities for each literacy area to differentiate depending on your student’s ability/age. They include activities for:
- Author’s Purpose
- Character Traits and Analysis
- Inferences and Predicting
- Main Idea and Theme
- Making Connections
- Point of View
- Problem and Solution
- similes and metaphors
- figurative language
- importance of illustrations
- multi-person narrative and point of view
External The Day You Begin Activities
- Anti-Defamation League: The Day You Begin Extension Activities
- The Curriculum Corner: Activities and Discussion Prompts
- Oakland Literacy Coalition: Read-Aloud Guide
- Penguin Random House: A guide to the Work of Jacqueline Woodson
- Unleashing Readers: Discussion Guide
- WITS Programs Foundation: Lesson Plan
Would you like free graphic organisers for The Day You Begin?
I have a freebie that is part of this larger resource so you can try it out before buying anything!
Fill in the form below to get access to the FREE pack.
The Day You Begin Read-Aloud Questions
Read aloud sessions are a wonderful way for children to understand the connection between written text and spoken language. You can model reading habits and strategies, reading fluency, tone and eye contact. You can also introduce different genres, authors and illustrators.
Read aloud sessions are a wonderful way for children to understand the connection between written text and spoken language. You can model reading habits and strategies, reading fluency, tone and eye contact. You can also introduce different genres, authors and illustrators.
- What do you think Jacqueline Woodson wants us to learn from reading The Day You Begin?
- Now you have finished the book, why do you think the book is called The Day You Begin?
- What is the message of the story?
- What did you learn from reading The Day You Begin?
- Why do you think the characters felt the way they did?
- How do the author and illustrator show the character’s emotions throughout the book?
- Have you ever been in a room of people who differ from you? How did it make you feel?
- What makes you unique and special?
- How can you help some ‘begin’ when they are new to our school/classroom?
- What were the differences between the students in The Day You Begin? Can you make any connections to them?
- Why do you think Jacqueline Woodson and Rafael López added so many rulers to the illustrations?
You can find a full set of discussion cards in The Day You Begin Literacy Bundle or as a separate pack.
The Day You Begin Book Videos
Books by Jacqueline Woodson & Rafael López
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