We are loving how many social emotional learning books are out there now! Linus the Little Yellow Pencil is one of our new favorites and it is all about growth mindset! This is a must have for all elementary classrooms.- Jodi and the Starts With a Story Team
SUMMARY
Linus is a pencil who loves to draw. He decides to enter into an art contest, and had his eye on the grand prize. Ernie, Linus’s eraser, does not think that any of the drawings Linus is creating are good enough to win them the prize.
Ernie continuously criticizes Linus’s drawings and causes Linus to want to quit being an artist. Linus has an encounter with Smudge, and Smudge convinces him to keep drawing. Linus and Ernie go on to draw beautiful pictures together.
Students will learn about growth mindset and positive-self talk as they hear the story of how a pencil learned to believe in himself.
USE THIS BOOK TO TEACH:
Social emotional learning books can be used to teach academic skills as well.
- Practice making personal connections to the story.
- Discuss the books problem and solution.
- Have students write descriptions about what the different characters looked like.
- Research and write about how different writing utensils are made.
- Introduce students to multiple meaning words using examples from the book.
- Teach students about quotation marks and why they are used.
- Teach students about positive self-talk.
GET THE PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
NO-PREP PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES:
If you are looking for “ready to go” activities for the first day of school, be sure to check out the book companion. With it you’ll receive all of the following resources to align with this specific book:
- comprehension questions
- 30 writing prompts with themed paper
- vocabulary activities
- word study print & go activities
- ideas for grammar lessons with focus sentence printables
- social emotional learning discussion topics
- graphic organizers to target specific comprehension skills and strategies
Don't spend all your time planning this read aloud when all the planning has already been done for you!
GET THE PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
ADDITIONAL BOOK SUGGESTIONS
You and your students will also love these similar books:
- I'm Not Just a Scribble by Diane Alber
- The Day the Crayon's Quit by Drew Daywalt
- Eraser by Anna Kang
- The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors by Drew Daywalt
TRY OUT A SAMPLE COMPANION
It's hard to explain how amazing the Starts with a Story book companions are because there is just so much goodness included in each one. It's best if you experience using one for yourself. Sign up below & we'll send you an entire book companion to try out for FREE!
