Read alouds are a great way to set expectations and define rules at the beginning of the school year. Students need to learn about appropriate behavior in the classroom and pictures book are a great way to start these discussions. Quiet Please, Owen McPhee is a great book to read at the beginning of the school year to talk to your students about the importance of being a good listener. We recommend teachers read this book as they are letting students know their expectations for speaking and listening in the classroom because we think it is such a helpful resource! - Jodi and the Starts With a Story Team
SUMMARY
There is nothing Owen McPhee loves more than talking. In class, he is always talking to his friends. His talking causes him to miss out on important directions when making a volcano and it erupts and destroys his friends bridge. Owen interrupts his teacher while reading a story and his friends when they’re talking about a movie. His constant talking causes his friends to get upset with him.
One day, Owen wakes up with a bad case of laryngitis. He must write down everything he wants to say, however, it is difficult for Owen to keep up with how fast his friends can talk. Frustrated, Owen returns to his classroom and helps his friend Isabella fix her tower. He learns that sometimes, it is good to take a break and let others take a turn talking.
USE THIS BOOK TO TEACH:
In addition to using Quiet Please, Owen McPhee to teach behavior expectations, it can be used like a regular read aloud to teach reading strategies, writing, grammar and vocabulary.
- Ask students to examine the cause and effect of characters actions throughout the book.
- Identify character traits that describe the main character and have students use details from the book to support their thinking.
- Encourage students to form an opinion related to the book and back it up with specific reasons.
- Integrate poetry into your lesson by asking students to write poems about the book.
- Teach a lesson on articles and when to use which article.
- Have students engage in an activity with shades of meaning.
- Teach a lesson on active listening and interrupting.
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
This resource is all you will need when it comes to planning your read aloud for the book Quiet Please, Owen McPhee. Gone are the days when you have to brainstorm discussion questions, look online for student activities, and spend hours gathering resources. Now everything you need is included in this book companion allowing you to make choices on what you want to use with your students.
GET THE PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
ADDITIONAL BOOK SUGGESTIONS
You and your students will also love these similar books:
- The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig
- My Mouth is a Volcano by Julia Cook
- Decibella and Her Six Inch Voice by Julia Cook
- Ruby the Copycat by Peggy Rathmann
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!
