Sick Simon is part of our Starts With a Story Collection, which includes more than 550 picture book companions based on high quality children’s literature that support you in delivering highly-engaging interactive read alouds with follow up activities. Learn more about this children’s book below! - Jodi and the Starts With a Story Team
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SUMMARY
"Sick Simon" by Dan Krall is a hilarious and relatable picture book that explores the importance of proper hygiene and taking care of oneself. The story follows Simon, a young boy who is always sick due to his refusal to wash his hands. As Simon's germs come to life and wreak havoc on his world, he learns a valuable lesson about the consequences of neglecting personal hygiene. With vibrant and comical illustrations, "Sick Simon" engages young readers while teaching them about the importance of good hygiene practices in a playful and memorable way. The book serves as a gentle reminder to children about the significance of washing their hands, covering their mouths when coughing or sneezing, and taking care of their health. Through humor and relatability, "Sick Simon" encourages children to develop healthy habits that can prevent the spread of germs and keep themselves and others safe and well.
 USE THIS BOOK TO TEACH:
Our read aloud lesson plans for this picture book come with reading comprehension questions (with sample student responses), 30 writing prompts, teaching ideas for grammar skills, social emotional learning discussion ideas, and more. Check out our list below to get a sneak peek at some of the skills this resource teaches.
- Have students sequence the important events in the story. This is an important skill when it comes to retelling a story.
- Practice making inferences throughout the story and after reading.
- Teach a lesson on making connections to enhance comprehension.
- Help students to analyze what the author’s purpose for writing the book might be.
- Teach students about the apostrophe and what it is used for.
- Explore exclamation points and why writers use them.
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
- 30Â 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 book is a must have for your school or classroom library. Your students are going to love completing these activities for the book and you will be impressed with how much they learn. You will want to read this book to your class every year.
GET THE PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
ADDITIONAL BOOK SUGGESTIONS
You and your students will love the similar books listed below, which can all be found in our free picture book list.
- A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon
- A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead
- Bob, Not Bob by Audrey Vernick
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!
