Swings on Strike 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
"Swings on Strike" by Jennifer Jones is a fun rhyming story focused on the perspective of playground swings. The story shares how the swings feel about children standing on them, twisting their chains, riding them the wrong way and mistreating them! The swings have had enough of this cruel behavior, so they decide to go on strike and write the children a letter expressing their feelings towards their mean and unthoughtful actions. When the children find the swings missing and a little letter on the ground addressed to them, they decide to team up and apologize to the swings, promising them to treat them with respect and kindness. The story "Swings on Strike" is a silly and fun book, teaching readers a valuable lesson about kindness, respect and to always treat people and objects the way you want to be treated.
 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.
- Teach a lesson on making connections to enhance comprehension.
- Cause and effect can be a difficult skill for students. This book is a perfect mentor text for teaching this skill.
- Encourage students to use their summarizing and retelling strategies.
- Introduce and act out action verbs.
- Practice identifying the prefix of a word.
- Discuss the importance of self-advocacy and strategies students can use to advocate for themselves.
- Teach students how to make a proper apology.
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.
- The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
- Click Clack Moo by Doreen Cronin
- Rulers of the Playground by Joseph Kuefler
- The Recess Queen by Alexis O'Neill
- Eraser by Anna Kang
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!
