Teachers spend so much time teaching students to be responsible. In the classroom, responsibility is so important and as teachers we do the best we can to help students be independent and self-sufficient. This week we are spotlighting The Paperboy because it is a great text to discuss responsibility. The character in this book acts as an example of a responsible child. Plus, the author is Dav Pilkey, so you know it will have rich descriptions and be engaging for your students! - Jodi and the Starts With a Story Team
SUMMARY
The story The Paperboy follows a young paperboy and his dog as they wake up in the morning and go on their route. The boy and his dog wake up even when it is cold and hard to get out of bed. They eat breakfast together, pack the paperboy’s bag full of newspapers, and go out on their route. They both know the route by heart.
The boy thinks about big things and small things while he is on his route. He and his dog are the happiest when the world is asleep and they are the only ones awake. When all the papers have been delivered, the boy and his dog head home and go back to sleep.
Students will enjoy this story about a young paperboy and his dog.
USE THIS BOOK TO TEACH:
The Paperboy lends itself to so much more than a social emotional lesson on responsibility. You might consider using it to teach reading comprehension, grammar or writing skills. We think this text is a great choice for so many skills!
- Teach students to analyze the setting of a book.
- Determine the point of view of the story and explore the importance of point of view.
- Get creative and have students write a new ending or add a page to the story.
- Practice forming an opinion and writing about it with reasons to support.
- Explore a variety of adjectives and discuss how they can be used to enhance writing.
- Introduce the -ing suffix and its relation to verb tense
- Launch a class discussion on feelings.
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
When I used to plan my read alouds, I would spend hours searching on Google, Teachers Pay Teachers, and Pinterest for lesson ideas and resources. It would take so much time to plan just one book! Thankfully, teachers don’t have to do that anymore thanks to Starts With a Story. We’ve included everything a teacher will want for a read aloud in just one resource. That means comprehension questions, writing prompts, lesson ideas, and yes, student worksheets! Don’t waste your time scouring online when you can get everything you need in one place!
GET THE PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
ADDITIONAL BOOK SUGGESTIONS
You and your students will also love these similar books:
- Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
- Dog Breath by Dav Pilkey
- The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant
- Last Stop On Market Street by Matt de la Pena
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!
