The first few days of school are all about learning routines, practicing expectations, and figuring out what it means to be part of a classroom community. One of my favorite ways to introduce those conversations with the youngest learners is through a read aloud — especially one that gets kids laughing!
How Do Dinosaurs Go to School? by Jane Yolen is such a fun back-to-school read aloud because it gives students plenty of opportunities to talk about school choices and expectations without making the conversation feel like a long list of rules.
Here’s how I’d use the book and activities over a couple of days at the beginning of the year.
Day 1: Read Aloud + Whole Group Sort
I’d start by reading How Do Dinosaurs Go to School? together as a class. As we read, I’d stop occasionally to talk about some of the dinosaurs’ choices.
What did the dinosaur do?
Was that a good choice for school?
What could the dinosaur do instead?
After reading, we’d do the whole group good choice/bad choice sort. I wouldn’t use every card on the first day! There are too many which can get overwhelming. I’d choose a handful and have students help decide where each one belongs. This gives us a chance to talk about why something is a good or not-so-good school choice instead of rushing through all of them.
Then I’d save the remaining cards for the next day.
Day 2: Review + Add More
The next day, I’d bring the sort back out and quickly review the choices we talked about before.
Then we could add a few new cards.
I love doing it this way because it turns classroom expectations into an ongoing conversation instead of something we talk about once on the first day and never revisit. It also gives students a chance to show what they remember!
After our whole group review, students can complete their own individual cut-and-glue sort. This gives them some independent practice while also working on those beginning-of-the-year cutting, sorting, and gluing skills.
And, of course, it gives you a pretty good idea of who knows how to use a glue stick without emptying the entire thing onto one piece of paper. 😅
What Would You Bring to Dinosaur School?
Another activity that is simple but fun for back to school is this backpack activity.
Students can imagine what their dinosaur would bring in their backpack to be ready for school.
For younger students, this can be mostly drawing with a label or simple sentence. It’s an easy way to get a little writing sample without making writing feel overwhelming during those first few days.
It can also be fun to let a few students share what they put in their backpacks with the class.
For Older Students: Add Some Writing
If you’re using the book with slightly older students, I’d extend the read aloud with one of the writing prompts.
Students can take some of the ideas from your class discussion and turn them into their own writing. Depending on the prompt you choose, this could work as a quick writing activity or something students spend a little more time developing.
It’s an easy way to take a fun picture book and stretch it into a literacy activity that works beyond kindergarten or first grade.
A Little Something to Send Home
At the end, I’d send students home with the Back-to-School Tips coloring sheet.
It gives them something fun to color while reinforcing some of the positive school behaviors you’ve been talking about. You could use it during quiet time at school, too, but I like the idea of sending it home so families get a little peek at what you’ve been working on.
Grab the FREE Back-to-School Tips Coloring Sheet here!
Want All of the Activities?
If you want to use the whole set with your read aloud, I put all of these activities together in my How Do Dinosaurs Go to School? companion resource.
It includes the whole-group activities, independent student activities, writing options, and more so you can pick and choose what works for your students rather than trying to squeeze everything into one lesson.
See the complete How Do Dinosaurs Go to School? Activity Pack here!
And if your students love the dinosaurs, I also have a Halloween version that’s perfect for bringing them back later in the fall!
Check out the Halloween Dinosaur Activities here!
