Back to School with Howard B. Wigglebottom

by Hollie Griffith

on July 9, 2014

I’ve been a little MIA here on the blog! Summer is going way too fast! I haven’t thought a lot about TPT and I’ve tried to turn my teacher mind off. Although, you know that is impossible to do! I seem to get my best ideas at the pool, in the shower, driving in the car….. you get the picture. I have a TON of things on my list that I want to create right away! This week I finally got motivated and checked the first item off my list… Howard B. Wigglebottom! Who doesn’t just love that cute spunky bunny who always seems to teach us so many life lessons!?!

I’m really excited about meeting my new students! A new school year always brings excitement, a new eagerness to explore and learn, and a new classroom “family.” I LOVE this unit because students learn to find the central message in a story, but most importantly they will learn some of my expectations for the school year!

Throughout this unit, I plan to add the central message of each story to an anchor chart like this…

At the beginning of the year I REALLY teach my students the importance of whole body listening! Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns to Listen is the perfect story to go along with this skill!

Group work is also extremely important in my classroom. My students work in groups A LOT!!!! I have learned my lesson in the past, and I realize how important it is to actually teach students appropriate behaviors and what I expect of them when they are working with their classmates. I have learned that TEACHING students to work in groups the first week of school makes all the difference in successful teamwork throughout the year. Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns about Sportsmanship is the perfect anchor for learning about teamwork.

Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns About Bullies is another great book that teaches the importance of standing up to bullies and reporting bullying to the teacher. I love the Horton twin craft that goes with this story!!

The last activity in this unit goes along with the book Howard B. Wigglebottom Listens to His Heart. I love this story because it reminds us that we don’t have to stop doing what we love to fit in. The activity that goes along with this book is perfect for discovering what exactly makes your new students happy