In first and second grade your students are learning more than just academics. Beyond each math, science, and reading lesson, they are learning about the world around them and their roles in this world.
As educators, one of the very important lessons we hope our young students learn is that they matter! Moreover, that each kid realizes that their individual and unique qualities matter! That’s why we love the book You Matter by Christian Robinson.
You Matter Read Aloud Activities
As with most books that you read in first and second grade, it helps to have a read aloud companion to support learning. Therefore, we have created a complete read aloud that has several read aloud activities for You Matter.
However, before we share with you all of these wonderful activities we want to share with you more about this book. That way, if this is your first introduction to You Matter you will know the meaning behind the book. Therefore, you can be better prepared to teach it to your kids.
You Matter Meaning
You Matter is a delightful children’s book that celebrates the value of each individual. It encourages young readers to be themselves and embrace their own unique qualities.
The author, Christian Robinson, does an excellent job of helping students explore the themes of self-love, individuality, and community throughout the book. By the end of the story, your students will understand that every single person is important, and special, and has something unique to contribute to the world.
Your students will be able to further connect with these themes and apply them to their own lives through using our You Matter read aloud activities.
Learn more about our read aloud lesson plans here.
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You Matter Lesson Plans
When it comes to making a read aloud effective we always consider how the activities will support both the students and the teachers! Therefore, all of our read alouds come complete with detailed lesson plans.
These detailed lesson plans help you as the teacher to easily plan for the week and effectively implement the activities. All within the time frame of the school day! No extra outside time is needed with our read alouds.
Moreover, each read aloud includes lesson plans that can be used to teach the book for three to five days. This further supports you as the teacher because it provides you with reading activities for an entire week of school.
A week of reading activities is also great for your kids. This format provides students with several opportunities to revisit the story. Revisiting the story helps them to further comprehend the meaning of the book.
Are you ready to see the activities that you will find in the lesson plan for You Matter? Let’s take a look!
Digital Read Aloud for You Matter by Christian Robison
We have provided you with two different formats for the You Matter Read Aloud: digital and printable. You choose what works best for your classroom.
The digital read aloud for this book is an excellent option for educators, as well as busy parents who are using this book as part of their homeschool curriculum. Each of these reading activities is designed to support reading comprehension in first and second graders
To use these digital activities, simply upload them into Seesaw or Google Slides. Beyond the digital platform you select, these activities can be taught in several ways. Each activity can be taught as a whole group, in small groups, or used for independent learning. However, we have suggested the best format for each activity.
Whole Class Learning Activities for You Matter
The central theme of You Matter is the importance of self-love and individuality. The book encourages children to embrace their own unique qualities and to celebrate the diversity of others.
Throughout the book, the author invites readers to think about their place in the world and to consider how they can make a positive impact on those around them. To support students in learning this message we created two comprehension activities:
- Times When You Matter
- Things That Make You Matter
Even though these are posed as individual questions, we suggest using them at the beginning of the week as a whole group activity. This helps support students as they first read the book. In addition, it helps introduce another important theme.
You Matter Reading Comprehension Activities
Another important theme of You Matter is the idea of community and connection. Robinson reminds readers that we are all connected to each other in meaningful ways and that we all need each other to thrive.
The book encourages readers to think about their own communities, whether that be their family, school, or neighborhood, and to consider how they can make a positive impact on those around them.
Beyond the powerful words, Robinson uses illustrations to support this theme. The illustrations show diverse groups of people coming together, emphasizing the idea that we are all part of a larger community and that we all have a role to play in making the world a better place.
Our What We Learned: The Text Showed / The Illustration Showed activity helps students engage with these illustrations. This teaches students that they can learn just as much from the visual text as they can from the written text.
While these activities are designed with whole-class learning in mind they can also be used in small groups. You choose what is best for your students and classroom structure.
Individual Response to Text Activities for You Matter
As we have shared, one of the most powerful messages of You Matter is the idea that every person has something special to offer. Robinson encourages readers to embrace their own unique qualities, talents, and interests, and to share them with the world.
By celebrating individuality, the book promotes a sense of self-love and confidence in children. Robinson also highlights the importance of recognizing and valuing the differences in others, showing readers that everyone has something to offer and that we are all important.
One of the ways to support this idea of everyone having something important to share is through individual response to text activities.Here are three response-to-text activities we have included in this read aloud:
- Individual Response to Text: What are Some Things That Make You Feel Like You Matter?
- I Matter… Draw or Write your responses
- More Literacy Activities for You Matter
Even though each student responds on their own to these questions, they provide you with additional material for speaking and listening. Students can share their responses with their peers. This helps each student see how they are unique.
Additional Reading Resources for You Matter
In addition to the reading comprehension activities in this read aloud packet we have also included other supplemental materials. Below are three other types of additional reading activities that are included
- Context Vocabulary to support language development during reading.
- Retelling Puppets to help students verbally demonstrate their understanding of the book.
- Quiz to assess student understanding of the book at the end of the unit.
Printable Read Aloud for You Matter
The printable read aloud for You Matter is another great option. Just like the digital companion, it can be used by teachers or parents for first and second grade students.
This printable resource is full of the same reading comprehension activities as the digital version. The only difference is that these interactive activities take a bit more preparation.
However, even though you will need to print these worksheets they are perfect for those who want to give students a break from the screen. They are also a great option if you simply enjoy the hands-on work of printable worksheets.
You Matter Read Aloud for 1st and 2nd Grade
You Matter by Christian Robinson is a truly beautiful and uplifting children’s book. With its celebration of self-love, individuality, and community we think it is a book that all kids in first and second grade can learn from.
We know that it can take time for kids to truly connect with a book. Simply reading it one time is not enough and that’s why the read aloud companion for You Matter is essential.
Whether you choose to use the digital or printable version of this read aloud we know that your students will appreciate learning this powerful message. Moreover, we know that you will appreciate knowing your students are continuing to develop their reading skills!
