Today, we’re diving into the heartwarming and humorous book You Will Be My Friend! by Peter Brown. This delightful children’s book follows the adventures of an enthusiastic young bear named Lucy as she embarks on a mission to make new friends.
The theme of friendship is one of many things students will explore in this book. In addition to exploring the theme of friendship, students will practice core reading and comprehension skills using our You Will Be My Friend Read Aloud.
You Will Be My Friend Activities
Before we dive into the engaging activities included in this read aloud, let’s learn more about the main character of this read aloud – Lucy!
As mentioned above, Lucy is a young bear with A LOT of energy! Waking up full of energy one day, Lucy sets off on an adventure to find a new friend to share the day with. However, Lucy’s eagerness to find a new friend creates some complications.
A bit over-exuberant, Lucy finds herself in some complicated yet hilarious situations. From splashing with the elephants to swinging with monkeys, Lucy tries her hardest to fit in. However, each of these experiences leads to the most important lesson: that true friendship comes when you are yourself.
First and second graders will love joining Lucy on her journey and learning how to make friends while being yourself! Learning these lessons goes beyond just reading the book though. It includes engaging students in thoughtful activities designed to support literacy development.
Let’s peek at the activities we created to do exactly that:
- Reading comprehension questions for before, during, and after reading
- Whole group response to text activities for You Will Be My Friend
- Response to text worksheets for You Will Be My Friend
- You Will Be My Friend writing page
- Vocabulary cards and worksheets related to You Will Be My Friend
- You Will Be My Friend Quiz
- Retelling puppets to demonstrate understanding after reading
- Craftivity template to finish the read aloud
Now that you know what types of activities are included in this read aloud, keep reading to learn more about each activity and the lesson plans provided.
You Will Be My Friend Lesson Plan
Whether you want lesson plans to help with a seamless implementation of the read aloud or you need lesson plans to share with your administrator, we have you covered. This read aloud for You Will Be My Friend comes with a lesson plan for each learning activity. This means you will find a minimum of 3 days of lesson plans!
To adequately support students in learning about the different literary elements in this picture book, we designed lesson plans for at least three different days of instruction. However, if you need a full week’s worth of reading plans, we have you covered!
Keep reading to see what each lesson plan includes and how each can be included in either a three, four, or five day reading schedule.
Day 1 Lesson Plan for Reading You Will Be My Friend
The first day of reading focuses on the core content of the story, such as who the characters are and the plot. This begins with reading comprehension questions that engage students in the book before they even read.
Then, kids continue to engage with Lucy and her story with comprehension questions about the main events of the book. After reading, the whole class will wrap up the first read by answering a few more comprehension questions.
In addition to the lesson plans for this first day of reading, you will find all of the learning materials needed. This includes all of the comprehension questions in either a printable or digital format.
Day 2 of Reading You Will Be My Friend
The second day of reading this picture book invites students to revisit the text. This close read is guided by additional comprehension questions.
The comprehension questions for this day focus on character feelings and craft and structure. Like the first day, these comprehension questions come in a printed or digital format. Moreover, they come with detailed lesson plans to support instruction.
Day 3 You Will Be My Friend Lesson Plan
The third day of lesson plans for You Will Be My Friend focuses on another close read. As students return to the text again, they will focus on how the words and illustrations create meaning in the story.
While this is the final set of reading comprehension questions for You Will Be My Friend, it is not the end of the read aloud activities. In addition to the reading comprehension questions designed for the first three days of learning are additional reading activities.
Reading Activities for You Will Be My Friend
The core of a read aloud is quality comprehension questions. However, the learning doesn’t need to stop there.
Beyond reading comprehension questions, read alouds are wonderful for engaging students in new vocabulary, writing, and speaking and listening. Below are a few learning activities included in this read aloud to support these skills.
- Vocabulary Words
- Writing Prompt
- Retelling Puppets
- Quiz
These additional learning activities can be used in several ways. They can be added to the comprehension questions to keep the read aloud within a three day limit, or they can be added to extend the read aloud for an entire week.
In addition to these activities, you will also find a final assessment in the form of a quiz. This can be used immediately after finishing the reading comprehension questions in the day 3 lesson plan or added as an extra activity at the end of the week.