The Day You Begin Activities & Lesson Plans (2026)

By Deedee Wills
Updated on July 2
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Looking for The Day You Begin activities that make your first weeks of school meaningful and easy to plan? You’re in the right place. The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson, beautifully illustrated by Rafael López, is one of my favorite back-to-school read-alouds for building classroom community.

In this post, I’ll walk you through daily reading comprehension activities for kindergarten and primary teachers: visualizing, inferring, author’s purpose, making connections, opinion writing, and vocabulary. Everything is grounded in the Science of Reading, because comprehension starts with listening comprehension, and this book is perfect for it.

I’ve also pulled together ready-to-go lesson plans, discussion prompts, and a craft so you can spend less time planning and more time teaching

What is The Day You Begin about?

The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson is a picture book about a girl named Angelina who feels different on her first day of school. Its message: when we share our own stories, we find connection and belonging. It’s perfect for back-to-school read-alouds in K–2.

Woodson tells us that the day we truly start living is when we realize that even though we may be different from everyone else, sharing our own stories gives us a special place in the world. When Angelina walks into the classroom, she sees students who aren’t quite like her. It’s wonderful to find friends who are similar to us — but when we share our stories, we discover how much we have in common, too.

With Woodson’s lyrical words and López’s beautiful illustrations, the book shows that being on the outside can feel scary, but once we start sharing our own lives and stories, others will listen and we won’t feel alone anymore. This picture book carries an important message, and it’s the perfect way to start the first week of school.

The Day You Begin Read-Aloud Comprehension Activities

Each week we select a text and dive deep into discussing and thinking about the story. We love finding children’s literature that gets to be read again and again, and The Day You Begin is a perfect book for the beginning of the school year (or any time of year). Through thought-provoking questions, we can begin teaching reading comprehension even at the very start of the year. Remember: reading comprehension begins with listening comprehension, and this inspiring book is fantastic for it.

How do you teach visualizing with The Day You Begin?

As you read The Day You Begin aloud, ask students to create mental pictures in their heads, then talk about what they visualize. Many young students get used to seeing the illustrations in read-aloud books — but asking them to close their eyes and make their own mental picture is so important for building comprehension.

Here is the discussion prompt we use for this activity:

Readers visualize pictures in their heads. The author described how Angelina was remembering her summer. Draw and write about what you are visualizing.

You’ll find this and every other prompt in the comprehension question prompts.

How do you teach inferring with The Day You Begin?

New skills like inferring are easily taught during read-aloud time, so it’s time for students to put on their detective hats! We ask open-ended questions that make kids think and draw conclusions based on the book.

Get them to infer how the characters feel, what they’re thinking, and what their experiences are like. It’s all about reading between the lines and discovering meaning.

What is the author’s purpose in The Day You Begin?

Discuss why Jacqueline Woodson wrote The Day You Begin and what she wanted readers to take away. How does the book’s message about inclusivity, and empathy relate to our own lives? This activity gets kids thinking and reflecting on why these ideas matter.

How do students make connections to The Day You Begin?

Making connections is a comprehension strategy that works with just about any book. Students may connect to a similar event in their own life or to another book they’ve read. Encourage them to share their own experiences and relate them to the characters in the story.

It’s all about finding similarities and differences, making connections, and understanding one another better. Here is the connection prompt we use for this book:

Some of the children in the book felt like they were not like anyone else. Have you ever felt the way they did?

Opinion writing prompts for The Day You Begin

Each week we ask students to think about their opinions. This is a great way to expose them to the difference between opinion writing and other types of writing. Sometimes we simply ask them to talk and write about their favorite part; other times we give a prompt tailored to the book. This activity boosts critical thinking and persuasive writing skills.

Here is the opinion prompt we used for The Day You Begin:

Do you think “The Day You Begin” is a good title for this story? Why or why not?

The Day You Begin Vocabulary Activities

Don’t forget the words! Throughout these activities, we shine a spotlight on rich vocabulary from the book. We explore words like triumph and unfamiliar together, so kids understand their meanings, use them in discussions, and put them to work in their own writing. Words are power!

If you’re new to teaching vocabulary alongside your read-aloud lessons, don’t worry — it’s all planned out for you, complete with printable vocabulary activities.

The Day You Begin Craft Idea

We always like to include a craft in each of our read-aloud lessons. I like to attach one of the response pages or a sentence-study activity to the art.

For this book, I encouraged students to create their own watercolor masterpieces inspired by The Day You Begin. It’s hands-on fun that ties everything together, and these watercolor pieces a great way to show our originality.

The Day You Begin Read-Aloud Video

Nothing beats hearing National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson read her own book! This New York Times bestseller, illustrated by award-winning artist Rafael López, is an amazing read-aloud to use with your young readers.

This inclusive story carries an empowering message of inclusivity and empathy. It’s perfect for those first days of school when everyone wants to feel like they belong. Trying new things or being the new kid can be daunting, but this lyrical book offers bright, hopeful possibilities.

Free vs. Done-for-You: The Day You Begin Lesson Plans

Not sure whether to build your own lessons or grab The Day You Begin book companion lessons? Here’s exactly what’s free in this post versus what’s in the done-for-you pack:

What you get free in this post	What’s in the lesson plan bundle
3 sample discussion prompts	5 days of comprehension lesson plans
Overview of comprehension strategies	Printable response pages for every strategy
Vocabulary overview	Detailed vocabulary lessons and printables
Craft idea description	Step-by-step craft templates
	Comprehension & vocabulary assessments

Save hours with the done-for-you bundle. If you’d rather skip the planning, The Day You Begin Lesson Plans has comprehension prompts, vocabulary, writing pages, assessments, and a craft!

Get the Free Editable Lesson Plan Template

Want the exact template I use to plan my read-aloud week? Click the lesson plan image below to download it free from my Google Drive. It’s fully editable, so you can make it your own in just a few minutes. Easy!

Frequently Asked Questions

What grade level is The Day You Begin for? The Day You Begin is recommended for ages 5–9 and works beautifully as a read-aloud in kindergarten through third grade. The discussion deepens with older students, but kindergartners connect easily with Angelina’s feelings about her first day.

What are the main themes in The Day You Begin? The book explores belonging, diversity, empathy, and self-acceptance. Its central message is that sharing our own stories helps us connect with others and find our place in the world.

Who wrote and illustrated The Day You Begin? The Day You Begin was written by National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by award-winning artist Rafael López.

What other books go well with The Day You Begin? Pair it with other back-to-school community-building read-alouds like Chrysanthemum, Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, and The Dot — all linked below.