Start the school year strong with this engaging Rooted in Reading unit for School’s First Day of School! This week-long resource helps students build foundational reading skills while learning how books work and how to care for them.

Across 5 days of instruction, students will explore key comprehension skills including identifying parts of a book, understanding how to properly handle books, and learning the roles of the author, illustrator, and reader.

Students will also build knowledge through a paired nonfiction reader about one-room schoolhouses, helping them connect past and present learning experiences.

Vocabulary instruction includes picture cards, interactive activities, and journal prompts to support understanding of key vocabulary from the story.

Each day features a Daily Deep Dive using a mentor sentence to guide students in reading closely, editing, and thinking deeply about meaning and structure.

The grammar focus for this unit is writing letters, identifying lowercase and uppercase letters, and understanding vowels and consonants, with 5 days of engaging lessons, activities, and an assessment.

Students will also complete a craft and directed drawing paired with a written response to deepen comprehension and make meaningful connections.

This resource includes:

• 5 days of detailed lesson plans (comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar)
• Comprehension posters, anchor chart templates, and discussion questions
• Response activities, printables, and assessments
• Original nonfiction reader and reading passage
• Vocabulary picture cards, activities, and assessment
• Daily Deep Dive mentor sentence activities
• Grammar lessons, activities, and assessment (Letters, Uppercase/Lowercase, Vowels & Consonants)
• Craft and directed drawing with text-based response