MaiStoryBook Library

MaiStoryBookLibrary: The Pigeon HAS to Go to School + *Pigeon Pinwheel* Craft

by MaiStoryBook

Introducing a back-to-school read aloud, perfect for addressing any back-to-school anxieties, featured in MaiStoryBook Library Collection:

“The Pigeon HAS to Go to School” by Mo Willems

Book Synopsis and Review

The Pigeon is back, and this time~ it’s time to go to school! But Pigeon insists that he already knows *everything*…so why does he *have* to go to school? Plus, what if the teacher doesn’t like pigeons, or he doesn’t make friends, or what if there is math or too many letters or too much to learn?? Maybe Pigeon doesn’t know *everything* after all, and if only there were a place for him to practice and learn all of these things… Maybe a place called **School**. But wait, how does one even get to school??? Join Pigeon as he tackles anxieties about school, and rings up the courage and determination to make this the best school year ever.

Typical of any Mo Willems book, “The Pigeon HAS to Go to School” includes the perfect balance of humor relief while also addressing anxieties and problems that little ones may experience day to day. Going to back to school, or especially going to school for *the first time* can be scary! There are sooo many unknowns: so many new people, new places, new routines. School is essentially designed to be a place you will go where there will be *A Lot* you *Don’t Know*~ since the goal is for you to *~learn~*. But not knowing can be stressful, and Pigeon depicts this stress and anxiety perfectly, mirroring for little ones fears that they may be having themselves and helping them put those *icky* feelings into concrete words. However, with exaggerated illustrations and Pigeon reactions, author Mo Willems introduces elements of laughter, relieving some anxiety as he leads little readers to realize~ if you ever have any questions, school is the best place to go to find all the answers~* Highly recommend for any Back-to-School prep, especially for littles just starting school *But I’d personally read this for any age!*

Vocabulary

  • Rats (p. 1) “aww, man” – something you say when you are a little upset
  • Heavy (p. 24) very big and hard to pick up because it weighs so much
  • Stress (p. 24) when your tummy or head hurts because you are worried bout doing something or have too much to do
  • Practice (p. 25) trying to do something again and again to get better at it
  • Expert (p. 26) someone who knows a lot, almost everything, about one thing

Themes/ Main Ideas

  • School is the best place to go to learn something new and find answers.
  • It’s ok to feel anxious and have questions about starting something new. but the best way to overcome these feelings is to try it out!

YouTube Video: Guided Shared-Reading Read Aloud Example

Example of a shared-reading, interactive Read Aloud of “The Pigeon HAS to Go to School” – how to subtly introduce the vocabulary list words within the text, ask guided questions, and spark conversation!

*~Check it Out~*

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*Pigeon Pinwheel: Back-to-School & Feelings* Activity

I’m heading back to school in a couple weeks, and teaching a *New* Grade: 5th grade! Waaaay different than mai firsties, from the year before…so I’d say I’m feeling a *bit* anxious for the upcoming school year. I had to move classrooms- to an upstairs, second-story room ~supposedly with an ocean view~ and mai new room is oh-so-slowly coming along. First goal: set up the room and have all the furniture in place. Next goal: figure out the curriculum and grasp what exactly do 5th graders need to learn. Final goal before school starts: Plan out the *First Day of School*. With a new grade level, new room, new curriculum, new students, and new age group, I have a ton of *What if…* questions circling around in mai head, and just like Pigeon, I definitely have moments where I feel like mai head might just *pop off!* But step, by step, and with the help of *mai* favorite volunteers and a supportive new grade-level-team, everything for the new school year is starting to settle into place. After all, the best way to tackle unknowns and anxious feelings over something new is to give it your best try! For this week’s craft, join MaiStoryBook to create your very own *Pigeon Pinwheels* to share your own back-to-school experiences and feelings about the new school year!

Materials

Directions

  • Download your *Pigeon Pinwheel* Activity template
  • Choose the *Has to Go to School Wheel Pinwheel* or the *Feelings Pinwheel*.
  • Then, choose the black and white- for you to color in yourself, or the colored version. (If you choose the color version, follow the same directions, except without the coloring in)
  • Print out the pieces: Pigeon head, legs, wings, Cover Wheel, Writing Wheel
  • Cut out the pieces: The cover wheel, the writing wheel, the pigeon head, wings, and feet.
  •  If you are using the black and white copy, color in the pigeon pieces and the cover wheel.
  • Prepare the Cover Wheel: **All pigeon parts will be glued to the back of the cover wheel **
  • Cut out the skinny trapezoid piece on the cover wheel, so there is a skinny trapezoid gap that will show the written wheel underneath.
  • Glue the head to the back of the top of the cover wheel.
  • Glue the two legs to the bottom.
  • Glue the two wings to the LEFT side of the wheel, opposite of the trapezoid gap. *Don’t glue a wing on the right and cover the trapezoid gap.
  • Prepare the Writing Wheel: Fill in the writing prompts and add any color. For the *Feelings* wheel, fill in the facial expressions on the faces to match the feeling, then color. For the *Has to Go to School* Wheel, fill in the writing prompts and color. For the “My Teacher” write the teachers name and/or draw a picture of the teacher. 
  • Line up the cover wheel circle on top of the written circle. Place a fastener through the black dot in the middle. 
  • Spin the wheel to share your Back to School adventures, or your Feelings

Enjoy Your *Pigeon Pinwheel* Activity!

  • Share your Has-to-Go-to-School Pinwheel craft with a family member or friend and tell them about your Back to School experience or your First Day of School.
  • Display your Has-to-Fo-to-School Pinwheel craft to remind yourself about your awesome day at school!
  • Share your Feelings Pinwheel craft with a family member or friend and talk about how you are feeling that day and why. Ask someone how they are feeling and why.
  • Re-read the story and use your feelings wheel to match what feelings Pigeon may be having throughout the book.

*~Overall, have a fun back-to-school adventure with the *Pigeon Pinwheel* crafts and read aloud,  and I hope you and your little ones have the best back-to-school experience this year!  – tag me on Instagram @MaiStoryBookLibrary, Twitter @MaiStoryBook  – or post on FaceBook to share your photos of your own *Pigeon Pinwheels*, and your own back-to-school and reading adventures! I’d love to hear from you!~*

*~Until next time, Happy Reading~*