Are you a speech-language pathologist or classroom teacher looking for Chester’s Way read aloud activities? You’ve stumbled upon the right place! Kevin Henkes is one of my favorite children’s book authors! When I was attending the University of Kentucky, I was lucky enough to see him speak. My children’s literature professor gave me tickets and he was everything I ever imagined! He’s seriously amazing! Throughout the years, I’ve talked about Wemberly and Lilly… but today is all about Chester!
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Chester’s Way Read Aloud Activities for Back to School
Chester’s Way by Kevin Henkes is such an endearing story. Chester is very particular. He cuts his sandwiches the same way every day, he double-knots his shoes (me too!), and eats the same breakfast over and over again. I guess we can say, the safe side is where he likes to be. haha
Everything is all good….. until Lilly moves into his neighborhood! This is the first book that Lilly appears in and what a grand introduction she receives! It’s truly a delightful story of change, friendship, and it demonstrates that life begins outside of your comfort zone. These themes make this the perfect back to school read aloud! It’s perfect for building classroom community and diving into a variety of social-emotional topics.
Speech and Language Skills to Target with Chester’s Way
There are so many ways you can use this story with your students!
1. Social Skills – Chester isn’t very flexible at first. You can talk about flexibility, perspective taking, manners, and so much more!
2. Articulation – /ch/ and /l/ sounds!
3. Compare/Contrast – Chester and Lilly are so different, but yet they have a few things in common! These are two great characters to discuss!
4. Character Development – Talk about how characters change throughout the story! This is the perfect book for honing in on character traits.
5. When Questions – Ask about what the characters like to do in the spring, summer, fall, and winter!
Chester’s Way Book Companion Activities
I’ve also created a literature lap book companion for this book! It can be found in The Speech is Sweet Club (along with 36 other lap book companions) and in my TPT store (and in a reading bundle that saves 50%)! I absolutely love creating unique, interactive, and fun book companions! I think they’re great for not only literacy-based speech therapy, but also co-teaching in the regular education classroom or special education classroom!
What is a lap book?
Lap books are a collection of interactive materials that are housed in a file folder! They truly allow you to dive deep on a topic and keep all of your information. They’re hands-on, memorable, and fun! If you’re a speech-language pathologist, your students will create their lap books over several sessions. The revisiting of the same picture book over and over again will foster comprehension. If you’re a classroom teacher, students can create their lap books over several days in a literacy center or as a whole group activity!
Interactive Reading Notebook Activities
I’m obsessed with interactive notebooks! I designed these Chester’s Way read aloud activities so that they can be used in an interactive reading or language notebook. These activities are extremely versatile and actually don’t have to be assembled into a lap book. If you would rather your students add these activities into their notebooks, that’s totally fine! You can also skip the notebooks and create one-off activities that can just be glued onto loose-leaf paper or construction paper! This resource allows you to choose your own teaching adventure!
Chester’s Way Read Aloud Interactive Activities
Okay, so let’s take a look at this jam-packed book companion! The front features a little booklet all about the qualifies of a good friend. Teaching young students how to be a good friend is critical! This is an amazing book for teaching character traits. There’s also a flip book that can stand alone. It addresses comparing, sequencing, writing, and comprehension!
The lap book addresses vocabulary, story elements, retelling, and more:
It also addresses describing and WH questions! I made sure there were activity pages for all major language goals!
You can also layer the flip book inside! Glue it down in the middle section and then staple construction paper or loose-leaf paper over it for the remaining Chester’s Way activities! The flip book can even stand alone as its own activity or you can save it for later in the school year if you revisit the story! It provides a comprehensive overview of the story and addresses comparing/contrasting, sequencing, writing, and comprehension questions.
These also make fun little projects for the regular education classroom! Read the story aloud in a whole group and then throughout the week students can work on their lap books during literacy centers or as a whole group! Students can also work on these with a partner – which would be perfect since this story is about friendship! Your students will love these Chester’s Way activities!
Chester’s Way Read Aloud Overview
Chester’s Way is truly a great story choice for the back to school season or year around! It sets the tone for an empathetic classroom and helps teach the importance of flexibility and friendships! It teaches about not only the importance of best friends, but also how to make new friends and expand your horizons.
Where can you find this activity?! There are a few options:
The Speech is Sweet Club – This provides all access to my materials (including all my lap books and over 100 literature flip books)!
Chester’s Way Lap Book Companion
Lap Book Bundle – saves 50%!
Want to read about more lap book companions? Check out these blog posts:
The Art Lesson Activities
Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun Activities
How to Make Articulation Lap Books
Want more back to school inspiration? Check out:
Coming soon
More Kevin Henkes Books
I love using Kevin Henkes books in my speech therapy sessions! He’s a fantastic writer and a Caldecott Medal winning illustrator! His picture books are terrific for fostering kindness, empathy, and creativity in young children. I highly recommend adding them to your lesson plans! Over the years, I’ve blogged about quite a few of this books. I’m working on updating them and will be adding in their links as soon as possible! These are great resources if you’re looking for Kevin Henkes author study activities! Check them out here:
Chrysanthemum Flip Book
Jessica Freebies
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse Activities
Sheila Rae, the Brave Lap Book
Wemberly Worried Freebies and Activities
Have you ever read Chester’s Way in your speech room or classroom? What skills did you address?
Thank you for stopping by! Have a wonderful day!
