If I Built a school free Activities

Integrate STEM, Writing, and Literacy in your classroom!

Engage students with a real world STEM activity where they learn about how engineering and architecture work. Students imagine what it would be like to design and build their own school!

The Engineering Design Process:

In this STEM activity, students receive instructions to imagine how they would build their own school. They follow the six step Engineering Design Process: Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, Experiment, Improve.

Connect to a Read Aloud: If I Built a School by Chris Van Dusen

This STEM Project is a companion activity to If I Built a School by Chris Van Dusen. It's an amazing book to engage student imagination about how they would build a school.

Writing Extension:

After completing the STEM project, a writing activity is included for students to write about the school they designed and built.

Aligns to Common Core and NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards)!

Option 1 Material List:

  • Straws
  • Tape
  • Scissors
  • Crayons, Colored Pencils, and Markers
  • If I Built a School by Chris Van Dusen (Recommended)

Option 2 Material List:

  • Straws and Connectors
  • Scissors
  • Crayons, Colored Pencils, and Markers
  • If I Built a School by Chris Van Dusen (Recommended)

Includes:

  • Teacher Instructions (with example photos)
  • Student STEM Journal
  • Student Instructions (2 Options)
  • Vocabulary Words
  • Engineering Design Process Worksheets
  • Writing Extension
  • CCSS Standards
  • NGSS Standards
  • Google Classroom Distance Learning Easel Activity Version

This resource is designed for:

Amazing resource for STEM club, STEM teachers, Librarians, Makerspaces, and Elementary Teachers who want to create a hands-on educational environment in their classroom!

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by Chris Van Dusen

In this exuberant companion to If I Built a Car, a boy fantasizes about his... read more

20 Total Resources 1 Awards View Text Complexity Discover Like Books

  • Grade
  • PK-2
  • Genre
  • Picture Book

Year Published 2019

Word Count 646

  • Text Complexity
  • Lexile Level: 610L
  • ATOS Reading Level: 3.4
  • AR Quiz Numbers
  • Quiz 504024, 0.5 AR Points

  • Curricular Area
  • English Language Arts
  • STEAM
  • Subject Headings
  • JUVENILE FICTION / Imagination & Play
  • Juvenile Fiction | Imagination & Play
  • Stories in rhyme
  • Schools--Fiction
  • Juvenile Fiction | School & Education
  • JUVENILE FICTION / Art & Architecture
  • Juvenile Fiction | Art
  • Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction
  • JUVENILE FICTION / School & Education
  • Imagination--Fiction

  • Lists With This Book
  • Back to School Picture Books
  • Sample: Skyline Math Texts

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Our Original Resources 4

Meet-the-Author Recording with Chris Van Dusen about If I Built a School

Created by TeachingBooks

Listen to the Recording (04:57)

Audio Name Pronunciation with Chris Van Dusen

Created by TeachingBooks

Listen to the Audio (00:34)

Story Map Multi-Leveled Lesson

Created by TeachingBooks

Create Lesson

Submit Qualitative Text Complexity Rubric

Created by TeachingBooks

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About the Author 4

If I Built a school free Activities

Chris Van Dusen page on TeachingBooks

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Personal Website for Chris Van Dusen

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Blog for Chris Van Dusen

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Audio Name Pronunciation with Chris Van Dusen

Created by TeachingBooks

Listen to the Audio (00:34)

Author Interviews 8

Meet-the-Author Recording with Chris Van Dusen

Created by TeachingBooks

Listen to the Recording (04:57)

If I Built a school free Activities

Texas Bluebonnet Award acceptance speech by Chris Van Dusen

Created by Texas Bluebonnet Award

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If I Built a school free Activities

Interview with Chris Van Dusen

Created by Texas Bluebonnet Award

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If I Built a school free Activities

Interview with Chris Van Dusen

Created by We Are Teachers

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If I Built a school free Activities

Interview with Chris Van Dusen

Created by Candlewick Press

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If I Built a school free Activities

Interview with Chris Van Dusen

Created by Reading Rockets

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If I Built a school free Activities

Interview with Chris Van Dusen

Created by Mackin Community

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If I Built a school free Activities

Interview with Chris Van Dusen

Created by Art of the Picture Book

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Book Guides, Activities & Lessons 6

Story Map Multi-Leveled Lesson

Created by TeachingBooks

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Teaching Ideas from Raising Readers

Created by Raising Readers

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If I Built a school free Activities

Activities from Penguin Classroom

Created by Penguin Classroom

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Primary Reading Response Activity from Reading Power Gear

Created by Reading Power Gear

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Intermediate Reading Response Activity from Reading Power Gear

Created by Reading Power Gear

View on Reading Power Gear

If I Built a school free Activities

Prompt from Penguin Classroom

Created by Penguin Classroom

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Book Trailers 1

If I Built a school free Activities

Video Book Trailer from Texas Bluebonnet Award

Created by Texas Bluebonnet Award

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Awards & Distinctions 1

If I Built a school free Activities

ILA Children’s Choices Reading List, 2015-2020

Selection, 2020

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Images courtesy of publishers, organizations, and sometimes their Twitter handles.