The Bus For Us

The Bus For Us by Suzanne Bloom

Genre: Non-fiction
Grade Level: K-2
Summary: On Tess's first day of school, she wonders what a school bus will look like. Tess waits for the school bus with her older friend Gus. Each time a vehicle drives by she asks, "Is this the bus for us, Gus?" Each time he replies with the correct name of the vehicle. Finally, their bus comes to pick them up.
Theme/Skill: Figuring out what a school bus looks like. Being able to decide what a bus looks like compared to other types of vehicles. Who rides a school bus? Did you already know what a bus looked like before your first time on it? Were you nervous the first  time you rode on a bus?
Pre-reading activities: Using the KWL chart that was constructed and made up before reading the story, and using prior knowledge of what they already knew, what are the uses for the other vehicles in this story?
Post-reading activities: Does everyone ride the school bus to school? If not, what are other ways of getting to school? Which vehicle was your favorite and why?
Assessment: Write a journal entry about your first day of school and getting on the bus. How were you feeling? Where did you sit? Did you meet anyone new or make new friends? Be creative and very descriptive to paint a picture in the readers mind.
Reflection: Helps students think back to a time when they were nervous or excited. They can tell how they overcame that fear or maybe they never rode a school bus before. Students can write about getting dropped off to school by a family member.