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Lesson Plans and Teaching Resources for Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

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Use Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst to strengthen your students' comprehension skills, build their vocabulary, and help them understand how words work.

Things go from bad to worst for Alexander in this highly-relatable book that's sure to entertain and engage even the most reluctant of readers. Through pairing this classic read aloud with comprehension strategy minilessons, you'll teach students how to ask meaningful questions, make strong connections to the text, and you'll support them as they retell and summarize the text. Additionally, this collection of teaching resources includes a lesson plan focused on compound words along with vocabulary development resources and two assessments.
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Explore lesson plans and activities to help you teach with Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day in the drop down below.

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Asking Questions with Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

This minilesson and set of student resources draw upon students' natural curiosity about Alexander and the reasons why he's having such a bad day. Follow the page-specific prompts to help students practice asking questions about Alexander's choices then dig into the text to find evidence of why his decisions are impacting his day.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.2.1,RL.2.10,RF.2.3,RF.2.4,SL.2.1b,SL.2.1c,SL.2.2,SL.2.3,W.2.8,L.2.6
TEKS Alignment
2.7C,2.13G,2.13E,2.13C,2.13A,2.8C,2.7F,2.7E,2.7D,2.1A,2.7B,2.6I,2.6E,2.6B,2.6A,2.1D,2.1C
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Making Connections with Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

This lesson plan is a perfect pick for young readers who are beginning to make text-to-self connections. They'll be able to relate to Alexander and connect to a time when they have had a terrible, no good day.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.2.2,RL.2.10,RF.2.3,RF.2.4,SL.2.1b,SL.2.2,SL.2.3,W.2.8,L.2.6
TEKS Alignment
2.1A,2.1C,2.1D,2.6A,2.6E,2.6I,2.7A,2.7B,2.7C,2.7D,2.7E,2.7F,2.8C,2.13C,2.13E,2.13G
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Retelling & Summarizing with Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

The characters, events, and problems in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Dayare clearly defined, making the book an excellent selection for a minilesson focused on retelling and summarizing. Use this set of teaching resources to focus on important story elements including problems, character details, events, and setting.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.2.2,RL.2.3,RL.2.5,RL.2.7,RL.2.10,RF.2.3,RF.2.4,SL.2.1b,SL.2.2,SL.2.3,W.2.8,L.2.6
TEKS Alignment
2.7D,2.13G,2.13E,2.13C,2.9C,2.8D,2.8C,2.8A,2.7F,2.7E,2.1A,2.7C,2.7B,2.7A,2.6I,2.6G,2.6A,2.1D,2.1C
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Compound Words with Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

This word work lesson plan and set of teaching resources use Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst as a springboard for instruction focused on compound words.

By anchoring word study to the text, students will benefit from seeing how compound words are used inside of the text before engaging in both guided and independent practice with words.

Common Core State Standards Alignment
RF.2.3,RF.2.4
TEKS Alignment
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Vocabulary Connections with Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Before your students can successfully comprehend and enjoy Alexander's story, they must be able to decode new vocabulary used in the story. When you choose any of our comprehension strategy packs, you'll also receive resources and activities that support vocabulary growth through fun and productive interactions with new words. Download these resources to pre-teach Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary words.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
L.2.4a,L.2.5a,L.2.6
TEKS Alignment
2.7E,2.7F,2.3A,2.3B,2.3D
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Comprehension Assessment with Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Use this Common Core aligned comprehension assessment to evaluate students' comprehension of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment
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Running Record with Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Use this "done for you" Running Record to assess oral reading fluency of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Track meaning, structure, and visual accuracy using the first 100 words of the text to determine whether or not this book is a good fit for the readers in your classroom.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment
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Cause and Effect Matching with Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Read Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day then have some fun matching cause and effect sentences from the book. By using these cause and effect cards, students will demonstrate both their comprehension of the text and their understanding of cause and effect relationships in hands-on and interactive way.

This resource includes matching/sorting cards and a sorting mat for four cause and effect sentences in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Each cause card is marked with a square and each effect card is marked with a circle, making it easy to support students who struggle with matching cause and effect relationships.
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Cause and Effect Sentence Stems with Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Understanding cause and effect is a key comprehension and language skill. The text structure of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day includes several examples of cause and effect relationships, making it easy to use as a springboard for modeling or independent practice.

This simple resource includes four sentence stems. Each sentence stem presents an effect. Students will use what they know about the book to fill in the cause of the effect.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment
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True or False with Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

In Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Alexander suffers from no less than a dozen mishaps. This worksheet tests how well students can recall the events of Alexander's terrible day by asking them to mark true or false next to a list of possible events from the book.
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Asking Questions with Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
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Making Connections with Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
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Retelling & Summarizing with Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
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True or False with Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Spanish)

Worksheet
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About the Book

Horrible
Title: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Author: Judith Viorst
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Themes: Perseverance, Self Awareness, Family, Self Management, Laugh Out Loud
ISBN: 9780689711732
Publisher's Summary:
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst is a beloved picture book that resonates deeply with children and educators alike. The story centers on Alexander, a young boy who encounters one mishap after another from the moment he wakes up with gum in his hair. Throughout his day, Alexander faces a series of frustrations: his brothers get the best prizes from the cereal box, he gets the worst seat in the carpool, and things only seem to worsen at school and home. Despite his mounting irritations and feelings of being misunderstood, Alexander's honest reactions provide a humorous yet heartfelt look at childhood disappointments.

Set in a familiar, everyday world, the book's relatable situations and Alexander's candid emotions make it an excellent springboard for classroom conversations about resilience, empathy, and managing frustration. Children will recognize themselves in Alexander and find comfort in the book's affirmation that everyone has tough days. The repetitive refrain about moving to Australia adds playful humor, while the gentle message from Alexander's mother at the end assures readers that bad days happen to everyone, everywhere. This classic story is perfect for helping students discuss feelings, build coping skills, and develop social-emotional understanding in an accessible, age-appropriate way.
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