Meaningfully build literacy and social-emotional skills while exploring friendship, belonging, and navigating change with Penelope Rex vs. the New Kid activities. Students can sequence the story, identify problem and solution and cause and effect, explore main idea and details, compare characters, and strengthen vocabulary and comprehension skills. Creative activities like designing character backpacks, illustrating story scenes, and participating in a talent circle encourage students to think about what makes each person special. Perfect for Back to School, welcoming a new student, or working through interpersonal challenges, these activities help students recognize their feelings, appreciate others’ strengths, and make room for everyone to belong.

As a result of the included activities, students will be able to:

• Color the characters.
• Design a backpack for the characters.
• Illustrate story scenes.
• Sequence the story.
• Determine the problem and solution.
• Determine a cause and effect from the story.
• Write about the main idea and details.
• Alphabetize words from the story.
• Write character traits.
• Compare and contrast the characters.
• Apply Writing Skills with included writing templates and prompts.
• Practice Reading Comprehension with included discussion questions for the beginning, middle, and end of the book.
• Engage in Social Skills with included whole group prompts and activities.
• Develop Fine Motor Skills with included coloring, tracing, cutting, and gluing activities.
• Participate in a talent circle.
• Use digital tools to identify and sort characteristics.

With these activities, students strengthen literacy skills while discovering that someone else’s chance to shine doesn’t make their own light any less bright.

🦖 There’s room for more than one dino to shine! These learning activities build literacy while helping students navigate friendship, change, and making room for someone new.

🦖 After downloading the Penelope Rex vs. the New Kid activities, enjoy the story with your Novel Effect soundscape and bring Penelope and Patty’s dino-sized feelings to life!

About the Book and Soundscape

Penelope Rex likes being the only dinosaur at school. And then, another dino joins her class! Penelope and Patty’s big feelings are brought to life as a music box, marimba, and bassoon trade playful melodies, and add extra personality to a story about fitting in, standing out, and making room for someone new.

Add the book to your classroom collection for a funny, relatable way to talk about friendship, belonging, and what happens when someone new changes the dynamic.