Writing, Vocabulary, and a STEM Design Challenge That’s Full of Imagination!
If your students love dreaming up wild inventions and “what if” scenarios, If I Built a School activites to go along with the book by Chris Van Dusen is going to be a classroom hit. This read-aloud is bursting with energy, imagination, and the kind of creative details that spark lively discussion from the very first page.
I read this book for end of year read aloud lessons or back to school reading sessions as a way to talk about our hopes and memories about our school and to practice making text-to-self connections. But the best part? It leads beautifully into a writing and STEM project that gets kids designing, labeling, writing, and working together — all while thinking about what makes a school truly great.
Why I Love If I Built a School book activities
This book is a whirlwind of rhyming fun and colorful illustrations, but it also has depth. It opens up thoughtful conversations about student-centered learning, creativity, and what we value in our school community. The main character imagines a school with hover desks, a zoo, sky-high lunchrooms, and more. My students start dreaming up underwater classrooms, schools shaped like dinosaurs, and hallways filled with trampolines — and honestly, I’m here for it.
As a teacher, I love how this book supports writing, STEM, and SEL all at once. We talk about designing a space where everyone feels excited to learn — and what that means for each student.
If I Built A School Activities – STEM Project: Design and Build a Dream School
This activity is the star of the show! Students use a set of planning pages to brainstorm and sketch their dream school before they dive into the hands-on fun of actually designing it. The process builds planning, problem-solving, and creative expression all at once. Let students pair up: it naturally builds collaboration and gets them thinking about teamwork in design. I usually display the final designs as a bulletin work.
FOR A LOW-PREP VERSION OF THIS STEM PROJECT, VISIT THE FULL RESOURCE PAGE IN MY TPT STORE.
If I Built A School Activities to Practice New Vocabulary
We know how much students love puzzles — so I’ve included vocabulary activities that are fun and meaningful. Students can reinforce key words from the book with a themed crossword puzzle, a word search, and matching activities that keep early finishers engaged or give extra practice to small groups. I use these pages in morning tubs or as a literacy center the day after we read the book aloud. It’s an easy way to sneak in some extra word work!
Final Thoughts
This If I Built a School activity pack is a fantastic mix of imagination, engineering, literacy, and fun. Your students will light up with ideas, and you’ll love seeing how much creativity and thoughtfulness they bring to their dream schools. It’s the kind of project that sticks with them — and becomes one of those “remember when” classroom moments.
