Engaging Tops and Bottoms Printables and Activities

Tops and Bottoms Printables

Kindergarten teachers and students love the books Tops & Bottoms by Janet Stevens. It is the perfect plant integration book to integrate into your classroom in the spring. Let me walk you through some amazing Tops and Bottoms printables and these Tops and Bottoms activities ideas that you and your students will love.

Let’s start with the resources. You can grab this book here on Amazon. Additionally, you can watch this on YouTube here.

Overview of Tops and Bottoms

Let’s go over a quick overview of this amazing book. This Janet Stevens’ picture book is about a lazy bear who has his own land and has lots of money. He is not a smart business bear and does not want to grow his own crops. Now, with many opposite character traits is a clever hare who is going through a hard time and wants to hard work to make money. They become business partners to grow crops and make money. They will split the profits. And the bear can either keep his choice of the tops or the bottoms, hence the name of this book. But just wait for the end of the story. 

Now let’s dive into literacy centers, reading resources, and lesson plans with all things Tops & Bottoms. 

Reading Comprehension Game Tops and Bottoms:

Reading comprehension can be hard to check for understanding with students for so many reasons. That is, until now. Check out this fun reading comprehension game for Tops & Bottoms. One of my students’ favorite activities is Tops and Bottoms book activities with a captivating reading comprehension questions game because it is a game and not just questions. Featuring 32 thought-provoking questions and an answer key, this activity facilitates discussions and enhances comprehension skills.

You can send this home for parents to play with their children or to use with parent volunteers in the classroom. This is a fantastic way to keep track of who has a good sense of reading comprehension of this book. I use a class list and give students a check mark for the answers they get correct and an X for those they miss. Then I can get a percentage of each student’s accuracy. 

Sequence Printable for Tops and Bottoms:

Help students grasp the sequencing events in Tops & Bottoms with sequence cards and printables. By arranging the cards in the correct order, students promote literacy skills and sequencing abilities. This hands-on activity reinforces comprehension while providing a visual aid for understanding story structure. 

First, we read this book together. Then, we like to do this together using a pocket chart. Finally, we allow our students to use the sequencing printable on their own. You will get a color-rich version as well as a black-and-white printable.

Many standards include completing this with prompting and support, so keep in mind that we may need some help completing these activities. It is also acceptable to allow students to use the book to refer back to for accuracy. 

Tops and Bottoms Writing Center:

Integrating writing into a story and characters we love is always fun. Check out these Tops and Bottoms Printables with five engaging writing prompts and accompanying word walls. This activity not only fosters creativity but also reinforces vocabulary acquisition and usage. Students develop their writing skills in a supportive environment, building confidence as they articulate their responses to the story’s themes and messages.

We typically mix and match prompts based on student interests and opinions. Also, I have found that some students may not like to generate their own ideas. Instead, they look to use the ideas of others. Having a variety of writing prompts to refer to can be helpful to allow each student to be working on their own. 

ABC Ordering Cards and Printable Tops and Bottoms:

One skill we like to teach and practice before the end of Kindergarten is ABC order. This may be a first grade skill in your state, so this reading resource may be a little more advanced. Of course, you can try to tackle it at the end of the year.

We can do this with this skill with these interactive ABC ordering cards and printables. Students engage in a fun and memorable way to learn the alphabet, arranging letters in alphabetical order and strengthening their grasp of letter sequences. This activity promotes foundational literacy skills essential for future reading success.

Which Part of the Plant Do We Use?

Here are some fun lesson ideas you can incorporate. Since one time in the story Bear wants to keep the bottoms of the crops and other times Bear wants to keep the top of the crops, it may be a good idea to discuss which part of different plants have the tops that we eat and use and which part of the plants we do not eat and use. Students can sort the plants into which part of the plants we use from tops, middles, and bottoms.

Tops and Bottoms Building Word Activity:

To include word work with this story, we have leveled building word activity mats. One version contains CVC words, you can see that option in blue. There are 5 different mats with this skill on it, perfect for a small group or independent work. Another option is the silent e option, shown in red. This option also has 4 options, all with a long vowel to work with.

Match the Rhyme Cards:

While doing a whole group activity such as a calendar, we can also integrate the Tops & Bottoms book. We use the plat theme given to create these matching pairs and have students match the tops and bottoms, pun intended, to make a rhyme. 

By identifying words that rhyme, students develop an ear for language and deepen their understanding of phonemic relationships. This is super cute in a pocket chart. I leave the tops in the chart and let them match up the bottom rhyming word. 

Tops and Bottoms Printables:

Incorporating Tops and Bottoms printables into the curriculum offers educators a versatile toolkit for enhancing literacy skills in young learners. From reading comprehension games to building word activities, these resources engage students in meaningful interactions with the text while fostering essential literacy development. By providing opportunities for hands-on learning and exploration, educators empower students to become confident and proficient readers, setting a strong foundation for academic success.

And if you didn’t know, there is now a sequel to this book. It is called The Donkey’s Egg! You can check it out here on Amazon. And here on YouTube.

This book has the same characters, Bear and Hare. This time Bear has an egg he has to take care of, it is a donkey egg! Wait until you see what happens in this amazing book.  

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