If you’re looking for the perfect upper elementary read-aloud or class novel study to kick off the school year, Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea is one of my top recommendations. This book has it all—humor, heart, and a whole lot of moments that spark deep conversations and bring a new class group closer together. It’s a total win-win for teachers who want to build community and sneak in some solid reading instruction while they’re at it.
Let’s start with a quick peek at the story, and then I’ll share a bunch of engaging and meaningful ways to help your students connect with the characters—and with each other while reading Because of Mr. Terupt.
A Quick Summary of Because of Mr. Terupt
This story follows seven very different students in Mr. Terupt’s 5th grade class. Each chapter is told from a different student’s point of view (hello, perfect mentor text for voice and perspective!), and through their eyes, we watch as Mr. Terupt changes the way they think, learn, and treat each other. Just when everything seems to be going great, a sudden accident turns the class upside down—and the students are forced to reflect, grow, and lean on each other in powerful ways.
It’s a story about forgiveness, empathy, personal growth, and what it means to be a classroom family. In short—it’s a must-read for inspiring a close-knit class.
Meaningful and Easy-to-Implement Activities for Because of Mr. Terupt
Whether you’re reading this as a whole-class novel or assigning it in literature circles, these activities will help your students dig deeper into the themes and characters in Because of Mr. Terupt while also strengthening your classroom community.
Character Reflection Journals
Each of the seven narrators in Because of Mr. Terupt goes through major growth. Give students a journal page or notebook where they reflect on each character’s journey:
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What is this character struggling with?
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How do they change over time?
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What lessons can we learn from them?
You can even turn this into a mini writing assignment where students write a letter to or from one of the characters! To make this super-simple, you can download this FREE done-for-you character reflection booklet that you can use with Becuase of Mr. Terupt or any other book you read as a class this year. Just print enough copies for each student and let the reflections begin!
Empathy Map Anchor Chart
Because of Mr. Terupt is practically a blueprint for building empathy. Create a class anchor chart with these headings:
- What were the characters thinking? (brain)
- What were they feeling? (heart)
- What would you do in their shoes? (shoe)
Do this after key chapters to spark conversations that connect the book to hopefully to your students’ real lives as well. To get students connecting with the text on their own and preparing for text annotation, you can introduce these 3 questions and a symbol for each question prior to reading. Have students read on their own and use the symbol (or a sticky note with that symbol on it) to mark passages in the book that they want to share as text evidence when it’s time to come back together and discuss.
Voice and Perspective Activity
Have students rewrite a small scene (like the snowball fight or the dollar word project) from a different character’s point of view. What changes? What details do they notice? What feelings come through?
This activity hits so many standards (narrative writing, character perspective, voice), but also helps kids really understand how each character sees the world.
Done-for-You Novel Study (Comprehension, Vocabulary, and More!)
Here’s something super simple and easy for the teacher—you don’t have to reinvent the wheel! My Because of Mr. Terupt Novel Study is ready to print and go. It’s packed with:
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Chapter-by-chapter comprehension questions
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Vocabulary practice
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Thoughtful writing prompts
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Literary analysis tasks
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Key reading skills like character traits, theme, and point of view
Use it for independent reading, small group work, or whole class discussions. It’s flexible, no-prep, and designed to make your life easier while helping students think critically about Because of Mr. Terupt, connecting with characters, and igniting discussions.
Class Kindness Challenge
Inspired by Mr. Terupt himself, launch a week-long Kindness Challenge. Students can brainstorm small acts of kindness for classmates, teachers, or family members. The easiest way to do this is to help students notice the kind things they are already doing and inspire even more kindness by keeping track of kindness when they see it. This can be as simple as writing each one on your board, adding tokens to jar as you see them happen, or writing each kindness on a paper chain and using it to add color to your room as you celebrate your classroom community. You’ll be amazed at how these activity bring out the best in your students.
To take it a step further grab this FREE set of kindness cards with activities and start a kindness revolution in your classroom, school, and community beyond!
Theme Collage or Poster
Have students choose one of the big themes from Because of Mr. Terupt — empathy, forgiveness, growth, friendship—and create a collage (digital or paper) that represents it using pictures, words, and symbols from the book. This makes a great hallway display and gives students a chance to creatively show their understanding.
Book Club Discussion Cards
Print a set of discussion cards with open-ended questions for Because of Mr. Terupt like:
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What surprised you in this chapter?
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Which character do you relate to the most?
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What would you have done differently?
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What do you think happens after the story ends?
These are perfect for student-led book clubs or partner chats.
Because of Mr. Terupt isn’t just a powerful read—it’s a launchpad for community, character, and connection. Whether you’re diving in during morning read-alouds or weaving it into your ELA block, this book will give your students lots to talk about—and lots of opportunities to grow.
And if you want all the comprehension, vocabulary, and literary analysis work done for you (because let’s be real, there’s a million other things on your to-do list), make sure to grab the novel study here:
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