The Office: Dunder Mifflin Elementary Picture Book Activities

If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably watched countless episodes of The Office. When the picture book came out based on the show, The Office, Dunder Mifflin Elementary, I knew I needed to get my hands on it!

Introducing… The Office: A Day at Dunder Mifflin Elementary!

First things first: I’m a firm believer that it’s totally okay to read picture books to your class for no other purpose than enjoyment! Your students will love the silly stories and you’ll get to appreciate all of the subtle references to the shows.

I know sometimes it is hard to fit in reading just for fun. If you’re worried about missing out on teaching time, I can help! Here are some ideas on how you can tie in a few reading and writing standards so you can enjoy these books and keep learning!

Quick Summary of The Office: Dunder Mifflin Elementary

If you’ve watched The Office, you will find the subtle references in this picture book hilarious! Instead of being the manager, the main character, Michael Scott, is appointed the line leader of the classroom. He is determined to be the world’s best line leader, but he actually has no idea what he’s doing.

Sounds like Michael when he’s the manager of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, right?

Michael needs to find a successful way to get the class to line up for a party, but no one is listening and nothing works. He realizes that being the line leader is super difficult!

Focus on Character and Character Traits

The first teaching point that stands out is focusing on characters and character traits. Michael Scott is a fantastic character for your students to spend time studying! They can dive deeper into Michael’s inside and outside character traits, as well as how he changes over time.

Character Teaching Point Ideas:

• Main Character
• Inside and Outside Character Traits
• Character Change and Growth
• Character Dialogue
• Main Character vs. Supporting Characters

In my experience, this is a reading skill that students need to continually review throughout the year! So why not practice with a character as memorable as Michael Scott!

Download these free reading response activities and use this book to teach whatever skills YOU see fit!

Teach about Point of View

The second reading skill I think this book is perfect for is point of view. I’m not talking about teaching first, second, or third-person point of view. This book is great for teaching students to identify the different perspectives of each character.

All of the supporting characters in this book, Dwight, Pam, Jim, Kelly, Stanley, etc. view the line leader situation differently. They all share different reasons they think Michael isn’t fit to be the line leader. Map out each character’s perspective to practice this skill. You can split the class into small groups to focus on each character’s perspective and report back to the class or work as a whole class to complete it together!

When teaching your students about point of view, they will love reading the various dialogue the supporting characters share about Michael. Try letting them act out the dialogue. They’ll get practice in identifying each character’s perspective and practice speaking in different voices for each character!

Free Reading Response Activities

There are plenty of ways you can use this book to teach a variety of skills, so I thought it’d be perfect to give you a completely FREE set of reading response activities to use!

Want to learn more about setting up reading response journals and activities in your classroom? Check out this post!