Idea Development: Dog Breath by Dav Pilkey

Lesson Focus: Idea Development

Focus Grade Level: 3rd

Mentor Text: Dog Breath by Dav Pilkey

Materials: Dog Breath by Dav Pilkey, paper, pencil, graphic organizer

Ohio Academic Content Standards:Writing Process


Ohio Benchmarks 3-4:
A. Generate ideas and determine a topic suitable for writing.
E. Use revision strategies to improve the coherence of ideas, clarity of sentence structure and effectiveness of word choices.

Grade Level Indicators 3rd Grade:
1. Generate writing ideas through discussions with others and from printed material.
4. Use organizational strategies to plan writing.
10. Reread and assess writing for clarity, using a variety of methods.
11. Add descriptive words and details and delete extraneous information.
14. Proofread writing and edit to improve conventions and identify and correct fragments and run-ons.

Book Summary: Based off of one of Dav's own dogs growing up, Halle Tosis (meaning bad breath), he has come up with another fun loving adventure about a family dog, coincidentally named Hally. Hally Tosis has such bad breath that she omits green puffs every time she breaths. Mr. and Mrs. Tosis try putting her up for adoption when they just can't bear the smell any longer. The children work at saving her and the dog ends up saving the family from two robbers.

About the Author, Dav Pilkey: Dog Breath was the second book Dav Pilkey ever wrote. He sent it around to more than thirty different publishers, and was rejected every time. One publisher even told Dav that Dog Breath was an "un-publishable" book. Thanks to many re-writes and his stubborn determination not to give up on this story, Dog Breath was finally published by Scholastic's Blue Sky Press. It has become Dav Pilkey's best-selling picture book.

Introduction: To use  this book as a mentor text, the students should have already read the book for aesthetic purposes. Tell students that today, like in the book Dog Breath, they will be writing a story about silly animal problems. They will choose an ordinary animal that has an interesting problem.

Lesson Plan:

1. Reread the story Dog Breath and discuss with the students how Dav Pilkey has wonderful illustrations and pictures that showcase Hally's problem; however, it is through his wonderful descriptions and great details that bring this story to life. He paces each piece of his story together to keep the reader involved through each of Hally's situations that she must face because of her bad breath. 
2. Give each student this graphic organizer and have them start filling out their ideas on what their animal is going to be and the silly problem they are going to face. If they have trouble coming up with ideas, they can try this interactive website on a computer (if accessible) to help generate thought. 
3. After students fill out the top of their graphic organizer, pull up on an overhead, projector, or SMARTBOARD, this 3rd grade student's writing about her silly animal. Discuss the details that Jessica shows in her writing piece and why those details made her story more exciting. Compare those ideas with how Dav Pilkey described Hally in Dog Breath. Are there common things happening in each story? What kinds of descriptions do you see?
4. Have students finish filling out their graphic organizer to keep generating ideas. Before students start to write have them sit with a partner and share their ideas with a friend. 
5. As students finish peer sharing, have students go back to their seats. Model how to take ideas and turn them into a story. Start your story as an example and then have students write independently for the remainder of the time.
6. As students finish their drafts, go over the editing process and have students try editing their papers on their own. Then have them switch with a friend and edit each others papers. Since we are focusing on idea development, give each student one of the idea development post-it notes so they can self-check their writing.
7. Model how to take editing marks into account for a final copy and have students write their final copy.
8. Share writing in an author's chair and have students share specifically an idea they liked about each story.

Additional Resources:  
 http://www.pilkey.com/bookview.php?id=13

Reading Comprehension Quiz Dog Breath

http://writingfix.com/Picture_Book_Prompts/Dogbreath3.htm