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

Organization: Dogzilla by Dav Pilkey

Lesson Focus: Organization of purposeful paragraphs

Focus Grade Level:  3rd 

Time Frame: Several Days

Focus Text/Author: Dogzilla by Dav Pilkey

Materials: Dogzilla by Dav Pilkey, Paper, Pencil, 

Ohio Academic Content Standard: Writing Process

Ohio Benchmarks 3-4: E. Use revision strategies to improve the coherence of ideas, clarity of sentence structure and effectiveness of word choices.

Grade Level Indicators 3rd Grade: 

• 4. Use organizational strategies (e.g., brainstorming, lists, webs, and Venn diagrams) to plan writing
• 5. Organize writing by providing a simple introduction, body, and a clear sense of closure

Book Summary: In this fun and friendly book, Dav Pilkey has the town of Mousopolis run by mice and they are about to host their first annual barbecue. As the town is getting ready for the big event, Dogzilla is awakened by the wonderful smells. The mice become terrified and try to get away from the "creature" before it's too late.

About the author, Dav Pilkey: http://www.pilkey.com/meet-dav.php

"Most people pronounce it "Dave" (rhymes with "rave"), but "Dav" (rhymes with "have") is also correct. Bonus points are given for "Däv" (rhymes with "suave"). In 2005 I married my sweetheart, Sayuri (pronounced "Sy-you-dee"). We don't have any children yet. 

I had a pretty tough time in school.  I've always had reading problems, and I didn't learn the same way that most of the kids in my class learned  (being severely hyperactive didn't help much, either).

I was discouraged a lot, and sometimes I felt like a total failure.  But I had a lot of encouragement and support from my parents.  They helped me get through the hard times.  It's good to know that even if you're not successful in school, you can still be successful in life.  (Thomas Edison was terrible at school, but he turned out o.k!)"

Before the Lesson: 

Read through the book, Dogzilla, with the students the first day so that they are familiar with the content and can use for learning purposes the following day.

Introduction:  

Before reading the story the second time, discuss with the students that today while they read, they will be looking for how Dogzilla is organized and what they notice about the paragraphs in the story. All of the paragraphs have purpose. I will share with the students that Dogzilla  is a dog, and has the traits of dog; however, his size and strength is that of Godzilla. We will then discuss reasons as to why they think Dogzilla may be so large and how it might be because of something that went terribly wrong in a lab experiment. I will tell the students that they will be writing their own story about a scientific mishap that may have created a new creature (two words put together to make a new word-- Dog + Godzilla = Dogzilla) and all of the events that take place after it happens. They will need to make sure their story is organized in a meaningful way.

Lesson: 

1. Students will listen to the story Dogzilla and discuss the different writing styles of the text. We will specifically talk about the organization of the paragraphs.
2. Students will spend some time writing their ideas about what they noticed in the story (pertaining to the organization) on a piece of chart paper.
3. We will discuss as a group what we found and why it's important and then look at excerpts from A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon and discuss how the paragraphs captivate the readers attention through their details, humor, etc.
4. Students will then complete a story web for a pre-writing activity and be asked to come up with their own creature that went through a "mishap" in the lab. For example, maybe they mix an elephant and a turtle to get "Elephurtle."
5. They will then put that creature in the center of their web and start brainstorming different events that are going to take place in their story.
6. Now would be a good time to get "into the students' head" and see what they are thinking and have them talk through their ideas with you.
7. Remind students that as they finish writing they need to then think about how they are going to turn those ideas into a meaningful story with details and purpose. Refer back to list they made on chart paper. In the third grade they need reminded to start each paragraph indented and then they should have a beginning, middle, and end. 
8. Play soft music in the background as students are writing and walk around to monitor their progress--intervening at your discretion. 
9. As students finish their writing (this step can be done on the next day depending on your time block for writing) have them pair up with a partner and read their stories to each other.
10. Model for students how to listen and then give feedback. Have students give two things they like about their writing and two suggestions on how to make it better, or stronger. 
11. Have students edit their papers, you will probably have to model how since they are so young, and write their final copy.
12. Have students share their story in an "Author's Chair" with the class about their creature.
13. Follow-up Activity: Have students write a short paragraph describing what they learned about organizing their story and writing a purposeful paragraph, and why they think it is important to organize your thoughts when you write. Then create a second chart and list all their responses so they can refer back to this each time they write.

Additional Resources:
http://www.writingfix.com/Picture_Book_Prompts/Dogzilla3.htm 

http://www.campbell.k12.ky.us/schools/crossroads/crossroadselementary/6+1Organization.html 

http://www.pilkey.com/

Kids Can Be Authors Too!

As we begin this assignment and I try setting up my blog (key word being 'try'), I thought that I would post a story that one of my third graders wrote right before Christmas break. I know the story may not relate to the purpose of this assignment; but I am testing the waters of how to set things up and get things going. I think you will enjoy it, too...I know that it is one that I will keep tucked away!

I love how creative some of my students can be. I love when they take their creativity and just write without asking questions; but write simply for the enjoyment of the assignment. The only question that this student, we'll call him 'Coolio,' for now, asked was "Is this school appropriate, Miss M?" as I shared my enjoyment with him, I simply smiled and said "Yes."

The students were given several Christmas story starters and Coolio chose to write about the perfect Christmas morning...

One perfect Christmas morning Miss M woke up and went down stairs to see what Santa got her. She turned on the lights and the presents were gone! So she called Santa on her speed dial and she said to Santa where are my presents? Santa said you were very naughty this year and I threw away your cookies because they were bad. She called the cops and Santa went to juvi. So Miss M took the job and Santa went to juvi for ninety days.

Kids are so enjoyable and I believe that if we give them more freedoms in their writing before asking them to write about specific topics, then they will enjoy it a lot more.

I am excited about the blog and look forward to reading all of yours as well! Happy writing everyone!