Second+Grade+Main+Idea+Lesson

=//The Night I Followed the Dog// by Nina Laden= = =

Review of book from School Library Journal
Gr 1-4--``It's 10 p.m. Do you know where your dog is?'' If not, join in this book's extraordinary suppositions. A young boy relates the events of ``the night I followed my dog.'' A dull pet by day, the pup dons a tuxedo and tie after dark, climbs into his limo (vanity plate--K9), and goes to his club, The Doghouse. Bogart's got nothing on this pooch as he shows his young master, who has secretly tailed him, around the club. The crisp and colorful pastel drawings of the anthropomorphized clientele are amusing, but best of all is the frolicking text with several words per page decked out in appropriate illustrative (almost rebus) fashion. Sophisticated enough for older children and silly enough for younger listeners, this boy-and-his-dog book has a clever text, great illustrations, and strong appeal.--Jody McCoy, Casady School, Oklahoma City

Summary of book
A boy follows his dog one night to see what exactly dogs do at night when they are on their own.

Standard addressed:
Standard 1 Students read and understand a variety of materials. 1.1 use comprehension strategies such as using prior knowledge; previewing; predicting; inferring; comparing and contrasting; rereading and self-monitoring; summarizing; identifying the author’s purpose, determining the main idea

Inquiry: What do dogs do when their owners are sleeping or not at home?
Prereading list generated by second grade class at Goldrick Elementary
 * Runs outside
 * Chases cats
 * Goes to doghouse
 * Barks
 * Digs in dirt
 * Bites a cat
 * Goes to dog store
 * Hides in car

The class is asked if any of the activities listed above are interesting enough to make an story for a children’s book. The class agrees that the list is boring. Ask students to think a little deeper to create a story that others would like to read.
 * Aliens take dog on spaceship
 * The dog meets his girlfriend dog
 * The dog belongs to a club
 * The dog saves another dog in a hole
 * The dog uses his credit card
 * The dogs buys biscuits for all his friends
 * The dog is a superhero
 * The dog can fly over the city at night

The book, //The Night I Followed the Dog//, is introduced at this point. Students are asked to make some predictions about the story by looking at the cover.
“the dog drives downtown” “the dog rides in a limousine” “the dog is going to a party” “the dog is driving really fast”

The teacher can then take a picture walk through the book before reading. The text style which looks like the owner’s handwriting with word art is pointed out. Unusual vocabulary words are listed so students can raise their hands when they hear the new word. The teacher describes how a story like this has a sequence and after reading the story second graders should be able to write about the main idea of the story and describe events in the order they happened. The story is read with opportunity for students to make predictions before page turning and to ask questions when they arise. At several points the teacher can stop and ask students to retell the events so far in the correct sequence. (It is unlikely that the entire story can be read in the first lesson.)

Lesson Two (45 minutes)
Begin lesson by reviewing the sequence of events and a summary of the story. Students can make predictions about the end of the story. Finish reading the story and allow students to discuss their opinion of the book with a small group. Go back and review predictions to see if any were correct.

Set up LCD projector with internet access and go to StorylineOnline http://wwww.storylineonline.net This is a website showcasing children’s books read by prominent members of the Screen Actors Guild. //The Night I Followed the Dog// is read aloud by teen star Amanda Bynes, who most of the children recognized. Miss Bynes is sitting comfortably on a couch with a stuffed dog and the book. She gives a reading and shows the pictures. In this case the story is read without interruption. Now that the students have heard the entire story read out loud twice they can write an outline of events in the correct sequence and a summary of the story.

Examples of student work (Note: The students responding are English Language Learners (from Spanish and Vietnamese). Work is transcribed without any corrections. There is quite a range of abilities. Samples of work are from the higbest and lowest abilities.

Sequencing example

He wore black clothing for he can’t be noticed.
 * Beginning

The boy went in the place wear his dog’s place and he went inside and the bole dog said you can’t come in here.
 * Middle

And his dog said that’s OK guys he is with me. OK bos whatever you say bos. And he left in the dark night and he said I am going to be in the doghouse.
 * End

Most students drew pictures of the beginning, middle and end.

Lesson Three (45 minutes)
In this lesson students will write a summary of the story. Begin lesson by defining main idea and summarizing. Main idea- A sentence or two explaining the author's message/purpose in the text. Identifying what the story is "mostly about'. Summarizing- We expect students to be able to identify the main idea, then tell the important events/details that support the main idea. In 2008 a group of Goldrick teachers came up with the following teaching strategies when students have trouble identifying the main idea of what they have read.
 * Explicitly model your thinking and tell students the main idea many times before releasing the task to them.
 * Use sentence starters like, "This story is mostly about . . ." or "The main idea is . . ."
 * Ask students what the story was about and list all ideas on chart paper. Cross out ideas that were not part of the book. The remaining ideas should help determine the main idea.
 * Ask students to give you one word to describe the content of what they read. Then ask for a second and finally a third. Use those 3 word to write the main idea.
 * Discuss main idea daily, across all content areas.

Student Task Ask students to write a summary of the book, //The Night I Followed the Dog.// Goldrick Writing Rubric (may need to be modified for second grade) and supporting details. || Identifies main idea with a least 2 supporting details. || Identifies beginning, middle, end and main idea. Sentence structure is choppy and word are misspelled. || Identifies main idea and at least 3 supporting details. Have main idea identified along with beginning, middle and end. Uses complete sentences and spelling is generally correct. ||
 * Minimal effort || Progressing || Partially Proficient || Proficient ||
 * Could not identify main idea

Summary Examples from second grade class at Goldrick Elementary (unedited without spelling corrections)

Minimal effort
The book, The Night I Followed the Dog, is mostly about a boy who lookt outside and fines his dog in the front yard. Fis the dog is like eney ather dog. He is lasye. All he does is eat and sleep and lay around. All day second the morning the

Progressing
The book The Night I followed the Dog is mostly about a boy that followed his dog. In the beginning the boy thot his dog was boring but in the night he followed his dog. In the middle he followed his dog. In the end he boy said now im really in the doghouse.

Partially Proficent
The Night I Followed the Dog is mainly about a boy who wakes up early in the morning and sees his dog jump out of a limozine wearing a tackito. In the beginning at night the boy sneeks out to see what his dog is doing out tonight. The boy rides his bike when he sees his dog going in a limozine and trys to keep up. In the middle the limozine stop’s and the boy’s dog hops out of the limo and comes into a building and the boy follows his dog. In the end the boy sees a neon sign then he opens the door and he sees security but his dog lets him in and he asked his dog what is this place and his dog said this is a place were dogs do after a ruff day.

Proficient
The Night I Followed the Dog is mostly about a boy that opened the door a little bit and he saw his dog jump out of a limo. Next, the boy followed his dog in the limo and went to the place where his dog went. Two bull dogs said, “you can’t come in here”. The dog said, “that’s OK guys, he’s with me.” “OK boss whatever you say boss.” And he hung out in there for a while and he said to his dog I have to go. When he left in the cool night he said, “ I am going to be in the doghouse when I get home. The End!!

Teacher reflection
This is one of my favorite lessons to teach to second grade. The book has a great story that is very appealing to kids. At Goldrick Elementary we have placed a big focus on a few power standards across all grade levels. Identifying Main Idea and Summarizing Text Passages has been an important focus in the library. Two years ago I doubt second grade could have done this much writing. Denise Mongeau, Teacher Librarian

Extension activities for the book, The Night I Followed the Dog.

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