Responding to Literature Dogzilla Houghton Mifflin Grade 3 D. Crisler 2012/2013 HM Strategy Focus/Obj.: evaluate Standard: S2.C1.PO4 Comprehension Focus/Obj: fantasy/realism Standard:S2.C1.PO7

Authentic Literacy Connection Compare/contrast Guiding Questions: How does Dogzilla compare to a real dog? Use examples and quotes from the story and the nonfiction text provided to support your answer.

Who was talking to Whom? Where When What did they say? “Quote” Explain Quote Here… Analysis This shows….. Because Clearly, should This Proves…. would Obviosly, could It seems... might This suggests… Evidently It appears… Clearly If…then… Obviously Fiction Nonfiction How does Dogzilla compare to a real dog?

Just Dogs Do you know any dogs? Do they act like Dogzilla? Compare and contrast Dogzilla with a real dog. First, read the story again, looking for useful details. Take notes on how Dogzilla behaves. Then make a chart to compare and contrast Dogzilla with a real dog. If you need more information about what dogs do, look in an encyclopedia or ask classmates who have dogs as pets. (See teacher notes on this slide for Dog behavior. These notes are also on Mrs. Crisler’s download page.)

Now That’s Goofy! Authentic Literacy Connection The author describes his story as goofy. You probably agree. But what’s the goofiest thing about it? List the five goofiest things you can find in the story. Number them from 1 to 5. Get together with a groups of classmates and compare your lists. Decide as a group which five things in the story are the goofiest. Use your numbered list as a guide.

Authentic Literacy Connection Evaluate Based on what you know about real dogs and the discussion you had with your classmates, do you think the author did a good job creating an “extremely goofy” story? Explain your answer.

Who’s the Star? Authentic Literacy Connection Who do you think is the star of Dogzilla? Is it the Big Cheese? Is it Dogzilla? Discuss in small groups what makes a star. Then working on your own, read the story again. Take notes about the characters. Decide who is the real star. Write a paragraph telling what you have decided. Give reasons for your opinion, based on what you found in the text.

Additional Extensions You may want to choose one of the extension activities on the following slides to focus on additional skills or to help students make connections.

Real or Fantastic? Play a game using the difference between fantasy and reality. With a small gorup of students, write the names of the characters in Dogzilla on index cards. Make more cards with the words for other elements of the story, like volcano, city, and barbecue. Mix the cards up then lay them face down. Decide who will go first. The first person picks a card. Then he or she tosses the number cube. If the number on the cube is odd, the person must say something real about the word or name on the card. If the number is even, he or she must say something fantastic about it that is fantasy. Play continues until all the cards have been drawn.

First, Next, Finally List what you think are the five most important events in Dogzilla. Then draw a sequence of events diagram. Draw five boxes. Draw a picture of one event in each box. Draw the pictures in the same order they happened in the story. Then get together with a group of classmates. Compare your diagrams. Did you choose the same events? Did you put the events in the same order? *Use as a summary evaluation piece.

Mouse Hunt The mice in Dogzilla are very unusual. They have barbecues. They chase off a monster dog. They even drive cars? Found out what real mice are like by looking in an encyclopedia. Write a paragraph about real mice. Think about questions like these: Where do mice live What do they eat? Now get together with a classmate and talk about mice.

The Big Cheese The Big Cheese saves Mousoplolis. He’s a hero. But what do you know about him? To find out, use a word web. Reread Dogzilla. Put the Big Cheese at the center of your web. Now find facts and details to fill in the rest of the web. What words describe the Big Cheese? Complete your word web.

Dogzilla, the Movie Imagine that Dogzilla is so popular it’s going to be made into a movie. Make the poster for the movie. Make a list of what usually appears on a movie poster Choose an imortant or exciting event from dogzilla. Draw a picture of the event on the poster. Write a few words on the poster to get people interested in seeing the movie.

Science Connections Create a Volcano (following multi-step directions) Resources: Science Text, National Geographic “Hot Spots”, Enchanted Learning, Links provided under Mrs. Crisler’s favorite links. Hou Houghton Mifflin Story Go With The Flow Obj:TSW identify text organization in a set of direction. TSW read and follow direction to create a volcano. Act: Focused Skill How to read a diagram Rd. & discuss p In groups of 4-5 create a volcano (clay, tubes, cardboard, vinegar, baking soda) Eval: tchr and group ck to see how well they followed instructions

Creative Story Rewrite the ending to Dogzilla Rewrite the story using a monster cat. Write an original creative story using a different animal that is giant. Where did it come from? Where does the story take place? Are there other characters involved? What happens? What problems does it cause? How is the problem solved? Pretend you are a giant for a day. Tell what happens.