Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Everything for a Dog

Everything for a Dog
By Ann M. Martin
Published by Feiwel and Friends
Copyright 2009

Everything for a Dog is told in the perspective of three different people, Bone, Charlie, and Henry. Bone was born a stray dog, along with his sister squirrel. The day his mother leaves him and his sister they have to somehow find a way to survive without her. Charlie is a young boy who has been through a rollercoaster of a summer and year, and doesn’t come to terms with the events until much later on. Henry is a young boy who just wants a dog for Christmas, but he can’t seem to understand why his parents keep saying no. He doesn’t understand until that Christmas with Aunt Sue when he is just eleven years old. 

Engaging, Page-turner, Captivating, Heartbreaking, Inspirational


Reading Level/Lexile
Grades 3-5/ 890L

Suggested Delivery
Independent Reading

Electronic Resources
http://www.annmartinfoundation.org
This website is a foundation that was developed by the author, Ann M. Martin. This foundation focuses on providing financial support for organizations that focus on children and abused and sheltered animals. I believe this will be interesting because the students will be able to explore more into the life of the author. Also the organizations that this foundation support may be of interest for some students as well. 

http://www.audiobooks.com/book/145575

This website allows students to listen to the audiobook version for free. This will come into great use for children who are not reading at grade level or who lack in their ability to comprehend the text. 

Teaching Suggestions

1. The teacher can use this book for literary discussions.
2. This book is useful when comparing and contrasting characters in a book.
3. This book can come into great use when explaining that your students characters in their own story don't necessarily have to be people, for example Bone.

Vocabulary
1. Perspective 
2. Grieve
3. Sympathy
4. Dolefully
5. Ajar
6. Grimacing

Before Reading
This book is set up a lot different than books the students are used to reading, so the teacher can walk through the book with the students. Explain that each chapter is a different person's perspective, for example when it says "Bone" that is in Bone's perspective. 

During Reading
While reading the students will keep a journal where they will ask questions when they have them and write down vocabulary they don't know. As they read they will keep in mind their questions, so they will see if there questions were answered or not. 

After Reading
The students will participate in a fishbowl activity. The fishbowl activity will start off with one student asking a question they had or a comment about the book, that would spark discussion. The students will then participate in a discussion using examples from the text, their life, and other text they have read.

Writing Activity
I will have the students write a letter from Charlie to Henry. They will write this letter from Charlie at any age, so it can be from Charlie to his "future son" or at the time period  discussed in the book, before or after they find Bone. Their letter will include discussion about a dog and about the accident. 

Martin, A. M. (2009). Everything for a dog. New York: Feiwel and Friends.

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