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Lesson Plans and Teaching Resources for Harry the Dirty Dog

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Use Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion to strengthen your students' comprehension skills, build their vocabulary, and help them understand how words work.

This classic picture book tells the story of a white dog with black spots who likes everything...except for baths. To avoid his dreaded bath, Harry leaves home and sets out on an adventure. In the process, Harry finds himself getting dirtier and dirtier - so dirty that he changes from a white dog with black spots to a black dog with white spots.

Students will enjoy this sweet, classic tale, all while strengthening foundational comprehension skills and exploring lessons on past-tense verbs and new vocabulary.
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Explore lesson plans and activities to help you teach with Harry the Dirty Dog in the drop down below.

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Asking Questions with Harry the Dirty Dog

Readers will certainly ask questions before, during, and after their read of Harry the Dirty Dog. This lesson plan supports students in wondering about the plot and characters, and offers opportunities to think of questions that they could ask Harry and his family if they were given the chance.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.1.1,RL.1.10,RF.1.1,RF.1.2,SL.1.1b,SL.1.2,SL.1.3,W.1.5,W.1.8,L.1.6
TEKS Alignment
1.7D,1.13E,1.13D,1.13A,1.10E,1.8C,1.8B,1.7F,1.7E,1.1A,1.7C,1.7B,1.6I,1.6E,1.6B,1.6A,1.1D,1.1C
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Making Inferences with Harry the Dirty Dog

The simple text, illustrations, and storyline of Harry the Dirty Dog provides space for students to infer about the emotions behind numerous, unfamiliar characters, as well as our protagonist, Harry. Harry's family, who plays a critical role in the story, is also relatively unfamiliar to the reader. This gives young students a chance to practice inferring what Harry's family may be feeling or thinking regarding his return home.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.1.1,RL.1.7,RL.1.10,RF.1.1,RF.1.2,SL.1.1b,SL.1.2,SL.1.3,W.1.5,W.1.8,L.1.6
TEKS Alignment
1.7D,1.13E,1.13D,1.10E,1.9C,1.8C,1.8B,1.7F,1.7E,1.1A,1.7C,1.7B,1.6I,1.6F,1.6E,1.6A,1.1D,1.1C
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Making Predictions with Harry the Dirty Dog

While there are many opportunities to predict what will happen next as Harry runs away from home, the ending to this story offers the best opportunity for practicing this foundational comprehension skill. Harry the Dirty Dog leaves the reader with questions in the final page of the book, giving young students a chance to predict what Harry will do the next time he is faced with a bath.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.1.1,RL.1.9,RL.1.10,RF.1.1,RF.1.2,SL.1.1b,SL.1.2,SL.1.3,W.1.5,W.1.8,L.1.6
TEKS Alignment
1.7E,1.13E,1.13D,1.10E,1.10C,1.10B,1.9C,1.8C,1.8B,1.7F,1.1A,1.7D,1.7C,1.7B,1.6I,1.6E,1.6C,1.6A,1.1D,1.1C
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Retelling and Summarizing with Harry the Dirty Dog

Harry the Dirty Dog offers a text structure that supports key components of this comprehension strategy- retelling and summarizing. Harry dashes off to a series of locations, where he finds himself getting dirtier and dirtier. This story line lends itself to discussing cause and effect as well as characters, settings, and events.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.1.1,RL.1.2,RL.1.3,RL.1.7,RL.1.10,RF.1.1,RF.1.2,SL.1.1b,SL.1.2,SL.1.3,SL.1.5,W.1.5,W.1.8,L.1.6
TEKS Alignment
1.7F,1.13E,1.13D,1.10E,1.10A,1.9C,1.8D,1.8C,1.8B,1.8A,1.1A,1.7E,1.7D,1.7C,1.7B,1.6I,1.6G,1.6A,1.1D,1.1C
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Understanding Text Structure with Harry the Dirty Dog

Gene Zion's use of cause and effect, sequencing, problem and solution, and compare and contrast in Harry the Dirty Dog allows readers to practice identifying and discussing these foundational elements of text structure. This light, fun read is an ideal selection for teaching and reinforcing this key comprehension skill.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.1.1,RL.1.6,RL.1.7,RL.1.10,RF.1.1,RF.1.2,SL.1.1b,SL.1.2,SL.1.3,SL.1.5,W.1.5,W.1.8,L.1.6
TEKS Alignment
1.7E,1.13E,1.13D,1.10E,1.10D,1.10C,1.10B,1.9C,1.8C,1.8B,1.8A,1.7F,1.1A,1.7D,1.7C,1.7B,1.6I,1.6G,1.6E,1.6D,1.6A,1.1D,1.1C
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Verbs with Harry the Dirty Dog

This word work lesson plan and set of teaching resources use Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion n as a springboard for instruction focused on verbs.

By anchoring word study to the text, students will benefit from seeing how verbs ending in -ed are used inside of the text before engaging in both guided and independent practice with verbs.

Common Core State Standards Alignment
RF.1.2,RF.1.3
TEKS Alignment
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Vocabulary Connections with Harry the Dirty Dog

This set of vocabulary development resources for Harry the Dirty Dog highlights the words that are most important for students to know and understand while reading the book. Through engaging in fun word games, matching words to definitions and pictures, and practicing how to categorize words, students will develop the vocabulary necessary to comprehend this story and many others.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
L.1.4a,L.1.5c,L.1.6
TEKS Alignment
1.7F,1.3A,1.3B,1.3C,1.3D
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Comprehension Assessment with Harry the Dirty Dog

Use this Common Core aligned comprehension assessment to evaluate students' comprehension of Harry the Dirty Dog.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment
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Running Record with Harry the Dirty Dog

Use this Running Record to assess oral reading fluency with Harry the Dirty Dog. Track meaning, structure, and visual accuracy using the first 100 words of the text to determine whether or not this book is a good fit for the readers in your classroom.
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Cause and Effect Matching with Harry the Dirty Dog

Read Harry the Dirty Dog then have some fun matching cause and effect sentences from the book. By using these cause and effect cards, students will demonstrate both their comprehension of the text and their understanding of cause and effect relationships in hands-on and interactive way.This resource includes matching/sorting cards and a sorting mat for four cause and effect sentences in Harry the Dirty Dog. Each cause card is marked with a square and each effect card is marked with a circle, making it easy to support students who struggle with matching cause and effect relationships.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment
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Cause and Effect Sentence Stems with Harry the Dirty Dog

Understanding cause and effect is a key comprehension and language skill. The text structure of Harry the Dirty Dog includes several examples of cause and effect relationships, making it easy to use as a springboard for modeling or independent practice.This simple resource includes four sentence stems. Each sentence stem presents an effect. Students will use what they know about the book to fill in the cause of the effect.
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Sequencing with Harry the Dirty Dog

The BookPagez extension activities are a great way to push student engagement beyond the pages of the text. Try using this activity with early finishers, with students who show a deeper connection with the text, or as a center activity.
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Asking Questions with Harry the Dirty Dog (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
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Making Inferences with Harry the Dirty Dog (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
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Making Predictions with Harry the Dirty Dog (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
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Retelling and Summarizing with Harry the Dirty Dog (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
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Understanding Text Structure with Harry the Dirty Dog (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
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Sequencing with Harry the Dirty Dog (Spanish)

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About the Book

The cover for the book Harry the Dirty Dog
Title: Harry the Dirty Dog
Author: Gene Zion
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Themes: Adventure, Family, Laugh Out Loud
ISBN: 9780064430098
Publisher's Summary:
Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion introduces young readers to a delightfully mischievous dog named Harry, who lives with his loving family in a suburban neighborhood. Harry is an energetic white dog with black spots, but there's one thing he truly dislikes: taking baths. One day, determined to avoid bath time, Harry hides the family's bath brush and runs away from home, embarking on a playful adventure across town. Along the way, Harry gets into all sorts of messy fun, collecting dirt and grime until he's completely transformed—so much so that he looks like a black dog with white spots instead of his usual white coat with black spots.

When Harry finally returns home, his family doesn't recognize him despite his best efforts to show off his familiar tricks. Only after Harry digs up the hidden bath brush and allows his family to give him a bath do they realize that this dirty dog is indeed their beloved Harry. The story's gentle humor, memorable illustrations, and relatable themes of identity, family, and coming clean make it a timeless favorite for classroom read-alouds and discussions. Teachers will find Harry's escapades perfect for exploring sequencing, character motivation, and descriptive language with young students, while the book's warm resolution reinforces the comfort of home and the importance of self-care.
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