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Lesson Plans and Teaching Resources for Love That Dog

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Use Love That Dog by Sharon Creech to strengthen your students' comprehension skills, build their vocabulary, and help them understand how words work.

Written as a collection of poems and journal entries, Love That Dog tells the change-of-heart story of Jack, a boy who grows to appreciate writing poetry in school after he encounters the right inspiration. This is an excellent book for supporting different reading levels because early readers will connect to the setting and emotions, and fluent readers will be challenged by the unique text structure.
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Explore lesson plans and activities to help you teach with Love That Dog in the drop down below.

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Making Connections with Love That Dog

Love That Dog can support readers of all levels who are practicing making connections. Beginner readers can draw upon their experiences and opinions about pet ownership and school assignments to make text-to-self connections. Fluent readers can connect to their experience with poetry, and they'll be challenged by the unique text structure of this book.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.5.3,RL.5.9,RL.5.10,RF.5.3,RF.5.4,SL.5.1c,SL.5.1d,SL.5.2,W.5.8,W.5.9,L.5.6
TEKS Alignment
5.7D,5.13H,5.13E,5.13C,5.8C,5.8B,5.7G,5.7F,5.7E,5.1C,5.7C,5.7B,5.7A,5.6I,5.6E,5.6B,5.6A,5.1A
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Making Inferences with Love That Dog

The classroom setting in Love That Dog allows students to make strong text-to-self connections, which make this book and lesson plan a smart choice for practicing making inferences. Readers will apply their own experiences to make inferences about how the main character is feeling and thinking about his poetry assignments. High-ability readers will also be challenged to infer meaning using poetry-style writing.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.5.1,RL.5.4,RL.5.6,RL.5.10,RF.5.3,RF.5.4,SL.5.1c,SL.5.1d,SL.5.2,W.5.8,W.5.9,L.5.6
TEKS Alignment
5.7C,5.13H,5.13E,5.13C,5.8C,5.8B,5.7G,5.7F,5.7E,5.7D,5.1C,5.7B,5.7A,5.6I,5.6F,5.6E,5.6B,5.6A,5.1A
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Synthesizing with Love That Dog

With the author's use of simple language throughout this book, Love That Dog makes a good anchor text for a lesson on synthesizing. Students can focus on the strategies they're applying as well as their evolving opinions and understanding of the characters and events in this story.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.5.1,RL.5.2,RL.5.3,RL.5.5,RL.5.6,RL.5.7,RL.5.10,RF.5.3,RF.5.4,SL.5.1c,SL.5.1d,SL.5.2,W.5.8,W.5.9,L.5.6
TEKS Alignment
5.7F,5.13H,5.13E,5.13C,5.10A,5.8D,5.8C,5.8B,5.7G,5.1C,5.7E,5.7C,5.7B,5.6I,5.6H,5.6B,5.6A,5.1A
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Understanding Text Structure with Love That Dog

This is the perfect book and lesson plan for teaching students how to fully comprehend diverse text structures. Love That Dog incorporates poetry and journaling in the form of notebook entries across a school year to tell the story of Jack and his new-found appreciation for writing poetry. Readers will need to engage with several different types of poetry presented in a narrative journal to uncover this highly relatable story.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.5.2,RL.5.5,RL.5.6,RL.5.7,RL.5.10,RF.5.3,RF.5.4,SL.5.1c,SL.5.1d,SL.5.2,W.5.8,W.5.9,L.5.6
TEKS Alignment
5.1C,5.1A,5.6A,5.6I,5.7B,5.7C,5.7E,5.7F,5.7G,5.10B,5.10C,5.13C,5.13E,5.13H
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Visualizing with Love That Dog

This book and lesson plan work well to support readers as they visualize to improve their reading comprehension. The setting is familiar to students, and the text is full of descriptive language that supports imagery of the physical and emotional qualities of each character.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.5.1,RL.5.7,RL.5.10,RF.5.3,RF.5.4,SL.5.1c,SL.5.1d,SL.5.2,W.5.8,W.5.9,L.5.6
TEKS Alignment
5.7B,5.13H,5.13E,5.13C,5.10D,5.10C,5.7F,5.7E,5.7C,5.1C,5.7A,5.6I,5.6G,5.6E,5.6D,5.6A,5.1A
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Vocabulary Connections with Love That Dog

This set of vocabulary development resources for Love That 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.5.4a,L.5.6,L.5.5c
TEKS Alignment
5.7E,5.7F,5.3A,5.3B
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Comprehension Assessment with Love That Dog

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

Use this Running Record to assess oral reading fluency with Love That 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.

Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment
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Writing with Love That 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.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment
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Making Connections with Love That Dog (Spanish)

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

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
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Synthesizing with Love That Dog (Spanish)

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

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
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Visualizing with Love That Dog (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
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Writing with Love That Dog (Spanish)

Worksheet
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About the Book

The cover for the book Love That Dog
Title: Love That Dog
Author: Sharon Creech
Genre: Poetry
Themes: Self Management, Family, Self Awareness
ISBN: 9780439569866
Publisher's Summary:
Love That Dog by Sharon Creech is a heartfelt and accessible novel-in-verse that invites young readers into the world of poetry through the eyes of Jack, a reluctant student. At first, Jack is convinced that poetry isn't for him, expressing frustration and skepticism in his classroom journal. Guided by his patient teacher, Miss Stretchberry, Jack is gradually introduced to famous poems and encouraged to write his own. Over time, Jack's writing becomes a safe space for him to explore his feelings, particularly those surrounding the loss of his beloved yellow dog, Sky.

Set mainly in Jack's classroom and home, the book offers a window into both the challenges and joys of self-expression. The unique journal format allows students to witness Jack's transformation as he moves from resistance to a genuine appreciation for poetry and his own creative voice. Through Jack's journey, Sharon Creech explores themes of grief, healing, and the importance of having supportive adults who nurture children's emotional growth.

Love That Dog is especially valuable in a classroom setting for its approachable structure and its ability to spark students' interest in both reading and writing poetry. The story encourages empathy, understanding, and courage in sharing one's own experiences. Teachers will find it a powerful tool for opening up discussions about feelings, creativity, and the impact of literature on our lives.
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