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Lesson Plans and Teaching Resources for Officer Buckle and Gloria

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Use Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann to strengthen your students' comprehension skills, build their vocabulary, and help them understand how words work.

This Caldecott award-winning children's book tells the story of safety expert Officer Buckle and his four-legged sidekick, Gloria. Students will delight in Gloria's antics as they use this story about teamwork to build comprehension skills focused on synthesizing, identifying the author's purpose, and making predictions, connections, and inferences.
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Explore lesson plans and activities to help you teach with Officer Buckle and Gloria in the drop down below.

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Identifying the Author's Purpose with Officer Buckle and Gloria

 
Author Peggy Rathmann wrote Officer Buckle and Gloria to persuade readers to think about the importance of teamwork. Encourage readers to practice identifying the author's purpose while reading with this ready-to-use mini lesson and supporting materials.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.2.2,RL.2.7,RL.2.10,RF.2.3,RF.2.4,SL.2.1b,SL.2.2,SL.2.3,W.2.8,L.2.6
TEKS Alignment
2.7D,2.13G,2.13E,2.13C,2.10C,2.10B,2.10A,2.9C,2.8C,2.7E,2.1A,2.7C,2.7B,2.7A,2.6I,2.6E,2.6A,2.1D,2.1C
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Making Connections with Officer Buckle and Gloria

 
When readers are able to see how a story is like something in their world, another story they have read, or themselves, they understand the text better. Pair this mini lesson with Officer Buckle and Gloria to prompt students to stop and think about meaningful connections as they read.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.2.2,RL.2.10,RF.2.3,RF.2.4,SL.2.1b,SL.2.2,SL.2.3,W.2.8,L.2.6
TEKS Alignment
2.1A,2.1C,2.1D,2.6A,2.6E,2.6I,2.7A,2.7B,2.7C,2.7D,2.7E,2.7F,2.8C,2.13C,2.13E,2.13G
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Making Inferences with Officer Buckle and Gloria

 
Peggy Rathmann's Officer Buckle and Gloria is an engaging anchor text for a making inferences mini lesson. The lively text and detailed illustrations provide clues for students to use while they practice this important skill.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.2.6,RL.2.7,RL.2.10,RF.2.3,RF.2.4,SL.2.1b,SL.2.2,SL.2.3,W.2.8,L.2.6
TEKS Alignment
2.7C,2.13G,2.13E,2.13C,2.8C,2.8B,2.7F,2.7E,2.7D,2.1A,2.7B,2.6I,2.6F,2.6E,2.6A,2.1D,2.1C
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Making Predictions with Officer Buckle and Gloria

 
Readers are able to make successful predictions when they attend to the clues that Peggy Rathmann included in Officer Buckle and Gloria. Students are also encouraged to check their thinking using the predictable text structure and detailed illustrations.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.2.1,RL.2.3,RL.2.10,RF.2.3,RF.2.4,SL.2.1b,SL.2.2,SL.2.3,W.2.8,L.2.6
TEKS Alignment
2.7B,2.13G,2.13E,2.13C,2.8C,2.7F,2.7E,2.7D,2.7C,2.1A,2.7A,2.6I,2.6E,2.6C,2.6B,2.6A,2.1D,2.1C
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Synthesizing with Officer Buckle and Gloria

 
Noting the changes in Officer Buckle's character throughout the story is a great way to increase comprehension through synthesizing. This focused mini lesson shows students where to pause and reflect while reading.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.2.1,RL.2.2,RL.2.3,RL.2.4,RL.2.5,RL.2.6,RL.2.7,RL.2.10,RF.2.3,RF.2.4,SL.2.1b,SL.2.2,SL.2.3,W.2.8,L.2.6
TEKS Alignment
2.7C,2.13G,2.13E,2.13C,2.9C,2.8C,2.7F,2.7E,2.7D,2.1A,2.7B,2.6I,2.6H,2.6B,2.6A,2.1D,2.1C
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Comprehension Assessment with Officer Buckle and Gloria

Use this Common Core aligned comprehension assessment to evaluate students' comprehension of Officer Buckle and Gloria.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment
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Vowels with Officer Buckle and Gloria

 

This word work lesson plan and set of teaching resources use Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann as a springboard for instruction focused on r-controlled vowels.

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

Common Core State Standards Alignment
RF.2.3,RF.2.4
TEKS Alignment
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Vocabulary Connections with Officer Buckle and Gloria

This set of vocabulary development resources for Officer Buckle and Gloria 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.2.4a,L.2.5a,L.2.6
TEKS Alignment
2.7E,2.7F,2.3A,2.3B,2.3D
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How Police Officers and Dogs Keep Us Safe

This Knowledge and Fluency Passage offers a clear, engaging passage about the important roles police officers and their specially trained dogs play in keeping communities safe. By exploring how officers teach safety rules and work with their canine partners, students gain helpful background knowledge that connects directly to Officer Buckle and Gloria’s school visits and safety presentations. Using this resource before reading the book supports confident, informed reading and deepens students’ understanding of the story’s key themes. Use this passage to prepare your students for a richer experience with the text.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
|replace-resource-ccss|
TEKS Alignment
|replace-resource-teks|
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Cause and Effect Matching with Officer Buckle and Gloria

Read Officer Buckle and Gloria 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 Officer Buckle and Gloria. 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 Officer Buckle and Gloria

Understanding cause and effect is a key comprehension and language skill. The text structure of Officer Buckle and Gloria 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.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment
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Compare and Contrast with Officer Buckle and Gloria

 
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
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Writing with Officer Buckle and Gloria

Safety Star Tips Worksheet
After reading Officer Buckle and Gloria, students take the lead in creating their own safety rules—just like Officer Buckle. They'll write, illustrate, and personalize their "Safety Star" tips, making it a fun and purposeful way to support writing, classroom norms, and creative thinking. Perfect as a center, morning activity, or bulletin board starter.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment
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Identifying the Author's Purpose with Officer Buckle and Gloria (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
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Making Connections with Officer Buckle and Gloria (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
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Making Inferences with Officer Buckle and Gloria (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
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Making Predictions with Officer Buckle and Gloria (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
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Synthesizing with Officer Buckle and Gloria (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
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Compare and Contrast with Officer Buckle and Gloria (Spanish)

Worksheet
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Writing with Officer Buckle and Gloria (Spanish)

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About the Book

The cover for the book Officer Buckle and Gloria
Title: Officer Buckle and Gloria
Author: Peggy Rathmann
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Themes: Laugh Out Loud, Back to School, Award Winners
ISBN: 9780590925693
Publisher's Summary:
Officer Buckle and Gloria introduces young readers to the charming duo of Officer Buckle, a well-meaning but uninspiring policeman, and Gloria, a spirited police dog. In the town of Napville, Officer Buckle is known for his long list of safety tips, which he diligently shares at school assemblies. However, his presentations usually leave students bored and inattentive—until Gloria joins him on stage. Unbeknownst to Officer Buckle, Gloria pantomimes the hazards behind his back, transforming the talks into laugh-out-loud events that captivate students and teachers alike. The story quickly becomes a hit, and Officer Buckle finds himself in demand at schools all over town.

At its heart, this book is about the magic that happens when people (and pets) work together and appreciate each other's unique talents. The story explores themes of teamwork, friendship, and the value of every individual's contribution. Peggy Rathmann's illustrations add energy and humor, cleverly showing Gloria's antics and the audience's reactions. Officer Buckle and Gloria is both entertaining and practical, making it an excellent choice for classroom discussions about safety, cooperation, and the importance of recognizing one another's strengths. Teachers will find it a valuable resource for addressing social-emotional learning and building a supportive classroom community.
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