Text Type:
Fiction / Adventure
Reading Level
O
Word Count:
1081
Pages:
22
Text Summary
Troika is the lead dog in a dogsled team. Troika gets his name after he loses a leg protecting his master from a grizzly bear. Despite having only three legs, he saves his owner again when the ice cracks underneath a sled. Later, he protects his master from a charging bull moose. Because of Troika's bravery, his master calls him a superhero.
Lesson Objectives
Reading Strategies
Children should use a variety of strategies to determine word meaning and comprehend text. The targeted strategy for this lesson is: predicting what will happen next.
Word and Print Skills
Phonics
ly ending
Identify and list words ending in ly
Word Work
Contractions
Identify and list contractions
Compound words
Identify and list compound words
Comprehension
You will likely address a number of comprehension skills as children work to understand the text. The targeted comprehension strategy for this lesson is: retelling in sequence.
Visual Learning
Children will note details in the illustrations that will help them understand the text.
Targeted Vocabulary Words
Content words
Troika, Russian, grizzly, superhero, mushing
Before Reading
Introducing the Book
Before handing out the book, introduce it by showing the front cover.
Ask: What do you see on the cover? What do you think the book will be about? Why might the sled be in the water? How might it get out?
Turn the book to the back cover
Ask: What other information does this give us about the contents of the book? What is the dog doing? Why might he be doing it?
Building Background
Children may not be familiar with dogsled teams, how they work and what they are used for.
Make a mind map with children with the words dogsled team in the middle. Have them suggest what they already know about them. Write these suggestions around the title.
Depending on students’ knowledge you may need to make some suggestions. For example, the notion of the lead dog’s role and skills it might need to do that job.
Book Walk
Without reading the text, turn to the first page and ask children what the pictures tell them about the relationship between the boy and the dog. Ask: What do these pictures tell you about the relationship between the boy and the dog?
Why might the boy and the dog have a relationship like this?
As you flick through the pictures in the book ask children to add to their answers to the above questions and to the mind map made in building background.
Ask: As you look at these pictures what new information do they give you about the boy and the dogs’ relationship.
Do you see any new information to add to the mind map about dogsled teams?
Reading Strategies
Ask
What can you do when you come to a word you do not know?
Suggest
Have children look for something within the word they know.
Have children reread the sentence.
During Reading
Student Reading
Hand out the books and have children read quietly a their own pace.
Encourage children to think about the sequence of the story as they read.
Using the Worksheet
Explain to children that after reading they will need to fill out the worksheet relating to the events in the story in the right sequence. If children begin working on them after they have finished reading it will give you time to assist individuals.
After Reading
Comprehending the Text
Ask questions that focus on retelling the story in sequence,
Ask: How did the story begin? What was the first instance where the dog helped the boy?
What was the second? What was the third?
Ask questions about the relationship between the boy and the dog.
Ask: What was the relationship between the dog and the boy? How did it change through the story? Why?
Building Skills
Phonics
ly endings
Explain to children that when ly comes at the end of a word it sounds like ‘lee’
Use the following words from the story ugly (page 3) and grizzly (page 8)
Have children think of other words ending in ly.
Ask: Can you find any words in the story that end in ly? What are they?
Can you think of any other words that end in ly?
Write children’s answers onto a board.
Word Work
Contractions
Explain to children that a contraction is a combination of two words where the ’ represents letters that have been left out when the two words are joined.
Use the following example, don’t from the story (page 3),
Ask: Can you find any other contractions in the story?
Write these on a chart as they find them. Discuss what two words have been joined to form the contraction. Write these on the chart alongside.
Ask: What two words have been used to make the new word?
Have children look closely at the words to identify which letter or letters have been dropped in favor of the ’.
Ask: What letter has been dropped?
Make a list of the contractions and the two words used to make them.
Have children think of other contractions.
Ask: Can you think of some other contractions?
Add these to the list.
Compound words –
Explain to children that a compound word is two words joined that are not abbreviated.
Use the following example from the story background (page 5)
Ask: Can you find any other compound words in the story?
Write these on another chart as they find them. Discuss what two words have been joined to form the compound word. Write these on the chart alongside.
Ask: What two words have been used to make the new word?
Have children think of other compound words and list on a chart.
Ask: Can you think of any other compound words?
Add these to the chart.
Expand the Reading
Writing Connection
Have children write a fourth reason that made the dog a superhero.
Ask: What other way might the dog have saved the boy’s life?
Social Studies Connection
Have children think about the area that the boy and the dog might live in. Research the area and make a comparism / differences chart with the area they live in.
Reading Independently
Have children read the book independently or with a partner. You can also encourage them to read other books of their choice at the appropriate level.
Home Connection
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Assessment
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