This Lesson's Title:

Silly Animal Problems

writing an original story that has been thoughtfully sequenced

This lesson idea was proposed by Northern Nevada teacher Laina Flemming.

The ideal "mentor text" that can be used when teaching this on-line lesson is the picture book Dog Breath by Dav Pilkey. Before writing, students should listen to and discuss the writing style of this book's author.

Click here to view this book at Amazon.com.

If you are a Washoe County teacher, click here to search for this book at the county library.

Three-Sentence Overview of this Lesson:

Dav Pilkey’s story, Dog Breath, involves a family's distress over their dog, Hally Tosis, and his horrible breath.  After enjoying the story, the writer will plan a detailed and sequenced story about an animal with a silly problem.   While planning and revising, students will think about their use of memorable details and their story's pacing. Teachers: Click here to see the entire lesson plan.

6-Trait Overview for this Lesson:

The focus trait in this writing assignment is idea development; the writer's goal is to create a unique story idea that is made memorable by its use of details.  The support trait in this assignment is organization; a sequence of events will be planned by the writer, and the pacing of those events will be thoughtfully planned.