My Life in Dog Years [Before the Read]
My Life in Dog Years [Before the Read]
As readers, we know what it feels like when we really
“get” something we read. We understand that asking
questions, visualizing, retelling, and reacting to what
we read helps us understand our reading.
We also know that when this kind of thinking doesn’t
happen, meaning is breaking down and we need to
clear up our confusion in order to understand the text.
Often, our first step is to reread to try to work through
the difficulty.
Today, we are going to read a story from Gary Paulsen’s
memoir, “My Life in Dog Years”. Gary is an amazing author of
children’s and adolescent literature, and he has written over
one hundred books! “My Life in Dog Years” is a collection of
stories about dogs he has had in his life and the impact they
have had on him. We are going to read a piece called “Cookie:
A Dedication”. As we are reading, we are going to pay
attention to our thinking and to place where we might have
questions or are confused. I will share my thoughts, questions,
and connections, and I will invite you to do the same. I will
also pay attention to anything that might not make sense, or
the moments when I think, “Huh? I don’t get that!” In those
moments, we will also use sticky notes to hold on to our
thoughts as we read.
My Life in Dog Years [During the Read]
My Life in Dog Years [During the Read]
Read the first paragraph aloud, then stop to model
your thinking.
Reread the paragraph slowly, pausing to
paraphrase when necessary.
Wow! I can tell how much Gary loves dogs! I think it is
really admirable that he has rescued so many dogs and
is so passionate about having them in his life.
Now I can picture what he means. Cookie was in
charge when he participated in sledding competitions
in Alaska. I will jot this note: Lead dog=in charge. At
first I was also confused by the names of the towns I
didn’t recognize. By slowing down and rereading, I
realized they were names of towns.
Display and discuss the Appendix “How Do I Know I
Understand What I Read?”
Continue reading aloud, stopping after the
paragraph that begins “Cookie was my lead dog…”
I am confused by this paragraph because I can’t
picture what the author means by “lead dog.” I will
reread this slowly to figure it out.
Continue reading aloud through the first
paragraph on p. 4
My Life in Dog Years [During the Read]
My Life in Dog Years [During the Read]
I understand a lot more about sledding and trapping
beavers now. Gary provides a lot of explanations. Did
you notice this, too?
Finish reading the story. Pause one or two
times to have students stop-and-jot their
thinking. Pay attention to students’ reactions
and body language to assess when they
understand the text and when they need to stop
and clear up confusion. Reread the text at those
times.
Read through the second-to-last paragraph on p. 5
Stop-and-jot your thinking and then share with your
partners.
Have students jot on sticky notes in their Reader’s
Notebook. Elicit a few responses.
I agree that Gary must have been petrified. Cookie
seems like a special dog.
My Life in Dog Years [After the Read]
My Life in Dog Years [After the Read]
That story really left me thinking! I am going to take a
moment to jot down my thinking at the end of the
story.
Give students a few minutes.
Model this with a connection such as:
One thing I am thinking about is how much I love my
own dog and how grateful I am to have him/her. He,
too, is a rescue dog. Gary Paulsen has made me think
about my own life, which helps me connect to his
experience and understand the story better. What are
you left thinking about? What thoughts, questions, or
connections do you have? Stop-and-jot your thinking
and then we will move into a conversation.
My Life in Dog Years [After the Read]
Ask one student to begin by sharing his or her
thoughts or questions. Encourage students to
respond to one another before sharing a new
thought. Help students negotiate speaking one
voice at a time and responding to one another.
We will keep focusing on the importance of
paying attention to our thinking to truly
understand what we are reading.
Being part of a reading community means
that we are respectful listeners and
speakers. As such, we don’t have to raise our
hands to speak. By listening and watching,
we can sense when there is an opening to
contribute our thoughts to the conversation.