Peyton Goes to the Dog Show by Lee Canalizo

Using Illustrations in Peyton Goes to the Dog Show

Learning Objectives

Students will use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters.

Grade Levels

K-1

Common Core Standard

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.7
Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of “how-to” books on a given topic and use them to write a sequence of instructions).

Materials Needed

“Peyton Goes to the Dog Show” by Lee Canalizo (Ideally enough copies for each pair/group to share)

Picture of a popular children’s book character

Dog Breed Chart

Lesson Instructions

Introduction and Teacher Modeling

-Begin by showing students a picture of a well-known book character, such as a Curious George. Ask students to describe what we know about George based on the picture.

-Tell students that today they will learn how illustrations in books tell us about its characters.

Guided Practice/Interactive Modeling

-Introduce the story “Peyton Goes to the Dog Show” by Lee Canalizo.

-Complete a brief picture walk with the students by showing them some of the pictures and asking them to predict what they think the story might be about.

-As you read the book, stop at each page to probe students further about the pictures.

-Page 1 of the book introduces Peyton. Ask students to describe Peyton. Ask questions such as, “How old might she be? Is she happy to be at the dog show? How do we know?”

-Page 2 of the book introduces new characters (a handler, a judge and the audience). Ask students to describe the scene. “What is happening? What do we know about these characters?”

-The next several pages show different breeds of dogs. Pass out the dog breed chart. As you read, have students jot down notes about the dogs. Consider details such as the dog’s size, color, etc.

-When you’ve finished the book, you may utilize the AKC website, to learn about the different breeds mentioned in the book to add to the chart. This research helps us to understand the characters.

-Page 12 describes dogs with jobs. Ask students what they know about dogs that have jobs. “What breeds of dogs have jobs and what kinds of jobs do they do?” This page is a great resource to learn about dogs with jobs.

Independent Working Time

-Assign each student a partner (or group) or allow them to choose their own partner (or group).

-Assign each pair a picture in the book. Have them look at the picture together and write about what the picture tells them about the character on that page. Provide support with question examples such as, “What is the dog doing? Does he/she look happy? What makes you think that?”

-Students should write down their thoughts. Some children may need support with the writing aspect of this lesson. You may choose to place one strong writer in each group to be the scribe.

-When all students have finished, allow them to share the picture they were assigned and their ideas with the class.

Review and Closing

-To close this lesson, ask the students to describe why pictures are important in a story.

-Encourage them to share their favorite part of the story.

-Ask students to consider what breed of dog was your favorite? Which breed might be the right one for your family? Why or why not? Invite students to share about their own dog. If they don’t have a dog, they can share about their “dog friends” (i.e. neighbor dogs, dogs of friends/family, etc.)

-Ask students to share if they would be interested in attending a dog show and describe how their answer was influenced by the book.

*Note: This lesson would be best suited for advanced first graders or at the end of the school year.

Additional Information

Additional standards based lesson plans, hands-on activities and professional development can be found on the AKC® Educator Resources page.

Educators can purchase copies of “Peyton Goes to the Dog Show” at a discount from the publisher.

Peyton Goes to the Dog Show : A Research Paper

Learning Objectives

Students will use information from a fiction story to write an informative text about dogs.

Grade Levels

2-3

Common Core Standard

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

Materials Needed

Peyton Goes to the Dog Show by Lee Canalizo

Computer (one per student or group)

List of Breeds

Research Outline

Lesson Instructions

Introduction and Teacher Modeling

-Begin by asking students to raise their hand to tell you what they know about dogs. Write their ideas on the board.

-Invite students to share something about their own dogs and dog friends (i.e. neighbor’s dogs, dogs that belong to friends/family, etc.)

-Tell students that today they will be listening to a book and doing some research about its contents.

Guided Practice/Interactive Modeling

-Read Peyton Goes to the Dog Show by Lee Canalizo.

-As you read, stop to make notes on the board about the breeds of dogs (This is included for you).

-When finished the book, tell students, “In the book, Peyton had the opportunity to see a lot of different breeds of dogs. We will do research to learn about these breeds and write about them.”

-Pick out one breed to focus on, such as the Pug.

-Using a computer, visit akc.org. Find the breed page for the Pug. Model for the students how to fill out the research sheet about the breed.

-Once the research sheet is complete, model how to write a paragraph about the Pug using the information you found.

Independent Working Time

-You may choose to group students if necessary.

-Students will review Peyton Goes to the Dog Show and choose one breed of dog to research.

-Students will utilize a computer to research their breed and complete the research sheet.

-When finished, students will write about a paragraph using the information they found.

-Students may include information about whether this particular breed of dog would be a good fit for the family. They should utilize their research to describe their reasoning.

Review and Closing

-When all students are finished, they may choose to present their paragraph to the class.

-Invite students to share their favorite part of the book.

Additional Information

Additional standards based lesson plans, hands-on activities and professional development can be found on the AKC® Educator Resources page.

Educators can purchase copies of “Peyton Goes to the Dog Show” at a discount from the publisher.