Resources to Use with LOVE THAT DOG by Sharon Creech
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Absolutely Normal Chaos
ABSOlutELY NORMAL CHAOS Setting the Scene Mary Lou Finney is less than excited about her assignment to keep a journal over the summer. But then cousin Carl Ray comes to stay with her family, and what starts out as the dull dog days of summer quickly turns into the wildest roller coaster ride of all time. How was Mary Lou supposed to know what would happen with Carl Ray and the ring? Or with her boy-crazy best friend, Beth Ann? Or with the permanently pink Alex Cheevey? Suddenly, a boring school project becomes a record of the most incredible, unbelievable summer of Mary Lou’s life. Before Reading Absolutely Normal Chaos begins with a letter from Mary Lou to her teacher, Mr. Birkway, begging him not to read her summer journals. Ask the class if they have ever kept a journal. Would they like their teacher reading it? Why or why not? Discussion Questions 1. Describe Mary Lou’s relationship with Alex Cheevey. What is 5. Near the end of the summer Mary Lou writes, “I don’t even their relationship like at the start of the novel? How does it recognize myself when I read back over these pages” (p. 228). change? Why? What do you imagine their relationship is like In what ways has Mary Lou changed over the course of the after the book ends? novel? Is she more mature? Why? Provide examples from the book. 2. When Mary Lou is lamenting the end of the school year, she writes, “Isn’t that just typical? You wait and wait and wait for 6. -
Summer Reading
DIRECTIONS: Pick THREE books from this list, read them this summer and fill out the attached “LOVE IT OR LOSE IT?” sheet. Tell me if you LOVE these books or if our library should “LOSE THEM.” Return the sheet to Mrs. Guzik (or email it to me at [email protected]) by 8/31. You will earn a prize and be entered into a drawing for a $10 Barnes & Noble Gift Card. You will get one additional entry in the gift card drawing for every EXTRA book you read (after the first three). Plus, you’ll get a bonus entry for every book you choose from this list that was published in 1999 or earlier (in bolded italics). For Middle Grade Students (Gr. 3-5) For Middle A Corner of the Universe by Ann Martin (2003 NH) Grade Students (Gr. 3-5) A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park (2002 NW) The School Story by Andrew Clements (2004 CYRM W) A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck (2002 NW) Sheep by Valerie Hobbs (2009 CYRM W) Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff (2015 ALA) Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (1992 NW) Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo (2001 NH, 2003 CYRM W) Sounder by William Armstrong (1970 NW) Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu (2011MA) Spaceheadz by Jon Scieszka (2010 MA) Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin (2012 NH) Splendors and Glooms by Laura Schlitz (2013 NH) The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop (1989 CYRM W) Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin (2010 MA) The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth (1930 NW) Stonewords: A Ghost Story by Pam Conrad (1995 CYRM W) Christopher Mouse by William Wise (2007 CYRM W) Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski (1946 NW) City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau (2003 MA) Strider by Beverly Cleary (1995 CYRM N) Coraline by Neil Gaiman (2002 MA) The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars (1971 NW) The Crossover by Kwame Alexander (2015 NW) The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo (2004 NW) Dear Mr. -
Literature Circle Guide to LOVE THAT DOG by Sharon Creech
Literature Circle Guide to LOVE THAT DOG by Sharon Creech Book Summary Jack doesn’t care much for poetry, writing it or reading it. With the prodding of his teacher, though, he begins to write poems of his own — about a mysterious blue car, about a lovable dog. Slowly, he realizes that his brain isn’t “empty” and that he can write poems. After meeting one of his favorite writers, Walter Dean Meyers, Jack writes a special poem about a painful experience in his life, the death of his dog. By the end of the book, Jack realizes that writing and reading poetry is not only pleasurable, but that writing can be a way of dealing with painful memories. Instead of trying to forget those difficult experiences, he can make something creative out of them. Author Information Known for writing with a classic voice and unique style, Sharon Creech is the best- selling author of the Newbery Medal winner Walk Two Moons, and the Newbery Honor Book The Wanderer. She is also the first American in history to be awarded the CILIP Carnegie Medal for Ruby Holler. Her other works include the novels Love That Dog, Bloomability, Abolutely Normal Chaos, Chasing Redbird, and Pleasing the Ghost, and two picture books: A Fine, Fine School and Fishing in the Air. These stories are often centered around life, love, and relationships -- especially family relationships. Growing up in a big family in Cleveland, Ohio, helped Ms. Creech learn to tell stories that wouldn't be forgotten in all of the commotion: "I learned to exaggerate and embellish, because if you didn't, your story was drowned out by someone else's more exciting one." Suggested Answers to Literature Circle Questions 1. -
Love-That-Dog-By-Sharon-Creech.Pdf
Love That Dog Recommended for Grades 4-8 Book Summary: Love That Dog Written as a series of journal entries, we meet a boy named Jack. Jack thinks poetry is for girls. With some encouragement from his teacher, he begins to write his own poems. As time passes, he goes from not wanting anyone to know he wrote the poems to offering advice on how to best format the poems for the class to read. [SPOILER] Influenced by one of his favorite writers, Walter Dean Meyers, Jack writes a special poem about the death of his dog. He becomes so passionate about poetry that he writes to Walter Dean Myers and convinces him to visit his school. In the end, Jack has discovered that he really enjoys reading and writing poetry. He uses poetry to express his feelings. Just as he was inspired my many famous poets, his poems now inspire his fellow classmates. At the end of the book, we can read all those poems which Jack referred to in his journal. Author Biography: Sharon Creech Sharon Creech was born on July 29, 1945 in South Euclid, Ohio. Her rowdy family consisted of Mom, Dad, one sister, and three brothers. (A fictional account of what it was like in her family can be found in her book Absolutely Normal Chaos. In the summertime, her family would take a vacation to Wisconsin or Michigan. Once they went to Idaho, which became the basis of her book Walk Two Moons. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Hiram College and a Master of Arts from George Mason University. -
Newbery Award Winners Newbery Award Winners
Waterford Public Library Newbery Award Winners Newbery Award Winners 1959: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare 1958: Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith Newbery Award Winners 1996: The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman 1957: Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorenson 1995: Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech 1956: Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham 1994: The Giver by Lois Lowry 1955: The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong The Newbery Medal was named for 18th-century British bookseller 1993: Missing May by Cynthia Rylant 1954: ...And Now Miguel by Joseph Krumgold John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for 1992: Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor 1953: Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library 1991: Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli 1952: Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to 1990: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry 1951: Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates American literature for children. 1989: Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman 1950: The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli 1988: Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman 1949: King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry 2021: When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller 1987: The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman 1948: The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pène du Bois 1986: Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan 1947: Miss Hickory by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey 2020: New Kid, written and illustrated by Jerry Craft 1985: The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley 1946: Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski 2019: Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina 1984: Dear Mr. -
Walk Two Moons</Em> Literature Circle Questions
Literature Circle Questions Use these questions and the activities that follow to get more out of the experience of reading Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech. 1. What does Sal say are the “real reasons” her grandparents are taking her to Idaho? 2. At the very end of the story, why does Sal say that she is jealous of Phoebe? 3. Why doesn’t Sal like her new home in Euclid, Ohio? How is it different from her former home in Kentucky? 4. Sal says that her story is hidden behind Phoebe’s. What do you think she means by this? 5. As Sal gets to know Phoebe and the Winterbottom family, she notices some odd things about their family. What does Sal notice, and why does she think that Mrs. Winterbottom is unhappy? 6. As you read, did any of the characters surprise you? Who turned out to be different than you first expected? 7. If you had a friend who was experiencing family problems like Sal and Phoebe, how would you try to help? What kind of advice would you give your friend? 8. In chapter 41, Sal remembers the time her dog Moody Blue had puppies. How does she compare Moody Blue’s behavior to her mother’s? What do we learn about Sal’s mother through this comparison? 9. Of her Gram and Gramps Hiddle, Sal says, “My grandparents can get into trouble as easily as a fly can land on a watermelon.” What are some examples of this from the story? 10. What do Phoebe’s and Sal’s mothers have in common? Compare the two mothers, including their personalities, their problems, and their relationships with their children. -
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech a Choose to Read Ohio Toolkit
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech A Choose to Read Ohio Toolkit About the Book For reasons that are unclear to Sal Hiddle, her mother left the family farm in Kentucky for Lewiston, Idaho, and did not return. Sal’s grief- stricken father rents out the farm that Sal loves and uproots her to Euclid, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. Sal hates her new home and cannot accept her father’s disturbing relationship with red-haired Margaret Cadaver, a nurse who has persuaded Mr. Hiddle to move to Ohio for work. Sal refuses to believe that her mother will never return. That summer, Gram and Gramps Hiddle, Sal’s paternal grandparents, take her on a six-day car trip from Euclid to Lewiston, Idaho. Sal’s goal is to reach their destination on Sal’s mother’s birthday. The trio travels westward, retracing the route taken by Sal’s mother. To pass the time, Sal recalls the events that preceded her mother’s departure and at Gram’s insistence, narrates a tale of her experiences in Euclid that past year. At the heart of the story is Sal’s friend Phoebe Winterbottom’s grief over her mother’s sudden disappearance. The imaginative Phoebe insists that her mother has been kidnapped by a lunatic. Phoebe’s loss parallels Sal’s loss, and Phoebe’s story brings Sal’s into sharper focus. The mystery is solved when Phoebe’s mother returns home with the “lunatic”—a son whom she gave up for adoption years before and whom her family has not been told about. -
Abbey, Cherie D., Ed. Biography Today: Author Series. Profil
DOCUMENT RESUME ED 434 064 SO 031 051 AUTHOR Harris, Laurie Lanzen, Ed.; Abbey, Cherie D., Ed. TITLE Biography Today: Author Series. Profiles of People of Interest to Young Readers. Volume 5, 1999. ISBN ISBN-0-7808-0372-8 PUB DATE 1999-00-00 NOTE 194p. AVAILABLE FROM Omnigraphics, Inc., 2500 Penobscot Building, Detroit, MI 48226; Tel: 800-234-1340 (Toll Free). PUB TYPE Books (010) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC08 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Adolescent Literature; *Authors; Biographies; Childrens Literature; Elementary Secondary Education; Language Arts; *Popular Culture; Profiles; Reading Interests; Recreational Reading; Social Studies; Student Interests; *Supplementary Reading Materials IDENTIFIERS *Biodata; *Illustrators; Writing for Children ABSTRACT As with the regular issues of "Biography Today," this special subject volume on "Authors" was created to appeal to young readers in a format they can enjoy reading and readily understand. Each volume contains alphabetically-arranged sketches. Each entry in the volume provides at least one picture of the individual profiled, and bold-faced rubrics lead readers to information on birth, youth, early memories, education, hobbies, and honors and awards. Each entry ends with a list of easily accessible sources designed to lead the student to further reading on the individual and a current address. Obituary entries are also included and clearly marked in both the table of contents and at the beginning of the entry. Ten authors are profiled in this volume:(1) Sharon Creech;(2) Michael Crichton;(3) Karen Cushman;(4) Tomie dePaola;(5) Lorraine Hansberry;(6) Karen Hesse; (7) Brian Jacques;(8) Gary Soto;(9) Richard Wright; and (10) Laurence Yep. A series of general, places of birth, and birthday indexes is included. -
Love That Dog
LOVE THAT DOG Applause Series Curriculum Guide May 16-20, 2016 Dear Teachers, Thank you for joining us for the GUIDE CONTENTS Applause Series presentation of Love that Dog! This uplifting piece of About Des Moines Performing theater centers around a relatable Arts young man named Jack and the Page 3 personal journey he undertakes to find his voice. Although a reluctant Going to the Theater and writer at the beginning of the year, Theater Etiquette the guidance of his inspiring teacher Page 4 Miss Stretchberry opens in Jack a new understanding that he has Temple Theater Field Trip something to say and gives him the Information for Teachers tools — poetry — to say it in a way Page 5 that is evocative and powerful. We hope your students will see a bit of Vocabulary themselves in Jack and that his story Jack and his dog Sky, who Page 6 inspires much of Jack’s writing. will encourage them in their own journeys of self-discovery. About the Performance Pages 7 As you prepare your students for this experience, we hope that this study guide helps you connect the performance to your About the Author, Sharon Creech classroom curriculum in ways that you find valuable. In the Page 8 following pages, you will find contextual information about the performance and related subjects, as well as a variety of About the Artists discussion questions and activities. Some pages are appropriate Page 9 to reproduce for your students; others are designed more specifically with you, their teacher, in mind. As such, we hope that What is Poetry? you are able to “pick and choose” materials and ideas from the Page 10 study guide to meet your class’s unique needs. -
Teach Creech Make the Novels of Newbery Medal–Winning Author Sharon Creech Come Alive in the Classroom!
TEACH CREECH MAKE THE NOVELS OF NEWBERY MEDAL–WINNING AUTHOR SHARON CREECH COME ALIVE IN THE CLASSROOM! WWW.SHARONCREECH.COM WWW.HARPERCOLLINSCHILDRENS.COM ABOUT THE AUTHOR Creech usually begins her stories “with the image of a character and a setting” (a girl on a sailboat, for example), and then she lets “the character talk in order to hear her voice. The voice gives many clues about what she values, what she cares about, her worries, and her fears. Place also shapes character, and both the voice and the place get me started. Then, I trust that a story will emerge. Words generate more words; thoughts generate more thoughts.” There is a piece of Sharon Creech in every book she writes. Creech’s daughter, Karin, took the same trip as Sophie does in The Wanderer. Although they followed the same route and encountered a storm, Sophie developed a personality all her own. The first two Bompie stories that Sophie tells are Creech’s father’s stories, but the rest are imagined. Also, like Reena in Lyle Rigg Lyle Moo, Creech’s granddaughter and her family—and Creech It has been said that a reader can get acquainted with authors herself—moved to Maine and met an ornery cow. just by reading the words they write. This is especially true of Most of Creech’s novels deal with the themes of family and Sharon Creech, who chooses to share so much of herself and her friendship, and also of loss and abandonment. She writes such heart in her novels. The best way to make Sharon Creech alive heartfelt stories about the characters and their losses that the and real to the students who love her books is to share some of reader has to wonder what she has experienced to get the her personal insights with them. -
Chasing Redbird
CHASING REDBIRD Setting the Scene Zinnia Taylor lives with her large family on their farm in Bybanks, Kentucky, and is tired of always having to answer “Which one are you?” When she discovers an overgrown trail beginning on the farm, she claims it for her own and makes it her summer project to clear its entire twenty-mile length. In the process of uncovering the trail, Zinny also uncovers truths about herself and her family—including memories of her cousin Rose, who died when both she and Zinny were only four years old. Before Reading Have students examine the illustration of the Bybanks-Chocton Trail in the front of the book. Elicit that the site names, such as Spook Hollow and Maiden’s Walk, probably refer to local legends. Ask students to recall legends from their own community that have given names to local streets, areas, or attractions. Discussion Questions 1. Throughout Chasing Redbird Zinny experiences conflicting and 7. Constantly being referred to as an anonymous “pumpkin,” confusing feelings about the people who are special to her: a “tadpole,” or, worst of all, “the strangest and stingiest dirt- Uncle Nate, Jake, even her parents. Give some examples of daubing doodlebug” (p. 52), Zinny strikes out to clear the Zinny’s confusion about these characters and explain why she trail. By the end of the novel, do you think Zinny has feels so conflicted. successfully set herself apart from her brothers and sisters by creating the trail? Has her identity changed in the eyes of her 2. How does the natural world of the woods play a part in family, the public, Jake? Does Zinny think she has changed Zinny’s story? Do the other members of Zinny’s family share herself by the end of the story? How can you tell? her enthusiasm for nature? 8. -
Ruby Holler</Em> Literature Circle Questions
Literature Circle Questions Use the questions and activities that follow to get more out of the experience of reading Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech. 1. What are some of the rules of Boxton Creek Home? What are some of the punishments Dallas and Florida receive for breaking the rules? 2. What did the twins do that made the Hoppers bring them back to the home? 3. When Dallas is sent to the Thinking Corner, what does he think about? What does Florida think about? 4. Why is Dallas more eager to go with Tiller and Sairy than Florida? What is he excited about? 5. When Florida and Dallas first arrive in Ruby Holler, they ask Tiller and Sairy a lot of questions about their new home. What do the questions reveal about other places they’ve lived? 6. Even though Dallas and Florida are twins, in some ways they are very different. Make a list, comparing and contrasting the twins. Make the same list for Tiller and Sairy. 7. How do Dallas and Florida feel about not knowing what their parents look like? Are there any positive aspects that either sees about not knowing? 8. How does Florida change over the course of the novel? Find examples of things she does or says at the end of the book that she wouldn’t have done at the start. 9. Compare the Trepids and Tiller and Sairy. What is each like as a couple? How are their views on children different? What kinds of secrets do they keep from one another? 10.