I'm My Own Dog (Candlewick Press, 2014)
Written by David Ezra Stein
Pre-K through Grade 6
I’m My Own Dog” is a playful introduction to both the world of having a best friend and the world of irony. The story begins with a pup that can do everything himself. He can throw his own stick, scratch himself, lick himself in the mirror and tell himself that he is good. All of these things are good and wonderful until he finds that spot, right in the middle of his back, where his scratching will not reach. The dog decides he will train a human to do the scratching for him. He also trains the human to throw the stick, cleans up after him, and complains about his incessant yapping. Stein uses a reverse story to show the connection between man and dog as best friends.
The illustrations add an enlightening character to the story.
Cross-Curricular Connections: Art, Social Studies, English, Math
Ideas for Classroom Use:
By Myself I Can…
This activity fosters a discussion about working alone and working with a friend. After reading, I’m My Own Dog, ask students what things they can do alone. Then brainstorm with a T-chart to figure out an activity that match these but would be more fun with a friend. For example, I can swing by myself but I can swinger higher with a friend to push me.
Have students illustrate a friendship poster to be placed the common areas of the school to encourage other students to think about friendship as well.
Cooperation Races
This activity evaluates how working as a team can make activities go faster—or not. Using some of the ideas in the “By Myself” activity of things that can be done either as a single person or a team, have students complete an activity independently and record how long it took. For example, have a student build a block tower with 20 blocks. (Depending on the age of the students, they can record their own times, or the teacher can.) Have the students use the same number of blocks with two builders. Time and record. Compare the times to see how much faster or slower the team works. Try different combinations of groups and or block numbers to see which works the best (has the fast completion rate for the most blocks). Graph all numbers and see how changing the number of people or blocks affected the resulting time.
Discuss the way working together can be beneficial or can hurt. Have students talk about ways the team could have gotten even faster with communication and cooperation. Switch partners and see if the time increases or decreases. Close the activity by discussing finding friends who are the best fit because they can help us to do better.
Ironic Stories
This activity encourages students to begin or extend their knowledge of irony. Most children at a young age can understand the irony in hyperboles and sarcasm. Before reading I’m My Own Dog, talk about examples of how something should be a certain way but people get confused. Amelia Bedelia would offer a quick look at the world of irony. Talk about exaggeration and saying the opposite of what is meant. Ask students to watch for examples of something happening that is not typically expected while reading the story. After reading, ask students to explain how the story uses irony to show that some things are better with friends.
As a closing activity, have students work independently or in small groups to create an example of irony. Have students illustrate an ironic phrase or event, such as a polar bear who likes the beach or a penguin that is allergic to ice cubes. For young students, this illustration can be done as a group with a teacher to facilitate and scribe as the children dictate. Have students read their story or phrase without showing the illustration and see if classmates can identify the irony. Show the illustrations to determine if the irony was found in each idea.
Additional Resources and Activities
Get Close to Think Deeply!
This strategy guide and video helps to guide teachers through the task of exploring complex text at a young age. The guide uses Amelia Bedelia stories to help explain how words do not always mean what a person thinks. The presenter leads students through a 4 part plan of dissecting the text and the meanings.
Online Graphing
This page allows teachers and students to edit and enter values to create a line graph. All data is customizable and printable. The site also gives links to other types of graphs.
Doodle Splash
This link from Read*Write*Think is an interactive tool that lets students create doodles online and add text to the sides explaining the doodle. This tool can be used in the Ironic Stories as an option for illustrating and writing the stories.
Kathy Prater is a reading specialist working with students with dyslexia, and a full time pre-kindergarten teacher at Starkville Academy in Starkville, MS. Her passions include reading, writing, tending her flock of chickens, and helping students at all levels to find motivation for lifelong reading and learning. She believes every child can become a successful reader if given the right tools and encouragement.