A Lot Dog

Craft and structure

Phonological awareness

The essential question of this issue is What can we learn from the foods we eat? The articles below connect to this theme.

• Silly Story: Fun Phonics: “A Cake for Jake,” p. 4
• Word Play: Vocabulary: “Ways to Say Yummy,” p. 19
• Paired Texts: “The Truth Behind Chocolate and Vanilla,” p. 20
• Fiction: Folktale: “The Little Round Bun,” p. 24
• Poetry Kit: “A Lot Dog,” p. 32

Through the above genres, students will discuss:

• What foods do you like to eat?
• Where do different foods come from?
• What stories do we tell about foods?

Shared Reading

• After you introduce and explore the meaning of the poem, use it as a daily shared reading experience to build fluency and phonological awareness through rhyme and rhythm.

Show a Video (10 minutes)

• Tell children that they are going to watch a video about the foods we eat. (This video also goes with other stories in the issue.)

Preview Text Type (10 minutes)

• Now tell students they will read a list poem. A list poem usually consists of three parts: a beginning, an ending, and a long list of things in the middle.
• Open your magazines to “A Lot Dog.” Ask children to think about what makes it a list poem as they read.

• Read the poem to model fluency. You can also click the Read-Aloud button at the top of the digital issue to hear it read by a voice actor!
• Discuss the meaning of the poem. What makes this poem funny? Could you ever put those things on a hot dog? What was the beginning, middle, and end of the list poem?

ELA Focus: Craft and Structure (10 minutes)

• The A Lot Pizza skills page allows children to write list poems of their own and reinforce their understanding of the genre.

ELA Focus: Craft and Structure (10 minutes)

• This version of the A Lot Pizza page allows children to engage with the same content at a lower skill level.