Harry the Dirty Dog Free Unit Study and Lapbook

Author: Gene Zion
Illustrator: Margaret Bloy Graham
ISBN: 780064430098
Summary: (from back cover) Harry is a white dog with black spots who loves everything except baths. So one day before bath time, Harry runs away. By the time he returns home, Harry is so dirty he looks like a black dog with white spots. His family doesn't even recognize him!

Social Studies

Taking Care of Pets
Harry is the pet of the family in the story.   Does your student know how to take care of a pet?

Discuss the similar needs that animals and humans have (food, shelter, water, etc.)
Using this prepared sheet, let your student draw a line from the human need to the similar animal (pet) need. If you want to turn the prepared worksheet into a minit book, use this file.

Look throughout the story at all the different animals (dogs, birds, cats, spider, caterpillar, butterfly, etc.). Which ones make good pets?   You may even want to take this one step further and think of other animals (elephant, flamingo, etc.) that would probably not make good pets and discuss why.

Go-along books
Usborne Cats and Kittens
Usborne Dogs and Puppies
My Pet Hamster by Anne Rockwell (LRFOS)
I Really Want a Dog
Love is a Happy Cat
Are You the Pet for Me? Choosing the Right Pet for Your Family, by Mary Jane Checchi

For a field trip this week, visit your local pet shop and find out how to take care of other pets, too. You could also call a vet and visit a veterinarian's office to learn more about pets.

Pets Coloring Page Clip-art from Kizclub (you can have your student color/cut/paste and make a Pets minit book using these)

Domestic Animals
A domestic animal is an animal that adapts to living with human beings and to serving their purposes; they are generally tame and depend on their owners for food and water. Discuss the differences between a dog and a wolf (even though they are both canines). Would your child want a wolf for a pet? Discuss the differences between a cat and a lion or tiger (even though they are both felines). Discuss other animals that are commonly considered domestic in your neck of the woods.

Use this prepared minit book to record some domestic and wild animals: Domestic vs. Wild Peek-a-book Book

Staying Safe and Making Smart Choices
When Harry heard the bathwater running what did he do? (He took the scrubbing brush and hid it in the backyard...then he ran away from home.)    If you are afraid of something or don't like something, why is running away a bad choice? What dangers could Harry have faced when he ran away? (getting lost, getting hit by a car, getting taken by a stranger, not finding food, not finding shelter, etc.) It would have been smarter and safer for Harry to simply stay home and take his bath!   If you can think of specific applications of this lesson for your student, make sure to discuss those, too.

Language Arts

Memory/List Making
Can your student recall the various ways that Harry got dirty? See how many he can remember after additional readings, too.
1. He played where they were fixing the street
2. He played at the RR
3. He played tag with the other dogs
4. He slid down a coal shoot

How did Harry Get so Dirty? Minit Book

Vocabulary (and Drama)
Discuss and act out the following words with your student.
buried
dig furiously
up the stairs he dashed
slept soundly
slid down a coal chute

Vocabulary Flip-Flap book for your lapbook

Exclamation Points
Show your student what an exclamation point is in the text of the book. Demonstrate how you read a sentence with emphasis when an exclamation point is at the end. You may want to go through the entire text together and count the exclamation points that you find. Encourage your student to practice reading these sentences with enthusiasm and excitement!

Exclamation Point matchbook

Harry the Dirty Dog Sequence Cards (your student will need to draw the pictures, or you can shrink, copy, and cut photos from the story)

Art

Drawing Harry
Look at the illustrations of Harry with your student. Can your student determine what basic shapes compose Harry? (rectangle body, crescent tail, etc.). If your student can "see" the different shapes, encourage her to draw Harry.

Draw two Harrys. One white dog with black spots...then, show your student how to make use of negative space (the white area) by drawing a black dog with white spots. Your student will have to plan ahead in order to draw the second dog.

Color Choices in the Illustrations
Look through the illustrations with your student. What main colors did Bloy choose? (green, yellow, black, and white). Encourage your student to draw a picture using only those colors. (The two page spread of Harry playing tag with the other dogs is a good example of the green, yellow, black, and white color choices.)

Math

Timeline Fun (Math & Social Studies)
You may want to start an on-going time-line project (if you haven't already). Print this timeline from FIAR Circle for free
Print it out and assemble. Add on pictures for your student (on the year she was born), and for your student's immediate relatives (on the years they were born). After you have everyone added, show your student how to find the copyright date (the year the book was "born") for Harry the Dirty Dog. Place a marker for Harry the Dirty Dog on your timeline. Now, decide, which of your relatives could've had Harry read to them when they were children.
(Note: this is a cool project for us house because all of Elijah's grandparents were born in the 50s, so they all qualify!)

Another timeline/copyright lesson-- figure out how old Harry the Dirty Dog is.

My Timeline minit book

Counting
This book has endless opportunities for counting practice. Dogs (cats or even birds) throughout the book will supply even the most eager counter with plenty to count!

Supplemental Ideas

Game Idea-- Hide the Scrubbing Brush
Find an object that represents a scrub brush (maybe a new sponge or whatever you have on hand). Take turns using the object to play hide and seek with your student.

Library List
Other books by Gene Zion and Margaret Bloy Graham
No Roses for Harry
Harry by the Sea
The Plant Sitter
All Falling Down
The Sugar Mouse Cake
Dear Garbage Man

Materials and information on this website belong to the original composers. It may be used for your own personal and school use.