I usually spent 3-4 days just on this book alone- it has great vocabulary, and a text that works well for retelling. It also works really well in a compare and contrast with Jan Brett's The Mitten.
Day 1- We read the book, not stopping a whole bunch so the kids could appreciate the cadence of the story and just enjoy it all around. I stopped only when there were vocabulary words that greatly hindered their understanding of the text. I explained them briefly and moved on. (We will spend a lot of time on those words in days to come). We created a double bubble map to compare One Dog Canoe to the book The Mitten by Jan Brett.
Day 2- We read the book slower; taking time to talk about the vocabulary words and come up with our own definitions of them. We made and anchor chart of these vocabulary words and their definitions. I had the kids draw out one of the vocabulary words on a sticky note and adhere it to the chart, then as a class we developed definitions to go with each word.
Also on day 2, the students wrote a summary of the book. They earned a sticker on their paper by using one or more of the vocabulary words in their summary.
Day 3- We read the book again, this time with more of an emphasis on the details of the book. Who got in the boat next? We used a large canoe made of butcher paper and inserted the animals into the canoe as we read the story. Students then were given the mini-book pages and required to put them into sequential order. I love this mini-book because it is simple enough that when the students are finished putting it together the majority of the class is able to read the book.
Day 4- We read the book one final time. (Although I have placed it in a bucket where they can read it on their own, I have a feeling it will get read a lot more.) The students took a quick comprehension assessment about the book.
To grab these One Dog Canoe resources click any of the pictures on the page.
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