Super Sniffers: Dog Detectives on the Job

Informative, Surprising, Inspiring, Fascinating, Bright  

Super Sniffers: Dog Detectives on the Job by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent

Published by Bloomsbury USA, Copyright 2014

Dogs can be more than just a part of your family. They have been getting put to work for years with jobs such as herders, hunters, guards, and even detectives. With their keen sense of smell dogs are able to sniff out bombs, detect diseases, find avalanche victims, and much more. Dorothy Hinshaw Patent explores the hard work and training of some very talented dogs as she shares their stories of saving lives. 

Grade level: 3

Lexile Measure: NC1210L

Description: Nonfiction

Suggested delivery: Independent read 

Electronic Resources:

Scholastic News Article

This article, also entitled “Super Sniffers,” appeared in an issue of Science World magazine. The article contains additional information about dogs using their noses to save people’s lives and the training that it requires. 

Penn Vet YouTube video

This is a video of how puppies at the Penn Vet Working Dog Center are trained to become drug and bomb search dogs. Students can watch this video to acquire more information about what goes on during the training of these dog detectives. 

Teaching Strategies

Key vocabulary:

·         Odor – a particular smell

·         Molecule – the smallest possible amount of a particular substance that has all the characteristics of that substance

·         Reinforce – to encourage or give support to a behavior

·         Elite – the most successful or powerful group of people

·         Vital – extremely important

·         Detect – to discover or notice the presence of something 

Before reading: Before adding the book to the classroom library, take a survey of the class about which students have pet dogs at home. Ask students if their dogs or any dogs that they know (fictional or nonfictional) have a special talent. This will activate students’ prior knowledge about dogs and build an interest in the book.

During reading: Have students create concept maps to summarize the main ideas and supporting details from the text. 

After reading: Put students in small groups and have them play a word toss game by writing six vocabulary words from the book on a cube or beach ball. Each student takes turns rolling the cube and has to define whichever word it lands on. Every correctly defined word earns a point for the group.

Writing activity:  Have students pick one specific job for dogs from the book that interests them the most and do additional research on it. Some examples include medical alert dogs or drug detecting dogs. After they gather enough information have them write a short research paper on their chosen topic. 

 Patent, D. (2014). Super Sniffers: Dog Detectives on the Job. New York, New York: Bloomsbury. 

The Lost Boy

Mysterious, Magical, Dynamic, Thrilling, Dark 

The Lost Boy by Greg Ruth 

Published by Scholastic Inc. Copyright 2013

Shortly after Nate moves into a new home, he discovers an old tape recorder hidden under the floorboards in his room. Nate suddenly finds himself in the middle of a dark mystery surrounding a boy who went missing many years ago. He teams up with his neighbor, Tabitha, and encounters several strange creatures as they go on their quest to solve the mystery of the lost boy. 

Grade level: 4-6

Lexile Measure: GN370L

Description: Graphic novel 

Suggested delivery: Independent read 

Electronic Resources:

Author's Website

Greg Ruth’s website offers preview pages of the book that students can read before they start the book, as well as a map of the fictional Kingdom from the story. It also contains an inside look at the making of the book, including the beginning stages of the story and story extensions. 

Interview with the Author

This is an interview with the author about the makings of the book. Students can read this interview to learn more about Greg Ruth and his ideas and inspirations to write the story. 

Teaching Strategies

Key vocabulary:

·         Relic – something that is from a past time, place, or culture

·         Sleuth – someone who looks for information to solve crimes

·         Malevolent – having a desire to cause harm to another person

·         Vengeance – the act of doing something to hurt someone because that person did something to hurt you or someone else

·         Tyrant – an unfair ruler who has complete control over a country

·         Envoy – a person who sent by one government to represent it

·         Deception – the act of making someone believe something that is not true 

Before reading: Have students make predictions of what the book will be about by using the picture on the cover and the title. Have them write down their predictions in their reading journals.

During reading: Encourage students to come up with “I wonder” questions as they read the book. Have them keep track of all of their questions using sticky notes.

After reading: Have students reflect on their predictions and questions to see if their predictions were correct and if their questions were answered.  

Writing activity: The author leaves the end open for a continuing story. Have students extend the story by adding on to the ending. Students should first write their extension stories in narrative format and then turn it into a graphic novel format. They can use an online comic strip creator such as http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/comic/ to make their story extension look more the book. 

 Ruth, G. (2013). The Lost Boy. New York, New York: Scholastic. 

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg

Intriguing, Entertaining, Suspenseful, Daring, Humorous 

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick 

Published by Scholastic Inc. Copyright 2009

Twelve-year-old orphan Homer P. Figg loses the only person close to him when his under-aged brother Harold is sold into the Union Army. After running away from home to save his brother and escape from his callous uncle, Squinton Leach, Homer finds himself in the path of several thieves and spies. He must outsmart the people he encounters and find his way to the enlisted soldiers in time to save his brother from war. 

Grade level: 5

Lexile Measure: 950L

Description: Historical fiction

Suggested delivery: Small group read 

Electronic Resources:

Book Trailer

Student can watch this short book trailer before they start reading to give them a preview of what will happen in the book. This may also be used to spark interest in the book.

Union/Confederate States Map

This is a map of the United States comparing the Confederate and Union states. This map will provide students with background information about the Civil War and will help them visualize where the events in the book take place. 

Teaching Strategies

Key vocabulary:

·         Abolitionist – a person who wants to stop slavery

·         Fugitive – a person who is running away to avoid being captured

·         Oblige – to force or require someone to do something

·         Inquiry – a request for information

·         Inflicted – to cause someone to experience something unpleasant or harmful

·         Rebel – a person who opposes or fights against the government

·         Conscription – ordering people by law to serve in the armed forces

·         Ruffian – a strong or violent person

·         Treason – a crime of trying to overthrow your country’s government 

Before reading: Introduce a list of difficult vocabulary words that appear in the book with vocabulary cards. Have students find synonyms and antonyms of each word to strengthen their understanding of the definitions. 

During reading: Have students work in small groups to fill out character profiles including important information about the character and a drawing of what they think they look like. They should fill out the profile after each main character is introduced in the book to keep track of all of them. 

After reading: Have students discuss in small groups ways in which Homer was the hero of the story. Have them refer to specific examples in the book. Students should come prepared to the book talk with questions and comments that have about the book in general. 

Writing activity: Tell students to imagine they are living during the Civil War era and get sold into the Union Army like Harold. Using information that they have acquired from the story, specifically towards the end of the book, have them write a series of journal entries accounting their experiences during the Battle of Gettysburg. 

Philbrick, R. (2009). The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg. New York, New York: Scholastic. 

Judy Moody and the Bad Luck Charm

Fun, Energetic, Charming, Exciting, Unique 

Judy Moody and the Bad Luck Charm by Megan McDonald

Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds 

Published by Candlewick Press Copyright 2012 

When Judy Moody receives a special penny from Grandma Lou, she becomes the luckiest girl in the world. The claw machine, bowling, spelling—she wins at everything!  With one rub of her lucky penny, she can do anything, until her penny has an unlucky accident. After agreeing to babysit Jessica Finch’s pet pig during the National Spelling Bee, Judy brings her new found bad luck along with her all the way to Washington D.C. 

Grade level: 3 

Lexile Measure: 470L

Description: Fiction

Suggested delivery: Independent read 

Electronic Resources:

The Judy Moody Website

The Judy Moody website offers interactive games and tons of information on Judy Moody. It includes a list of all Judy Moody books and excerpts from different chapters so students can preview a book before they start it to see if it sparks any interest. It also contains a helpful page with all of the characters and descriptions of who they are, as well as different words and sayings that Judy Moody often says in the books.

Video Interview

This is an interview with the author, Megan McDonald, that students can watch before they read any of her books. The interview includes the author’s background and explains how she got started writing the Judy Moody series. The website also contains a short written biography.

Teaching Strategies

Key vocabulary:

·         Punctuate – to mark or divide with punctuation marks

·         Dumbstruck – shocked or surprised

·         Jinx – something that brings bad luck

·         Emancipate – to set free from someone else’s power

·         Guilt – a feeling of responsibility for wrongdoing

·         Coincidence – two things that happen at the same time by accident but seem to have some connection

Before reading: Introduce the book and ask students to share times in their life when they had either good luck or bad luck. This will create interest and allow students to make meaningful connections before reading the story.   

During reading: Have students note specific parts in the story in which Judy experiences bad luck. They could also make predictions as they read about what will happen to her next.

After reading: Have students write a summary of the book and create a video using Blabberize. They will need to find a picture of Judy Moody or any other character from the book online to use and record themselves reading their summaries. 

Writing activity: Have students rewrite their favorite part of the book from another character’s point of view. Encourage them to use the words and phrases from the Judy Moody website that Judy often uses in the books. Explain to them that this will help their writing sound more authentic to the author's writing. This activity will help students demonstrate inferential comprehension by inferring other characters’ thoughts and motives.

McDonald, M., & Reynolds, P. (2012). Judy Moody and the Bad Luck Charm. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press.