If there is one thing I know about young readers, it’s that they love dogs, especially puppies! When you pull out a book about dogs, it is sure to be a hit with your students. There are so many children’s books about dogs, but one that stands out is Gaston and we are spotlighting it on the blog this week. This book has such a sweet message about acceptance and being true to yourself, making it the perfect classroom read. It would serve as a great community builder and reminder that school is a place where students can be themselves. I love this book and know your students will too! - Jodi and the Starts With a Story Team
SUMMARY
Gaston, by Kelly DiPucchio, tells the story of Mrs. Poodle and her four puppies. Mrs. Poodle teaches her puppies to be proper and graceful. Gaston, however, is not like the other puppies. He grows the biggest and has to try harder at everything than his siblings.
One day at the park, Mrs. Poodle spots Mrs. Bulldog and her puppies. One of the bulldog puppies, Antoinette, looks and acts differently than the others. She is proper and graceful while the others are big and rough. The mother dogs realize they made a mistake. Gaston ends up going home with the bulldogs and Antoinette goes to the poodles’ house. Both puppies are uncomfortable in their new homes, and so are the mothers! The next day at the park, the mothers switch the puppies back and everything feels right again.
Students will love this sweet story about the puppies and learn about being true to themselves.
USE THIS BOOK TO TEACH:
Gaston is such an engaging book for students making it a great opportunity to incorporate instruction across many subject areas. Teachers can use it as a way to engage students in a variety of writing activities, a resource to practice comprehension skills, a model for writing and grammar skills, and a way to build community within the classroom.
- Help students practice character analysis skills as they read about the two characters Gaston and Antoinette.
- Examine the author’s purpose for writing Gaston and help students recognize the message within the story.
- Encourage students to conduct research to learn more about these two types of dogs.
- Get students to think deeply about word choice with descriptive writing prompts.
- Teach students new suffixes and why writers use interjections.
- Explore the importance of self-esteem and discuss the importance of friendship.
NO-PREP PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES:
If you are looking for “ready to go” activities for the first day of school, be sure to check out the book companion. With it you’ll receive all of the following resources to align with this specific book:
- comprehension questions
- 30 writing prompts with themed paper
- vocabulary activities
- word study print & go activities
- ideas for grammar lessons with focus sentence printables
- social emotional learning discussion topics
- graphic organizers to target specific comprehension skills and strategies
If you’re like me, you love having story themed worksheets to give your students. Thanks to our book companion for Gaston, you’ll have themed resources not only for the students, but yourself too!
GET THE PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
ADDITIONAL BOOK SUGGESTIONS
You and your students will also love these similar books:
- Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun by Maria Dismondy
- The Recess Queen by Alexis OโNeill
- What if Everybody Did That by Ellen Javernick
- Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovellย
- The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig
TRY OUT A SAMPLE COMPANION
It's hard to explain how amazing the Starts with a Story book companions are because there is just so much goodness included in each one. It's best if you experience using one for yourself. Sign up below & we'll send you an entire book companion to try out for FREE!
