Read alouds are such a great way to teach students about different holidays and cultures. Each winter, I like to teach my students about different holidays around the world. Today we are spotlighting a great book that can be used to teach students about Hanukkah. The book Latke, The Lucky Dog is sure to be engaging for young readers and it teaches them a lot of Hanukkah vocabulary. - Jodi and the Starts With a Story Team
SUMMARY
Zoe and Zach got to pick out a dog as a Hanukkah present. They chose a medium, playful dog and named him Latke. When Latke makes it home, he is very excited about his new house. He thinks he is so lucky to live with Zoe and Zach. When Latke sees treats on the table, he thinks he can eat them because it is his home. Latke is curious about candles so he chews them. He keeps chewing and slobbering on things and his family starts to get angry and upset. Latke worries that his family will bring him back to the shetler.
Eventually, Latke learned that he should only be eating his food and his family gives him a chew toy as a Hanukkah gift. Students will love this story about a puppy adjusting to his new home. This book is a great way to teach students about Hanukkah traditions.Â
USE THIS BOOK TO TEACH:
Aside from teaching about Hanukkah, this story can be integrated into so many lessons you’re probably already teaching. Below are some ideas on how to do just that!
- Introduce students to new vocabulary.
- Examine the cause and effect of Latke’s actions throughout the book.Â
- Analyze the point of view in which Latke, The Lucky Dog is told.Â
- Encourage students to learn more about Hanukkah and write what they learned.Â
- Review letter writing by having students write letters to or from characters in the story.
- Explore interjections and why writers use them.
- Work with proper nouns, plural nouns and pronouns.
- Discuss the importance of expectations and adjusting to transitions.Â
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
- 30Â 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
Starting up a holidays around the world unit can be time consuming. We are here to help! Don’t make planning this unit harder than it needs to be, download these resources today!
GET THE PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
ADDITIONAL BOOK SUGGESTIONS
You and your students will also love these similar books:
- The Tomten by Astrid Lindgren
- Seven Spools of Thread by Angela Shelf Medearis
- The Legend of Old Befana by Tomie dePaolo
- Cobweb Christmas by Shirley Climo
TRY OUT A SAMPLE COMPANION
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