As teachers, we don't just teach students how to read, write and solve math problems. We are responsible for teaching students how to work together, form friendships and treat others with kindness. The book Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun is a great resource for these social emotional learning skills. It is a story that all students can relate to with an important message for elementary classrooms.- Jodi and the Starts With a Story Team
SUMMARY
In the book Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun by Maria Dismondy, the main character is Lucy, a kind girl whose favorite food is spaghetti in a hot dog bun. Lucy’s grandpa Papa Gino teaches her that even though people are different, everyone has a heart with feelings. Lucy has to put her grandpa’s lesson to the test when Ralph, a boy at school, starts to tease her.
Ralph teases Lucy because he thinks her favorite food is gross and that her hair is poofy. Lucy stands up for herself and does her best to show Ralph kindness. However, Lucy still feels sad and alone because of the teasing. One day Ralph is stuck at the top of the monkey bars and afraid. People start to make fun of him. Lucy chooses kindness and helps Ralph down from the monkey bars. They become friends because Lucy chose to be true to herself and be kind.
USE THIS BOOK TO TEACH:
Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun lends itself to teaching the following skills:
- Making personal connections to the story.
- Summarizing the story be retelling what was read.
- Ask students to write descriptive sentences about their favorite foods.
- Write about how to be a good friend.
- Introduce students to homophones using examples from the text.
- Review and practice using prepositions.
- Discuss teasing and what to do when you are being teased.
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 don’t like having a lot of clutter in your classroom. That’s why I love that our Starts With a Story Book Companion has everything you need to teach Strictly No Elephants in just one resource. Not only is it easy to use, but it’s also easy to file away and keep organized.
ADDITIONAL BOOK SUGGESTIONS
You and your students will also love these similar books:
- Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell
- The Jelly Donut Difference by Maria Dismondy
- The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig
- The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld
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!
