Language Arts Must Read Mentor Text- The Great Gracie Chase- cause and effect and response to literature

I'm so happy to be hosting our Must Read Mentor Texts Linky for Language Arts!  But, do you know how hard it is to just pick one book to talk about with Language Arts???  It's tough!!  But we did it!!

I'm excited to be sharing a book today that I have used for many years in writing and reading....A cute, fun story about a little dog that causes a lot of commotion!  :O)

The Great Gracie Chase- Stop That Dog! is a story that all of us pet owners can personally relate to...you know when your pet gets out of the house or out of the yard and suddenly you are having to sprint down the street screaming its name? Searching frantically!!!! Trying to catch it!!! YEP! That's what this little story is all about!

This humorous story is written by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Mark Teague....I LOVE both of them!!! :O)

Gracie is a very good dog and has never done anything naughty.  But, Gracie likes a very quiet house and one day, some noisy painters come in and disturb Gracie.  Of course, they leave the door open and BAM, off goes Gracie, running down the street!!  So, people run after her, trying to catch her, but this causes Grace to run faster and further.  Until, finally, everyone gets tired out and once again, Gracie has her peace and quiet, so she just goes on home.

***Warning- this next part is personal- If you don't want to read personal, skip down to the Mentor Text Memo***  ;O)

I think I love this book so much because I have so many connections to it.  We had a dog just like Gracie when I was growing up.  Calm, quiet, always good.  But if that door got left open and she saw a chance to run...she ran.  Fast.  And far.  My brother and I would go running after her and she'd just keep running (one or both of us would end up in tears, worried we'd never catch her) and we'd be screaming her name!!!  But, it never failed.  She'd have to stop and go potty.  And that was when one of us would grab and and carry her home.  Then, she was right back to her sweet, calm self, like nothing happened.  There's just something about that open door...

Just this week our big black lab pitbull mix (Piper) did the same thing.  My husband had used the lawn mower and when he put it back in the building in our backyard, he left the gate to our fence wide open.  Later, he went down to let her out and he said it happened so fast he couldn't believe it.  She walked outside a little ways and then she immediately looked left.  He said as soon as she looked left, he knew but by the time his brain got his body moving, she was gone.  So, 10:00 at night my husband yells at me to get his truck keys because Piper is out and he runs after her.  By the time I get my slippers on (yes, slippers, because I was in my pjs ready to get in the bed) I get in the truck and head through the neighborhood.  They were all the way in the back.  But, you see, Piper is obsessed with getting in vehicles.  So, all I had to do was pull up, open the door, and in she went.  My husband had ran after her and almost caught her.  We think that's only because she's about 9 years old now and so she's slowed down, otherwise, who knows where she'd be.  See...the open door...BAM!  (But, unlike Gracie from the story, Piper is naughty most of the time, so this was not a surprise.)

Ok, personal drama over!  I use this book during language arts to teach making connections, cause and effect, and writing a response to literature.

First off, I try to get students to make connections.  Not everyone is a dog lover, like me.  So, some kids have never had a dog.  But, most kids have had an experience of some kind with a dog, and so I get them to make those connections first.  Every year that I have used this book, every single student has had an experience of some sort with a loose dog.  Whether it was theirs, a grandparent's, or a neighbors, they know pretty much what happens when a dog is running for its freedom.  So, they can usually make some sort of connection.

Then, we work on cause and effect.  I feel like there are two different kinds of stories that use cause and effect.  One is when there are just different events and there is a cause and then an effect.  And then later, there's another cause, with an effect.  The second kind of story is where you have one cause, and then a sequence of effects, sort of like a domino effect.  I feel like The Great Gracie Chase is more of a domino effect story.

Gracie gets upset, she runs.  The painter runs after her and then one by one, more people see it and join in the chase.  In the end, she gets what she wants.  Peace and quiet.  So maybe that makes it a circle story too.

Anywho, I thought of making a cause and effect sheet just for this book for you as a freebie, but then I decided I'd make a blank cause and effect sheet for the "domino effect" instead, so it can be used for more stories.  So, here ya go! (Just click the pic!)

Finally, we take all of the connections we've made with this story and we write a response to literature.  I usually help them set it up and organize it, and this is how it goes:

Click the picture to get the freebie!

Students use this graphic organizer to jot down their thoughts.  They summarize the story in the first box (which will be the first paragraph).  Then, they choose 1 sentence starter from the second box and fill in the blank box (paragraph number 2).  For example, "One time when I was younger I had a dog that was just like Gracie.  Her name was Sable and she was so sweet and loving..."

Then they choose another sentence starter and fill in the corresponding box (paragraph number 3), like "It made me feel really upset and nervous when Gracie got loose because that is always how I felt when my dog got loose...."

Finally, the last paragraph they choose one of the sentence starters and fill in the box.  Like, "This is a great book because it is action packed.  You are on the edge of your seat, wondering if anyone will catch Gracie..."

Now, I usually used this organizer in 3rd grade, but it could still work for 4th.  I just wouldn't let them choose good or bad to describe the book, they'd have to use better adjectives, and I'd tell them they have to use strong, descriptive words to describe their feelings.

I will say, only once did I have a student say he did not like the book.  Let me say, though, that he was a very difficult student and had many behavior problems.  He said he did not like the book because he once had a dog and then the dog died so this book made him sad.  But, he still participated in the writing. He just wrote short sentences and did not recommend the book.  So, there is always the possibility that a student may get upset...but at the same time, maybe this is an opportunity for them to write about it and get it out?

Of course, there are other great books that can be used for response to literature.  If you are a dog lover, and can connect with this book, this could always be your model lesson using Gracie to connect with your experience of a loose dog.  Then, the students could use the same organizer, but with a different book for their independent writing.  Just a thought...  :O)

So, now it's your turn!!!

(If you have never linked up before you can check HERE for more information.)

I can't wait to see what you link up!!  And if you aren't a blogger, please leave a comment of your favorite book for making connections and/or response to literature!
Amanda

For the Linky- Please make yourself a SANDWICH!  Please comment on the person who linked up before you and the person that linked up after you.  I know everyone puts in a lot of time and effort to these posts and I want everyone to feel the love!!!  (Haha, see, you're a sandwich...you know...because you are in the middle of the comments...do you get it?)  ;O)

Next week's topic- Math