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There are many activities that can be incorporated to extend a literature unit. Several are included on the various Henry and Mudge web pages. However, with each unit, I write more stories, poems, songs, and activities. The unit is extensive. If you would like a complete copy of the unit, please email me. I will give you directions on ordering this material.

The following is a story related to the theme of Mudge or Clifford. It is an example of an oral reading, shared reading to make into a big book, or flannel board story.

My Favorite Dog

Do you have a pet? I have a dog named Red. I named him after a character in one of my favorite storybooks. My favorite books are about a big red dog named Clifford. Have you ever read about Clifford's adventures?

Clifford is bigger than anyone and has fun. The owner of Clifford is Emily Elizabeth. She takes care of Clifford. Clifford also helps Emily in many ways. If there is a problem, Clifford always tries to fix it. One time he helped firemen put out a fire. Then, he helped his sister get all of the sheep back into the corral. He really is a great dog!

Although I like reading about Clifford, my dog is special too. He is not red like Clifford. His fur is brown and he has a patch over his eye that is black. His ears are not pointed and flop when he runs. After school he always waits for me behind the front door of our house. We are best friends. We play ball and I try to teach him tricks. Red can sing with me too. At night, he licks my face and then sleeps on his own pillow in my bed.

After the reading, I engage the student in diverse levels of thinking about the story. I begin with the concrete level such as, "who is my favorite storybook dog?" to "how is Clifford different from Red?" The students discuss the story and I web out their ideas on the chart paper in our listening circle. I extend the story to writing both interactive, shared, and independent.