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Looking for an all-in-one, engaging novel study that your students will love—and that makes teaching a breeze?
You've found it!
This comprehensive Dear Mr. Henshaw novel unit is packed with meaningful reading activities, interactive lessons, vocabulary practice, and creative projects that help students dive deeper into the story while building essential reading skills.
Through their reading, students will explore important themes such as friendship, family, growing up, and expressing emotions. They'll also strengthen their understanding of character development, point of view, making inferences, and identifying themes—all while connecting with Leigh Botts and his experiences.
With ready-to-use lesson plans, instructional slides, and hands-on activities, you'll have everything you need to make your next novel study both meaningful and engaging!
HOW IT WORKS
Each of the 11 lessons includes three easy-to-follow components that help you structure your instruction while keeping students actively engaged.
1. Lesson Introduction
Kick off each lesson by introducing the reading skills and strategies students will focus on that day. You'll also preview important vocabulary and review comprehension from previous reading to help students make meaningful connections as they progress through the novel.
2. Lesson Activity
This is where students dive into the story! Through a variety of engaging activities and instructional formats, students will interact with the text, practice reading strategies, and develop a deeper understanding of the characters and events.
Students record their learning in a convenient 31-page student activity packet, where they'll complete activities, respond to their reading, practice new skills, and demonstrate comprehension.
Each lesson offers something different to keep students interested and engaged throughout the novel!
3. Lesson Reflection
Wrap up each lesson by bringing students together to review important concepts, share their thinking, and discuss what they've read. These conversations help reinforce comprehension and encourage students to think critically about the story.
Throughout the unit, students participate in a variety of instructional formats, including whole-group lessons, independent activities, partner work, and small-group discussions.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
This comprehensive novel study gives you everything you need to guide students through Dear Mr. Henshaw!
11 detailed daily lesson plans aligned with 4th grade Common Core State Standards, with skills and activities that also support 5th grade instruction. Each lesson includes learning objectives, standards, required materials, teacher preparation, and step-by-step teaching instructions.
73 instructional slides provided in SMARTBoard, PowerPoint, PDF, and PNG image formats to support your daily lessons.
31-page student activity packet filled with reading responses, comprehension activities, and opportunities for students to apply new skills.
Vocabulary word work packet with engaging activities to help students explore and practice important words from the novel.
Meet the Author informational article to introduce students to Beverly Cleary and provide background before reading.
2 related nonfiction articles that connect to the novel's themes and content.
Sequencing activity to help students organize and review important story events.
Book quote activity that encourages students to analyze characters and explore character development.
Small-group discussion cards and poster to encourage meaningful conversations and deeper thinking.
Reader's theater activity featuring an excerpt from the novel to build reading fluency and expression.
52-piece full-color bulletin board set to reinforce important reading skills and concepts throughout the unit.
4 end-of-unit activities, games, and reviews to reinforce learning and bring your novel study to a meaningful close.
READING SKILLS & STRATEGIES COVERED
This novel study goes beyond basic comprehension to help students develop important literacy skills through meaningful interactions with the text.
Reading Comprehension & Literary Analysis
Understanding the characteristics of realistic fiction
Identifying and analyzing point of view
Exploring character traits, motivations, and development
Identifying and understanding theme
Making inferences and supporting ideas with text evidence
Identifying different types of conflict in literature
Sequencing important story events
Writing & Communication
Comparing business letters and friendly letters
Responding to literature through writing
Using text details to support written responses
Expressing ideas and interpretations clearly
Fluency, Collaboration & Discussion
Building reading fluency through reader's theater
Participating in meaningful small-group discussions
Sharing ideas and supporting opinions with evidence
Collaborating through partner and group activities
Whether you're introducing Dear Mr. Henshaw for the first time or looking to refresh your existing novel study, this ready-to-use resource will help you create a meaningful, engaging learning experience for your students.
With 11 structured lessons, engaging reading activities, vocabulary practice, and opportunities for meaningful discussion, you'll spend less time planning and more time helping your students connect with the story.
WHAT OTHER TEACHERS ARE SAYING...
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "This is an amazing product! Very thorough. I wish I had this for every novel I teach. She, by far, has the best products. This is the only resource you will need if you are teaching Dear Mr. Henshaw."
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "This is fantastic and engaging for my students. I have a lot of visual learners. The packet and the power point are really engaging for my students. Thank you!"
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Such an awesome resource! My students are loving this novel and I love having all the lessons and resources ready to go! It goes along so well with the common core standards and allows the students to have hands-on learning."
