Man's Best Friend

4th Grade Oral Language Resources

Content Objectives

Students will:

• Learn about dogs.
• Access prior knowledge and build background about the significance of dogs.
• Explore and apply the concept of "man's best friend.â€?


Language Objectives

Students will:

• Demonstrate an understanding of dogs.
• Orally use words that describe dogs.
• Extend oral vocabulary by speaking about "man's best friend.â€?
• Use key concept words [breed, behavior, "man's best friendâ€?; companion, responsibility, train].

Other

Explain

• Use the slideshow to review the key concept words.
• Explain that students are going to learn about man's best friend:
• What are the different breeds of dogs.
• What is a companion.
• Why are dogs called "man's best friend.â€?
• What is responsibility.
• How do you train dogs.

Model

• After the host introduces the slideshow, point to the photo on screen. Ask students: What do you see in this photo? (a dog and a ball). How would you describe your best friend? (answers will vary).
• Ask students: How can a pet be a best friend? (plays with you, keeps you company, follows you around, depends on you, listens to you, protects you from danger, etc.)
• Say: There are many different types of dogs but all of them are known as man's best friend because they protect, listen, and accompany humans. If you had a dog as a friend what would you do together? (answers will vary).

Guided Practice

• Guide students through the next four slides, showing them how to take care of dogs. Always have the students discuss the relationship between the dog and the human.

Apply

• Play the games that follow. Have them discuss with their partner the different topics that appear during the Talk About It feature.
• After the first game, ask students to discuss where they would keep their dog. After the second game, have them discuss their favorite kind of dog.

Close

• Ask students: Where can you get a dog?
• Summarize for students that shelters have all kinds of dogs, including puppies! They should never go near a stray dog that they see on the street. If they see a stray dog, tell their parents to call the nearest shelter. Encourage them to think about why they shouldn't go near a stray dog.