South Carolina ETV

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Columbia, SC 29201-4761
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Dog's Best Friend (Preschool)

Master Teacher

Lauren Gay

Overview

Kate finds a lost dog. She, Truman and DJ are very excited when Grandpa Noah says they can keep the dog, if no one claims it. When the children discover that a girl is looking for the dog, they have to imagine how that child feels without her dog. The children are disappointed when they realize they have to give the dog back to its rightful owner.

This lesson teaches children that we have to return property that belongs to other people, and that sometimes we feel disappointed when we cannot have what we want. In addition, the children will learn to consider the wants and needs of others and to remember that other people have feelings to consider.

Learning Objectives

The students will be able to identify:

feelings of happiness, sadness, and
disappointment.
causes of feelings of happiness, sadness, and disappointment.
ways to deal with not being able to have everything he/she wants.

Materials

poster board for chart of pets
pictures of pets (photos, magazine pictures, etc.)
paper for bookmaking
crayons, markers, or pencils

ITV Series

Noddy, Program #117, "Dog's Best Friend"

Previewing Activities

1. Have a "Show and Tell" time about students' pets. Students could bring in
pictures of their pets to show others. Discuss how they feel about their pets and what they like to do with their pets.

2. Talk about how it would feel if they came home one day and they could not find their pets. Ask for what they might do to find them.

Focus for Viewing
and Viewing Activities

Say to the students that the children in the video have found an animal. Tell them to watch for what type of animal it is. Tell the children to listen to find out to whom the dog belongs. Begin playing the program at the scene where you see a boy throw a toy dog a ball; then a girl comes in with a dog shouting, "I found a dog!" Pause the video at this point and ask the children to identify the animal. Then ask what they think the children in the television program should do with the dog.

Say, "Listen for what Noah tells the children they have to do in order to keep the dog and for how long they can keep it." Resume playing the video; show video up to the point where Grandpa Noah tells the children they can keep the dog as long as they take care of it and until someone claims it. You will hear the children saying, "Yes, we know." Ask students what Noah told the children about keeping the dog. Possibly discuss what the children would need to do to take care of the dog.

Fast forward the video until you see Aunt Agatha putting up lost dog posters, and pause at this point.

Tell the students to watch and listen for how the TV children know that the dog does have an owner and that the owner is looking for her. Show the video until Truman says, "I don't want to give her back, she's our dog." Pause at this point and ask students how they know that someone is looking for the lost dog. Discuss how the children feel about knowing that someone is looking for her. Talk about what the children should have done instead of not telling Noah about the missing dog sign.

Say, "Listen and watch for why the children decide they need to give the dog back. Also, listen for why Truman does not want to give the dog back." Show the video until Kate and DJ go to Aunt Agatha's and Truman stays with the dog. Then fast forward the video until the children are talking about acting responsibly and Aunt Agatha sees the missing dog. Ask students why the children decide they need to give the dog back and how Truman feels about it. Begin the video where Grandpa Noah walks out, finds the missing dog poster, and talks to Truman about giving back the dog.

Say to students, "Listen for why Grandpa Noah wants Truman to give the dog back." Show the video until Truman and Noah walk back into the Noddy shop, then pause. Discuss how keeping something that is not yours can make another person feel sad. Fast forward the tape to where you see the girl who owns the dog come into the shop, then pause.

Tell students, "Listen and watch to see how Truman feels about giving the dog back." Show the video to the point where Truman goes off by himself and then pause.

Say, "Listen to see how the girl who owns the dog helps Truman feel better." Watch the video until the owner of the dog tells Truman and the other children they can dog sit for her on weekends. Discuss why Truman felt sad and then became happy at the end. Talk about other things that the children might have wanted to have but couldn't, and how they or someone else helped them feel better.

Post-Viewing Activities

1. Draw a picture of a student's favorite
animal and then ask the child how he or she feels when he or she plays with or sees that animal. The child can dictate and the teacher can write the words the child says.

2. Make a small book of "I Feel Happy.…" Let the child draw pictures of things, activities, people, etc. that help him/her feel happy. The child can dictate text and the teacher can write the words to go with the pictures. Could use "I Feel Sad…" as well.

3. Sing "If You're Happy and You Know It." Make new verses with "If You're (Sad, Excited, Angry, etc.) and You Know It," and let children suggest actions to go with the emotion. End with "happy."

Extensions

1. Mount pictures of animals by type (dog, cat, bird, hamster, etc.) on a chart or graph made from poster board.

2. Compare amounts of animals in each category. Ask questions such as: "Which animal do we have the most of?" "Are there more dogs or cats?" "Which animal do we have the least of?"

Additional Resources

These books focus on feelings:

Daniel's Dog by Jo Ellen Bogart
Arthur's New Puppy by Marc Brown
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
Pippo Gets Lost by Helen Oxenbury