Student Activities for Henry and Mudge: the First Book Include:

Character Map
Visual Vocabulary
Identifying Themes
Henry and Mudge Summary
Making Connections with the Text

Henry and Mudge: The First Book by Cynthia Rylant, is the first story in a classic easy reader series about young Henry and his dog Mudge. The Henry and Mudge books have delighted many a new reader. The first book introduces the strong bond Henry and his dog build and the plot is very relatable to young children.

This book is a great way to introduce key lessons to young students, including character mapping, making connections, themes, and analyzing vocabulary words. Including storyboards with these activities will enhance creativity and comprehension through the visual nature of storyboarding!

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Henry and Mudge: the First Book Lesson Plans, Student Activities and Graphic Organizers

Character Map

Henry and Mudge - Character Map

Example

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As students read, a storyboard can serve as a helpful character reference log. This log (also called a character map) allows students to recall relevant information about important characters. With character mapping, students will record this information, helping them follow along and catch the subtleties which make reading more enjoyable!

Mudge

Physical Appearance

dog
floppy ears
straight fur
180 pounds
3 feet tall

Character Traits

loving
protective
friendly
likes to smell

Evidence

"Mudge had floppy ears, not pointed. Mudge had straight fur, not curly."
"Then he loved to smell him."

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Lesson Plan Reference

Print Activity

Grade Level 2-3

Difficulty Level 3 (Developing to Mastery)

Type of Assignment Individual or Partner

Type of Activity: Character Map

Common Core Standards

[ELA-Literacy/RL/1/3] Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
[ELA-Literacy/RL/3/3] Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events

Student Instructions

Create a character map for the major characters.

Identify the major characters in Henry and Mudge and type their names into the different title boxes.
Choose a Storyboard That character to represent each of the book characters.

Select colors and a pose appropriate to story and character traits.

Choose a scene or background that makes sense for the character.
Fill in the Textables for Physical Traits, Character Traits, and Evidence.
Save and submit the assignment.

Character Map Template Blank

Example

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Visual Vocabulary

Henry and Mudge - Vocabulary

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Another great way to engage your students is by creating a storyboard that uses vocabulary from, Henry and Mudge.

In this activity, students demonstrate their understanding of vocabulary words using sentences and corresponding images. Students may be provided the vocabulary words, or they can use words that they have discovered through their reading of the text. The sentences and images validate the understanding of the word and the context that it was used in the novel.

Here are some ways to help your students find the meaning of the vocabulary words they choose:

1. Use context clues: sometimes you can figure out the meaning of a word by reading the sentences that come before and after the unknown word.

2. Sometimes, the author may tell the definition of the word right in the same sentence or in the following sentence.

3. Picture clues may help define an unknown word.

4. Look at the unknown word and look for parts you may know. Sometimes a new ending or beginning has been added or changed.

5. Use a dictionary or glossary.

Here is a list of a few vocabulary words commonly taught with the story:

worry

v. to give into anxiety; to be concerned about

”When he walked he used to worry about tornadoes, ghosts, biting dogs, and bullies."

stream

n. a small, narrow river

”The birds flew past as he stood beside a stream, calling and calling."

lonely

adj. sad because one has no friends or company

”And Mudge woke up from his lonely sleep, then came running."

Other vocabulary words that can be used are: floppy, weighed, drooled, bullies, milky, soapy, sniffing, whined, shone, empty, and silent.

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Lesson Plan Reference

Print Activity

Grade Level 2-3

Difficulty Level 3 (Developing to Mastery)

Type of Assignment Individual

Type of Activity: Visual Vocabulary Boards

Common Core Standards

[ELA-Literacy/RL/3/4] Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language.

Student Instructions

Demonstrate your understanding of the vocabulary words in Henry and Mudge by creating visualizations.

Choose three vocabulary words from the story and type them in the title boxes.
Find the definition in a print or online dictionary.
Write a sentence that uses the vocabulary word.
Illustrate the meaning of the word in the cell using a combination of scenes, characters, and items.

Alternatively, use Photos for Class to show the meaning of the words with the search bar.

Save and submit your storyboard.

Vocabulary Template Blank

Example

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Identifying Themes

Henry and Mudge - Theme

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( Lesson Plan • Buy Poster • Buy PDF )

Several themes are present in the book. Students can pick a theme to explore and should support their choice with specific details or events from the text. One prominent theme is “friendship”. Henry and Mudge become great friends. They learn how much they really care about each other when Mudge gets lost. They learn that they never want to feel like they’ve lost each other again.

Friendship

Example 1

Mudge can't find his way home and Henry can't find Mudge. They are both very sad and miss each other, just like friends do.

Mudge: "He whined a little, alone without Henry."
Henry: "When Henry called and called but Mudge didn't come, Henry's heart hurt and he cried for an hour.”

Example 2

Henry and Mudge are happy when they see each other every day.

"Every day when Henry woke up, he saw Mudge's big head. And every day when Mudge woke up, he saw Henry's small face. "

Other themes that can be explored are: responsibility, pets, problem-solving, companionship, family, life lessons, and loyalty.

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Lesson Plan Reference

Print Activity

Grade Level 2-3

Difficulty Level 3 (Developing to Mastery)

Type of Assignment Individual or Partner

Type of Activity: Themes, Symbols & Motifs

Common Core Standards

[ELA-Literacy/RL/1/2] Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.
[ELA-Literacy/RL/2/2] Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.
[ELA-Literacy/RL/3/2] Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.

Student Instructions

Create a storyboard that identifies a theme in Henry and Mudge. Illustrate examples and write a short description below each cell.

Click "Use this Template" from the assignment.
Identify a theme in the story and write it on the row.
Find three examples of the theme in the text and describe one in each cell.
Illustrate each example with appropriate characters, scenes, and items.
Save and submit your storyboard.

2x3 Chart Template

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Henry and Mudge Summary

Henry and Mudge - Summary

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In this activity, students decide what the important parts in the text are, and categorize them into the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Having students decide the beginning, middle, and end will help them break up the text, and make it easier to choose one or two main events to create. Students can plan their ideas with a partner or individually and decide what main parts they would like to add to their storyboard.

( Parts of a Story Lesson Plan • Buy Poster • Buy PDF )

The storyboard below shows one example for the beginning, middle, and end, but you could set a number of frames for the students to use based on the ability of the student, or length of the text.

Example Henry and Mudge Summary

Beginning

Henry is lonely. His parents agree that he can get a dog. Henry finds Mudge as a puppy, and Mudge grows to be three feet tall and 180 pounds. They become great friends and do everything together.

Middle

Mudge decides to take a walk without Henry and he gets lost! He is sad and misses Henry. Henry searches for Mudge, but can't find him. Henry is sad and thinks Mudge left him.

End

Henry realizes that Mudge loves him and would never leave, so he must be lost. Henry searches again and finds Mudge! Henry and Mudge continue to do everything together, and Mudge never leaves without Henry.

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Lesson Plan Reference

Print Activity

Grade Level 2-3

Difficulty Level 3 (Developing to Mastery)

Type of Assignment Individual or Group

Type of Activity: Parts of a Story

Common Core Standards

[ELA-Literacy/W/2/3] Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.
[ELA-Literacy/RL/1/3] Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
[ELA-Literacy/RL/2/5] Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.
[ELA-Literacy/RL/3/2] Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.

Student Instructions

Make a storyboard summary of Henry and Mudge: The First Book.

Make a picture that shows the beginning of the story.
Make a picture that shows the middle of the story.
Make a picture that shows the end of the story.
Write a sentence under each picture.

BME Template

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Making Connections with the Text

Henry and Mudge - Making Connections

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Text Connections
Text to Text	Connection that reminds you of something in another book or story
Text to Self	Connection that reminds you of something in your life.
Text to World	Connection that reminds you of something happening in the world.

Making connections is a very important skill to acquire and perfect. Henry and Mudge: The First Book is a great story for students to connect on many different levels. In this activity, students will be making text to text, text to self, and text to world connections. Students should choose which connection they want to make first and work to write a narrative for that. Once all three connections have been made, students can work on their illustrations.

TEXT TO TEXT

Text: In Henry and Mudge: The First Book, Mudge likes to smell everything. "He smelled his lemon hair. He smelled his milky mouth. He smelled his soapy ears. He smelled his chocolate fingers."
Text: In Henry and Mudge: The Starry Night, Mudge likes to smell. "Mudge loved to hike and smell. He smelled a raccoon from yesterday. He smelled a deer from last night. He smelled an oatmeal cookie from Henry's back pocket.”

TEXT TO SELF

Text: Mudge likes Henry's bed. He likes to climb in with him. "But mostly he loved Henry's bed. Because in Henry's bed was Henry. Mudge loved to climb in with Henry. Then he loved to smell him."
Self: My cat Hazel loves to cuddle with me in my bed.

TEXT TO WORLD

Text: Mudge gets lost. Henry is very sad and looks for him. Finally, they are reunited.
World: On the news there was a story about a young boy who was reunited with his dog after it was missing for a whole year.

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Lesson Plan Reference

Print Activity

Grade Level 2-3

Difficulty Level 2 (Reinforcing / Developing)

Type of Assignment Individual

Common Core Standards

[ELA-Literacy/RL/2/2] Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.
[ELA-Literacy/RL/3/9] Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters (e.g., in books from a series)

Student Instructions

Create a storyboard that shows connections you have made with Henry and Mudge. Include a connection for text to text, text to world, and text to self.

Click "Use this Template" from the assignment.
Identify parts of Henry and Mudge that you connect with.
Parts from Henry and Mudge go on the left side. The connections you make go on the right side.
Create an image for each connection using scenes, characters, items, and text boxes.
Write a description of how the text relates to another text, the world, and you.

Text Connections T-Chart Template

Example

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Henry and Mudge: The First Book Summary

Henry is lonely because he has no siblings, and no children live on his street. He asks his parents if he could have a brother or sister, and they say no. He asks if they could move to a different neighborhood, and they say no. Henry asks if they can get a dog, and they say yes!

Henry searches and searches for a perfect dog. He has clear expectations, and when he sees a cute, small puppy, he knows it’s the one. Henry names his puppy Mudge, and Mudge does not stay small. He grows to one hundred and eighty pounds, three feet tall, and becomes Henry’s best friend.

Henry used to be worried about bullies, tornadoes, or other scary things when he walked to school, but now he has Mudge to protect him. All Henry’s worries are gone.

One day, Mudge decides to go for a walk without Henry. He reaches a point where he cannot smell home. Mudge is lost! He lies down and misses his friend, Henry.

Henry is worried that Mudge left him. He always thought they would be together forever. Henry cries until he realizes that Mudge loves him, and there is no way he left willingly, he must be lost! Henry searches and calls for Mudge. They finally find each other!

Mudge or Henry never want to feel the way they did when they were separated, so they decide to do everything together and never leave one another.

Essential Questions For Henry and Mudge: The First Book

What makes a good friend?
What does it mean to be responsible?
Have you ever felt lonely? Was it a good or bad feeling?

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Henry and Mudge: The First Book by Cynthia Rylant

Lesson Plans by Ashley Trudeau

Student Activities for Henry and Mudge: the First Book Include:

Henry and Mudge: the First Book Lesson Plans, Student Activities and Graphic Organizers

Character Map

Mudge

Physical Appearance

Character Traits

Evidence

Lesson Plan Reference

Student Instructions

Visual Vocabulary

worry

stream

lonely

Lesson Plan Reference

Student Instructions

Identifying Themes

Friendship

Lesson Plan Reference

Student Instructions

Henry and Mudge Summary

Example Henry and Mudge Summary

Beginning

Middle

End

Lesson Plan Reference

Student Instructions

Making Connections with the Text

Lesson Plan Reference

Student Instructions

Henry and Mudge: The First Book Summary

Essential Questions For Henry and Mudge: The First Book

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