Age group: Preschool through First Grade (5-8) years old)
1. Understand the concepts of risk, consequence, resilience and empathy.
2. Identify and discuss these concepts within the context of the story.
3. Apply these concepts to their own lives through discussions and activities.
About the Authors
After managing a small art gallery, Linda Cooper taught literature and writing in New Orleans high schools. Later, she joined the ESL faculty at Tulane University. She is the author of I Don’t. I Don’t. I Do! – a children’s book depicting a day in the life of a young boy who learns that sometimes you just have to do what you don’t like in order to do what you do like.
Jim Hodge managed an out-of-print book shop in Alexandria, Va. before teaching English and
writing for a newspaper in the Shenandoah Valley. Later, he joined The Times-Picayune in New Orleans where he was a longtime writer and editor.
Bella was a carefree pup, chasing birds and bugs, barking at mail carriers, frolicking with her two brothers. But her world changes when she ignores her mother’s guidance and lands in some deep trouble. She gets lost in the woods, is led astray by her best friend and catches the Dogvid virus. Happily, her brothers Buddy and Barnaby are there for her. And Bella discovers that while bad things sometimes happen, chances are that ifyou stick together, alI will be well.
Amazon sells the paperback and Kindle e-book version of the book.
Coming soon, you will be able to buy a copy Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, and Google Play.
Purchase 'Sticking Together: A Dog's Tale'
This free lesson plan is based upon the Sticking Together: A Dog's Tale book.
Introduction (15 minutes)
Start with a group reading of Sticking Together: A Dog’s Tale. Encourage students to listen carefully and think about how the characters are feeling and acting.
Discussion (15 minutes)
Have a guided discussion about the experiences and interactions of the main characters - Bella, her brothers Buddy and Barnaby, Bella's mom, Dr. Houndson, and Bella's best friend Duchess.
Focus on Bella's actions and the consequences that followed. Ask students: (1) Why does the pups' mother tell them to stick together when they take a walk and to wear a mask around other dogs? (2) What happens when Bella doesn't follow her mother's instructions? (3) Why do you think parents give children rules to follow?
Resilience Activity (20 minutes)
Discuss the concept of resilience. Ask the students to think about ways Bella demonstrates resilience — strategies Bella uses to solve her problems, such as sniffing along the path for her brothers after she gets lost, taking shelter from the storm, and barking loudly in the hope of being found. Then ask students to think about a time that they or someone they know faced a difficult problem and how they tried to solve it.
Empathy Activity (20 minutes)
Shift the discussion to empathy. Ask students to imagine how Bella might have felt at various points in the story. Facilitate a role-play activity where students take turns acting out Bella's experiences, empathizing with the feelings she might have had.
Conclusion (15 minutes)
Wrap up by having students share what they've learned about risky behavior, consequences, resilience, and empathy. Encourage them to think of examples of how they can apply these lessons in their own lives.
Download Lesson Plan
Download the free lesson plan now. This will include the free Coloring Pages. It will download as a PDF file.
For younger students, use simpler language and more concrete examples. Encourage them to act out feelings and interactions from the book through role playing.
For older students, encourage them to delve deeper into the characters’ motivations and emotions. They can also brainstorm other scenarios where risk assessment, empathy, and resilience would be important.
Students’ understanding of the lesson’s objectives can be assessed through their participation in class discussions and the role-playing activities. Look for their ability to identify and discuss the four concepts within the context of the story and their own lives.
Provide parents a link to the Sticking Together: A Dog’s Tale book on Amazon. In the homework, ask students and parents to discuss risks, resilience and empathy.
