Dear Mr. Henshaw
Summary
Originally published: 1983
Author: Beverly Cleary
Leigh Botts (pronounced "Lee") is a ten-year-old boy eager to communicate with his favorite author, Boyd Henshaw. The back and forth letter writing relationship between Mr. Henshaw and Leigh begins when Leigh is in second grade. He first writes to Mr. Henshaw praising him for his book, Ways to Amuse a Dog, but the letters evolve as Leigh begins to grow and mature. Mr. Henshaw's advice to Leigh helps him cope with the loneliness he feels, the issues he has at school... Leigh learns to stand up for what he believes in and begins to make friends, a challenge he previously faced. Watch a short video on You Tube.
Author: Beverly Cleary
Leigh Botts (pronounced "Lee") is a ten-year-old boy eager to communicate with his favorite author, Boyd Henshaw. The back and forth letter writing relationship between Mr. Henshaw and Leigh begins when Leigh is in second grade. He first writes to Mr. Henshaw praising him for his book, Ways to Amuse a Dog, but the letters evolve as Leigh begins to grow and mature. Mr. Henshaw's advice to Leigh helps him cope with the loneliness he feels, the issues he has at school... Leigh learns to stand up for what he believes in and begins to make friends, a challenge he previously faced. Watch a short video on You Tube.
Author
Websites
The World of Beverly Cleary |
Beverly Cleary (born April 12, 1916) is an American author of more than 30 books for young adults and children. One of America's most successful writers of children's literature, she has sold 91 million copies of her books worldwide.Some of her best-known characters are Henry Huggins, Ribsy, Beatrice ("Beezus") Quimby, her sister Ramona Quimby, and Ralph S. Mouse. She won the 1981 National Book Award for Ramona and Her Mother and the 1984 Newbery Medal for Dear Mr. Henshaw. Read more on Wikipedia.
NovelYou can read the ebook if you have access to Raz Kids.
You can read the full text here. The book is not available to read online.
NOTE: The audio for Lessons 2-6 are on Disc 1. (Click on link above.)
The audio for the rest of the lessons are on Disc 2. |
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Reading the Novel
Listed below are activities for my Novel Study of the book. The students complete each assignment that can be saved in their portfolios or posted on their websites. I updated the links (4/14/20). I will be adding comprehension questions in the near future.
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Tools for Websites:
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BEFORE YOU START: I am posting a journal prompt for every lesson. You can keep a journal and answer the questions in your journal. Make sure you date each page and write the question before answering it. Ask the teacher how she/he wants the prompt answered (short answer or in essay form).
The audio for Lessons 2-6 are on Disc 1. See the link above.
Lesson 1
Meet the Author
Discovering Beverly Cleary (27:54)
Do You Know Beverly Cleary? (Nearpod activity)
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Lesson 2Read May 12 - November 15
pg. 3-11 (Audio: 0:00 - 10:18) Realistic Fiction Business and Friendly Letters Realistic Fiction Video (2:59)
Journal Prompt 1: Why does Leigh's attitude toward Mr. Henshaw change?
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Lesson 3
Read November 16 - December 1
pg. 12-30 (Audio: 10:22 - 29:06) Point of View Rags to Riches (P.O.V. online activity)
Journal Prompt 2: Why does Leigh feel so medium?
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Click on the link above. Download the vocabulary document. You can either type on the document or print it and write your answers.
Quizlet - Dear Mr. Henshaw Vocabulary 2 for Lessons 4, 5, and 6
Use Quizlet flashcards and other activities to learn the vocabulary words for these lessons. Audio prompts are available.
Lesson 4
Read December 4 - December 25
pgs. 31-44 (Audio: 29:11- 41:54) Character Development
(Self directed Nearpod lesson) Journal Prompt 3: Why does Mr. Henshaw keep answering Leigh's letters even though he is very busy?
Journal Prompt 4: Why does Leigh's mom refer to them as "lonely hearts"?
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Lesson 5Read January 3 - January 19
pgs. 45-59 (Audio: 41:58-53:23) Journal Prompt 5: How does Mom feel about Leigh's Dad? How does Leigh feel about his dad?
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Lesson 6Read January 20-February 4
pgs. 61-72 (Audio: 53:25-1:06:33) Journal Prompt 6: Why is Leigh mad at his father?
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Use can also use the Quizlet lesson to test your knowledge of the vocabulary.
The audio for the rest of the book are on Disc 2. See link above.
Quizlet - Dear Mr. Henshaw Vocabulary 3 for Lessons 7, 8 and 9
Lesson 7
Read February 5 - February 9
pgs. 73-87 (Audio 00:00-14:30) Vocabulary: sagebrush, eucalyptus, antique
Journal Prompt 7: Why does Mom cry?
Journal Prompt 8: Why is Leigh angry at Dad? |
Lesson 8
February 15 - March 15
pgs. 88-104 (Audio: 14:32-27:53) Literal vs. Inferential Questions (Nearpod)
Journal Prompt 9: How does Leigh's lunch box alarm change things for him?
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Lesson 9March 16 - March 31
pgs. 104 -121 (Audio 27:56-45:50) Eye on Idioms (Nearpod)
Eye on Idioms (Read, Write, Think)
How to Podcast (Garageband)
Journal Prompt 10: Why does Leigh decide to start scrubbing the mildew off the bathroom?
Journal Prompt 11: Why does meeting Mrs. Badger make Leigh feel so good? |
Final Journal Prompt: a) How can you explain Leigh's mixed feelings at the end of the book? b) Why doesn't Beverly Cleary have Bonnie say she would like to get back together with Bill to make it a "happily ever after" ending?
Click on the link above. Download the vocabulary document. You can either type on the document or print it and write your answers.
BONUS LESSONS: After you complete Dear Mr. Henshaw, read another book by Beverly Cleary. Click HERE to see a list of her books. Then complete Lessons 10 and 11. You can also use Lessons 10 and 11 to compare two characters in this book or compare a character from this book with a character from another book that you have read. You can complete Lesson 12 at any time.
Lesson 10 |
Lesson 11 |
Lesson 12
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VennCompare/Contrast Novels (Nearpod)
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Fun Activities
A Talk With Dad - Record a reading of an excerpt from the book. Download the Readers Theater Script, A Talk With Dad. Practice reading the script with a few friends. Record your readingon Garageband. Save it as a podcast.
Make a T-Shirt - Choose a picture of a character. Find words or names from the story. Use Tagxedo or Wordle to make a word cloud. (You can also draw and scan a picture.) Insert your picture or text into word document. If you use text, you have to flip it. Print your document on T-Shirt transfer paper. Iron onto a clean white (or light colored) T-Shirt.
Create a Lunchbox Alarm - Someone is taking food out of Leigh's lunch. He creates an alarm that works really well. Can you design an alarm to protect an object that you really like? Use the Invention Form to design your alarm. If you can, make your alarm and test it out.
Sample Activities
A Talk With Dad |
Venn Diagram |
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This is a podcast of a reading from an excerpt from the book.
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