Study Guide

Based on the book Harry the Dirty Dog
by Gene Zion and illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham
Adapted by Karen Abbott

 

SYNOPSIS Harry, a white dog with black spots, loves getting dirty. In fact, he likes everything except baths. When his owners threaten to give him a bath one day, Harry buries the nasty scrub brush and runs away to explore the world outside his own backyard. Harry first meets two construction workers who are using tar to fill potholes in the street. Harry just can't resist the black, sticky, stinky tar and begins to roll in it. The tar dirties his white coat, and Harry enjoys his new stinky fur. He says goodbye to the construction workers and continues walking in the opposite direction from his house. Next, Harry comes upon a set of railroad tracks. He meets a train engineer and a railroad worker and helps them lay new track. Through more of Harry's silly antics, he manages to romp in the dusty, black, sooty tracks, making his white coat even dirtier! He thanks the workers for letting him help, says goodbye, and continues to walk away from home. Harry then finds himself on the beach. At the beach, he learns to surf from two gnarly surfer dudes but gets caught in a giant wave. Harry washes up onto the sand and is covered with smelly, slimy seaweed. The surfers mistake him for a sea monster and try to catch him to sell him at the aquarium. Harry confuses the surfers and hides until they give up looking for him. Shew! Next, Harry meets two stray dogs. They invite him to play a game of tag, and as he is playing, Harry finds a giant mud puddle and jumps right in! Now he's completely covered with all kinds of dirt-- tar, train soot, seaweed, and mud! He's gone from being a white dog with black spots to a black dog with white spots! The stray dogs tell Harry about their lives-- sleeping under a bridge, looking for food in trash dumps, and having no one to play with. Harry realizes that living at his home was really great and decides to go back home. After he finally arrives at home very hungry and tired, his family doesn't recognize him. He's so dirty, they don't even realize who he is even after he shows them his best tricks. Harry then remembers the scrub brush he's buried in the backyard. He digs it up and begs for a bath. His family finally gives him a bath, sees his true identity, and treats him to a steak bone, lots of fresh water, and a nap on his favorite pillow. Harry promises never to run away again and he falls asleep, happily dreaming of how much fun it had been getting dirty. *Teachers, please be aware that the play adaptation includes scenes from Harry The Dirty Dog and Harry by the Sea.

ALL ACTIVITES ARE LISTED WITH GRADE APPROPRIATE CALIFORNIA BOARD OF EDUCATION CONTENT STANDARD

ENGLISH/ LANGUAGE ARTS
Kindergarten: (Listening and Speaking, standard 2.3: Students relate an experience or creative story in logical sequence)
The structure of Harry the Dirty Dog is set up like chapters in a book. There's a beginning, 4 middle chapters (street, railroad, beach, stray dogs), and an end. Using pictures and words, create a storyboard for the sequence of events explaining what Harry does in each part of the story. (Writing, standard 1.4: Students write uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet independently, attending to the form and proper spacing of the letters) Using the letters in alphabet (or in a student's name, school's name, etc.), create an Alphabet list for Harry the Dirty Dog. Assign each letter a word important to the story, write the word next to the letter, and draw a picture illiustrating the word's importance. For example: A Adventure (Drawing of Harry running away) B Bone (Harry finding a bone in the backyard) C Car (Cars zooming down street where Harry walks) D Dirt (Black dog with white spots) You may have students create important words or help them brainstorm a list.

MATHEMATICS
(Measurement and Geometry, standard 1.4: Students identify the time of everyday events [lunch time is 12 o'clock; bedtime is 8 o'clock at night]).
Have students schedule the events of a normal day for Harry and the day that he runs away from home and compare the two schedules. Include the following times and events: Normal Day Events: Run Away Day Events: Wake up (7 o'clock) Wake up (7 o'clock) Breakfast Breakfast Morning Walk Break out of fence (8 o'clock) Water Break Bury scrub brush Nap Play in tar (10 o'clock) Water Break Hear choo choo train Owners come home (5 o'clock) Build Sand Castle(12 o'clock) Dinner Surf Evening Walk Play tag with dog friends Go to Bed (8 o'clock) Start for home (6 o'clock) Find fence Get a bath (8 o'clock) Go to sleep (9 o'clock) (Measurement and Geometry, standard 2.1: Students identify and describe common geometric objects) When he's at the beach, Harry makes a sandcastle in the sand. Using different combinations of shapes, have students draw or build sandcastles (with blocks). You may use the following lists of shapes or create your own based on individual situation: Sandcastle A (3 triangles, 2 rectangles, 4 squares, 2 circles) Sandcastle B (6 triangles, 1 rectangle, 2 squares, 4 circles) Sandcastle C (2 triangles, 4 rectangles, 3 squares, 1 circle)

HISTORY- SOCIAL SCIENCES
(Learning and Working Now and Long Ago, Standard K.3: Students match simple descriptions of work that people do and the names of related jobs at the school, in the local community, and from historical accounts.)
Worker Tool Box: In Harry the Dirty Dog, Harry meets a number of different kinds of people and animals. Have students draw, describe, write about, or bring in "tools" for the following occupations represented in Harry. You may remind students that the play and book were originally set in the 1950's and that tools were different in that time than in present day. Occupations referenced: Dog owner, Hunter, Parents, Construction Workers, Train Engineer, Railroad Worker, Explorer, Surfer, Humane Society Employee, Butcher, Waitress, Grocer. (Learning and Working Now and Long Ago, Standard K.6-3: Students Understand how people lived in earlier times and how their lives would have been different today.) 1950s/ 2005 Comparison: The kids in Harry the Dirty Dog love playing in the backyard with their dog, Harry, just like kids like playing with their pets today. In the book's time period setting, the early 1950s, kids entertained themselves much differently than they do today. With your class, have students brainstorm and predict forms of entertainment that were available and used by 5 and 6 year olds in the 1950s. After brainstorming, research the validity of thier predictions by using the internet, interviews with grandparents/ neighbors/ teachers who lived during the 1950s, research books from the library, magazines, etc. Have students compare their findings to their predictions.

SCIENCE
(Earth Sciences, Standard 3a: Students know characteristics of mountains, rivers, oceans, valleys, deserts, and local landforms.)
Harry Finder: Harry refers to different parts of California in his travels: farmland, beach, ocean, and hills/ mountains. Give students characteristic clues about these areas and have them guess where Harry is. You may even bring in materials from those places (sand, rocks, fertilzer, salt water, etc.) and have students group the materials into the correct land type. (Investigation and Experimentation, Standard 4d: Students compare and sort common objects by one physical attribute.) Grouping Activity: Have students group the following materials that Harry encounters into as many different types of groups as possible. Possible groups might be [solid, liquid, gas], by color, texture, indoor/ outdoor, things Harry likes/ dislikes, have seen/ have not seen, real in the play/ imaginary in the play, alive/ non-living, etc. Harry's materials: black spots dog food sunshine leash squirrels muzzle soap washtub scrub brush perfume dog cookie fence bone pocketwatch T.V. remote jackhammer tar hot cocoa coffee train steam waves sea gulls seaweed aquarium suntan lotion pizza crust rocks water dirt pillow