Dear Mr. Henshaw
By: Beverly Cleary
Published by: Scholastic Inc.
NonFiction, Diary/journal, Read-Aloud
The main character Leigh Botts is a young second grade boy who writes to Mr. Henshaw for an assignment in school. When the author writes back with questions for Leigh, his mother insists he answer them, turning his school assignment into a long term pen pal relationship. Through the letters Leigh writes, the reader learns about his parents' divorce, his relationship with his father, his new school and the lunchbox theif. Mr. Henshaw encourages Leigh to start keeping a journal which he does and improves his writing with each entry. Leigh's dream is to become a writer himself one day, so any advice he gets, he takes. The story follows Leigh as he grows up and moves up in grades.
Reading Level:
Grade Level Equivalent: 4.7
Lexile Level: 910L
Suggested Delivery:
Read aloud, guided reading
Electronic Resources:
http://www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/teachers/connections/pdf/DearMrHenshaw.pdf
This is a link to a pdf file with resources for teachers. The file has questions for students, activities for the class and different extension activities.
http://www.beverlycleary.com/
This site is the world of Beverly Cleary. There are interactive links to all the different characters from her books, including Leigh, as well as links to her books, games and a biography abot Beverly Cleary.
Key Vocabulary:
gondola, partition, forefingers, mimeographed, refinery, insulated
Comprehension Strategies:
Before Reading:
Have a conversationg with students about what a role model is. In this story, Leigh idolizes Mr. Henshaw because he wants to be a writer one day too. Have students volunteer who their role model is and why. Talk about setting goals for what they want to be when they grow up and think of who role models for these careers could be. This would be a good initiation for the story becuase Leigh wants to be a writer like Mr. Henshaw.
During Reading:
As the story is read aloud to the class, remind students that, although it is not explicitly written, Mr. Henshaw is writing back to Leigh. Students can use their inferential comprehension to try to predict what Mr. Henshaw's letters to Leigh might say.
A different part of the story that could be confusing to students is the mention of many different places where Leigh's father travels. As the story is read, have students mark on a U.S. map all the places Leigh mentions in his writing.
After Reading:
Have students write about their own role model. Students can write a letter to this role model asking for advice for their future career. Somewhat like the project Leigh had to complete in the story, students can write to this person asking for advice, then writing a report about this person and their influence on their life.
Writing Assignment:
As technology keeps advancing, the use of 'snail mail' seems to be falling by the wayside. As an extended writing assignment, set students up with pen pals from another class, another town or a class from across the country. Students will get constant practice with basic writing conventions and will always have something to look forward to!
Cleary, Beverly, and Paul O. Zelinsky. Dear Mr. Henshaw. New York: Morrow, 1983. Print.
Electronic Resources:
http://www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/teachers/connections/pdf/DearMrHenshaw.pdf
This is a link to a pdf file with resources for teachers. The file has questions for students, activities for the class and different extension activities.
http://www.beverlycleary.com/
This site is the world of Beverly Cleary. There are interactive links to all the different characters from her books, including Leigh, as well as links to her books, games and a biography abot Beverly Cleary.
Key Vocabulary:
gondola, partition, forefingers, mimeographed, refinery, insulated
Comprehension Strategies:
Before Reading:
Have a conversationg with students about what a role model is. In this story, Leigh idolizes Mr. Henshaw because he wants to be a writer one day too. Have students volunteer who their role model is and why. Talk about setting goals for what they want to be when they grow up and think of who role models for these careers could be. This would be a good initiation for the story becuase Leigh wants to be a writer like Mr. Henshaw.
During Reading:
As the story is read aloud to the class, remind students that, although it is not explicitly written, Mr. Henshaw is writing back to Leigh. Students can use their inferential comprehension to try to predict what Mr. Henshaw's letters to Leigh might say.
A different part of the story that could be confusing to students is the mention of many different places where Leigh's father travels. As the story is read, have students mark on a U.S. map all the places Leigh mentions in his writing.
After Reading:
Have students write about their own role model. Students can write a letter to this role model asking for advice for their future career. Somewhat like the project Leigh had to complete in the story, students can write to this person asking for advice, then writing a report about this person and their influence on their life.
Writing Assignment:
As technology keeps advancing, the use of 'snail mail' seems to be falling by the wayside. As an extended writing assignment, set students up with pen pals from another class, another town or a class from across the country. Students will get constant practice with basic writing conventions and will always have something to look forward to!Cleary, Beverly, and Paul O. Zelinsky. Dear Mr. Henshaw. New York: Morrow, 1983. Print.
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