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The Year of the Dog — Chapter 1

Study guide for 4th – 6th Grade

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Copywork

About This Passage

Satisfies vocabulary density (faithful, sincere), syntactic complexity (compound and complex sentences with subordinate clauses), thematic weight (the book's central premise of self-discovery), and mechanical instruction value (commas in complex sentences, contractions, apostrophes).

Because dogs are faithful, they say the Year of the Dog is the year for friends and family. But there's more to it than that. The Year of the Dog is also for thinking. Since dogs are also honest and s...

Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.

Discussion Questions

Narration Prompt

In your own words, tell the story of this chapter. What were the most important moments? What made them important — and how do you know?

Discussion Questions

  1. The New Year tray ends up filled with both Chinese candy and American M&Ms. Dad declares, 'It's just like us — Chinese-American.' What does the tray reveal about how Dad sees the family's identity? Is he solving a problem or avoiding one?
  2. Mom explains that the Year of the Dog is about 'finding yourself — deciding what your values are, what you want to do.' But Pacy immediately translates this into 'deciding what you want to be when you grow up.' Has Pacy understood what Mom means, or has she turned a big idea into a smaller question?

+ 3 more questions in the complete study guide

Vocabulary Builder

Item 1

Family members like aunts, uncles, and cousins, especially those who do not live with you

Item 2

Staying loyal and true to someone over time, even when it would be easier to walk away

Item 3

Genuinely meaning what you say and feel, without pretending or having hidden reasons

+ 7 more vocabulary words in the complete study guide

Critical Thinking

+ 5 more questions in the complete study guide

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More chapters of The Year of the Dog

Chapter 1 (10th – 12th)Chapter 1 (7th – 9th)Chapter 1 (1st – 3rd)Chapter 1 (Adult)Chapter 4 (10th – 12th)Chapter 4 (7th – 9th)View all chapters

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