Standards Correlations

R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, R.7, W.2, SL.1, L.4, L.6

Learning Objective

Students will read and summarize an article about  a new law that helps veterans get service dogs.

Key Skills

summarizing, text features, vocabulary,  key detail, cause and effect, inference, informational writing

Complexity Factors

Purpose: The text explains what post-traumatic stress disorder is and how service animals can help people manage it. It also explains how a new law will help more veterans get service animals for this purpose.

 

Structure: The text contains cause-and-effect and problem-and-solution structures.

 

Language: The language is mainly conversational.

 

Knowledge Demands: Some knowledge of the atmosphere in a war zone will be helpful.

Levels

Lexile: 700L-800L 

Guided Reading Level: S 

DRA Level: 40

SEL Connection

This story and lesson plan promote social awareness. 

Lesson Plan: Help for Heroes

Essential Questions

  • How can animals make humans’ lives better? 
  • What responsibilities does a government have to people who have served in its military? 

Literature Connection

  • Novel: A Dog Like Daisy by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb
  • Novel: No Slam Dunk by Mike Lupica

1. Preparing to Read 

Build Background Knowledge (5 minutes)

Have students prepare to read the article by watching our engaging video “Helping a Hero.” The video will introduce students to David Crenshaw and his dog Doc, who feature prominently in the article.

Preview Text Features (15 minutes)

Guide students to locate the article in their magazines or at Action Online. Then preview the text features by asking the following questions:

  • Read the article’s title and subtitle (the text beneath the title). Check the Vocabulary box for the meaning of the word veterans. Who are the heroes mentioned in the article’s title? The heroes mentioned are people who have been in the military and have suffered from PTSD.
  • What is the purpose of the sidebar “At Your Service”? The purpose of the sidebar is to describe a number of ways in which dogs are able to help humans.

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

  • Point out the vocabulary box. Read the words (Middle East, combat, veterans, startled, physical impairment) aloud and discuss their definitions.
  • Play the Vocabulary Slideshow.

Make a Plan for Reading 

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan:

  • Set a purpose for reading by telling students that the article “Help for Heroes” will tell them about a serious mental health problem that can affect people who have been in a war, and about how animals can help these people heal.  
  • Point out the Pause and Think boxes. Tell students they can check their understanding of what they’ve read by answering these questions.
  • Point out the activity at the end of the article, and tell students they will complete it after reading. Encourage them to briefly scan the questions and to keep them in mind as they read.

2. Reading and Unpacking the Text

Read the article. (Higher- and lower-Lexile versions are available on the Story page at Action Online. Click Presentation View to access an audio read-aloud.) Then discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)

  • What is PTSD? (key detail) PTSD is a mental disorder that causes people to feel intense fear, sadness, or anger following a shocking, scary, or dangerous event. 
  • Why did Crenshaw go to Washington, D.C., in 2021? (cause and effect) Crenshaw traveled to Washington, D.C., to urge members of Congress to pass the PAWS Act. Doc had made a big difference in Crenshaw’s life, and he wanted other veterans to get the same kind of help.
  • How does Crenshaw feel about his overall experience with Doc? (inference) You can tell that Crenshaw is very grateful to have been matched with Doc. He says that Doc gives him purpose and that he can’t imagine life without the dog.

Critical-Thinking Question (5 minutes)

  • The article says that before the PAWS Act went into effect, the government didn’t provide service animals to veterans suffering from PTSD. Usually, veterans had to have a physical disability, such as a lost limb or blindness, to get a service dog. Why might this have been? (inference) Answers may vary. Students might guess that it wasn’t clear in the past how a service animal could help someone suffering from PTSD. It’s easy to see how a dog can guide a blind person or open a door for someone in a wheelchair. It’s not as obvious how a dog can help someone manage a mental disorder.

3. Skill Building and Writing

  • Have students work in pairs to complete the Spotlight Skill activity at the end of the article.
  • Go further: Assign students to work independently on our Summarizing activity, available in higher- and lower-level versions. (Click here to view all your Skill Builders for this article.)
  • Writing prompt: Write a one-paragraph public service announcement (PSA) to let veterans know about the PAWS Act. Explain what the law is about and when it went into effect. Include details about how service animals can help people who are experiencing PTSD.

Learn Anywhere Activity

An enrichment activity to extend the learning journey at home or in the classroom

Project the task below on your whiteboard or share it with students in your LMS.

The Amazing Powers of Animals

Want to know more about service and support animals? Take another look at the article’s sidebar “At Your Service.” Then read the short text “Why Is This Pig at the Airport?” from the November 2017 issue of Action.

Once you’ve read the article about LiLou the pig, break into small groups (three or four students) and discuss these questions:

  • Do you have any pets, or are there any animals in your life that are special to you? If so, what do you like about them?
  • Of the services you’ve read about that animals can provide, which do you find the most interesting? Which do you think is the most important? Why?

Now imagine that your group is helping an organization find shelter pets that can be trained to be service and support animals. Work with the other students in your group to create a flyer that you can send to animal shelters, letting them know what types of animals you’re looking for and why. Make sure your flyer includes the following information:

  • What services will the animals you work with be trained to provide?
  • What types of animals are you looking for? (For instance, do you think there could be such a thing as a support or therapy hamster? What about a support or therapy goat?)
  • What qualities (such as intelligence, friendliness, or calmness) are you looking for in the animals? 

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