Cracker The Best Dog In Vietnam Summary The

Cracker The Best Dog In Vietnam Summary – The story is told from a dog’s point of view. Cracker is a German shepherd trained to work as an army dog sniffing out bombs and the enemy. Together, he and his handler, Rick Hanski, become the best team in Vietnam. When Rick is injured and returns to the states, he tries to locate Cracker.

What will you visualize? • In order to visualize we need to have some background knowledge or some connection to what we are about to read. Think/Pair/Share • What do you know about dogs? How do they act? What do they like to do? • Do you have a dog or other pet at home? • What pictures come into your mind when you think about dogs, Vietnam or even war?

Check out the video trailer • Click on the cover to hear more from the author about the novel Cracker!

What do you visualize? • Watch and listen as your teacher reads a short paragraph from the novel. • As she reads think about the image that is coming in your head?

Cracker turned to the trail and lifted her snout, pulling scents to the back of her nose. She tilted her head a bit more to capture a particular scent. The wind gusted and she stopped. There it was and now it was strong. She raised the hair on the back of her neck.

What did you visualize? Turn and talk to your partner!

• • Let’s try again! Read the next paragraph to yourself. Think about the words the author gives you to help you visualize! Can you make a connection to your experiences or prior knowledge? What do you see?

Cracker spotted a bird carcass lying in the alley. She picked it up between the tips of her front teeth and flipped it into the air, growling as it sailed above her. When it plopped down, she pushed it with her paw. She growled more and then leaned the side of her head down on the asphalt, staring right into its face. It might have been dead for a week but who cared? She would kill it again. That’s how powerful she was. She hopped to her feet to attack it and spotted a mouse! Alive! This was for real! She took off.

Turn and Talk! • What did you visualize? • What words from the paragraph helped you to create the image in your head? • What role did your background knowledge play in your visualization?