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DODO Learning
Think Once. In Both Languages.
Lesson 09
Little DODO · Phase 1

Biscuit's Birthday Surprises

Happy Birthday, Biscuit! · pp. 3-16 (stretch) · Format A · Disposition: Wondering & Questioning · 25 min
Happy Birthday, Biscuit!
Pages this lesson: 3-16
Fluency · Poetry
Students practice expressive reading and rhythm through a short poem with repeated sound words and actions.
Fluency · Repetition · Rhythm · Action Words · Expressive Reading
Introduce

Vocabulary Exploration· 5 min

Target words
  1. surprise 6: “"Surprise, Biscuit! Puddles and Daisy are here for your birthday party!"”
  2. birthday 4: “"Today is a very special day. It's your birthday!"”
  3. silly 9: “"Silly Biscuit!" called the little girl.”
  4. presents 14: “"Funny puppy! You want to open your birthday presents!"”
Today Biscuit gets a surprise party! Let's learn the special words before we read. When I show the card, we'll say the word together and show what it means with our bodies.
Exploration steps
  1. Show the word card 'birthday' with the cake picture; students chorus twice
  2. Act out 'surprise' with hands over eyes then open wide
  3. Show 'silly' and ask students to make a silly face
  4. Point to 'presents' card and mime unwrapping a gift
Expected responses
  • birthday means cake and candles
  • surprise is when you don't know something is coming
  • silly means funny and goofy
Differentiation

Quiet kids: pair with gesture buddy; fast finishers: find the word on their page.

Transition cue

Clap three times — Story Time!

Anticipated pitfalls

Don't skip the gesture — kids who can't read the word yet need the action anchor.

Why this matters: Act first, word second — movement anchors meaning for kids who can't decode yet.

Reading in Class· 10 min

Required reading pages: 3-16
Opening move: Point to Biscuit sleeping on page 3 and ask what the little girl might be waking him up for.
We're going to read Biscuit's birthday story together. Every time Biscuit barks, you bark with him. Ready? Let's practice: Woof!
Read-aloud steps
  1. Picture-walk pages 3-16: notice Biscuit waking up, friends arriving, balloons popping, presents opening
  2. Read aloud once at storytelling pace, pausing on the exclamation marks
  3. Read again with students barking 'Woof!' every time Biscuit barks
Call-and-response refrains
  1. Woof! 3: “Woof!”
  2. Woof, woof! 8: “Woof, woof”
Expected responses
  • Woof!
  • Woof, woof!
  • kids bark louder each time
Differentiation

Struggling readers: chorus only, no solo reading; fast finishers: add hand claps on exclamation marks.

Transition cue

Pat knees twice — Questions Time!

Anticipated pitfalls

Don't let one loud barker drown out the chorus — count to three before accepting.

Why this matters: Chorus the barks — rhythm builds fluency for kids not yet reading independently.

Questions Time· 7 min

Comprehension questions
  1. Who came to Biscuit's birthday party? 6: “"Surprise, Biscuit! Puddles and Daisy are here for your birthday party!"”
  2. What happened to the balloons? 10: “"Oh, no," said the little girl. "There go the balloons!' Woof!”
Extension

Draw your favorite birthday surprise for Biscuit.

15: “"Look, Biscuit! A new collar, a new bone, and best of all..."”

What students produce: One drawing showing a gift, cake, or friend — student explains their choice in one sentence.

Let's think about what happened at Biscuit's party. First we'll answer together, then you'll draw your favorite part. What would you give Biscuit for his birthday?
Expected responses
  • Puddles and Daisy came
  • the balloons flew away
  • I would give him a toy
Differentiation

Quiet kids: draw first, share with partner; fast finishers: add a speech bubble to their drawing.

Transition cue

Touch nose three times — Wrap-Up Time!

Anticipated pitfalls

Don't accept 'I don't know' — point to the page and ask what they see.

Why this matters: Talk first protects kids who freeze at blank page — one sentence before drawing.

Conclusion· 3 min

Routine: I Wonder · Disposition: Wondering & Questioning
Student-facing prompts
Recap: I wonder why Biscuit...
Take-home: Ask someone: What makes a birthday special?
Every story leaves us wondering. Today I wonder: why did Biscuit pop the balloons? What do you wonder about birthdays? Turn and tell your partner one thing you wonder.
Expected responses
  • I wonder if Biscuit liked his presents
  • I wonder why dogs like bones
  • I wonder what Biscuit wished for
Differentiation

Quiet kids: wonder to the navigator first; fast finishers: write their wonder on a sticky note.

Anticipated pitfalls

Don't answer the wonder question — let it hang so kids keep thinking at home.

Why this matters: Same wonder stem daily — predictability lets kids own the close.