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11/12 

  • In this lesson, students read pages 88-100 of Chapter 5 of The Call of the Wild by Jack London and analyze the way in which Charles, Hal, and Mercedes are characterized based on their actions, dialogue, and other characters’ perception of them. Students also explain how Charles, Hal, and Mercedes’ actions toward the dogs develop a conflict in the text.

  • Can students explain how Charles, Hal, and Mercedes are characterized in the text?

  • Can students analyze the way in which Charles, Hal, and Mercedes’ actions develop a conflict?

 

TTW introduce Chapter 5-The Toil of Trace and Trail

TLW read pages 89-91- 

  •  What words and phrases does London use to describe the conditions of the dogs? (wretched state, worn out, limping in earnest, all terribly footsore, feet fell heavily, dear tired, on their last legs)

  •  What words and phrases does London use to describe Hal and Charles? Character analysis chart for Hal, Charles, Mercedes 

 (Charles- weak, watery eyes, mustache that twisted fiercely and vigorously up, giving the lie to the limply drooping lip.  Hal- youngster,callowness, belt was the most salient thing about him. Both: manifestly out of place, mystery passes understanding

TLW read pages 92-100-.

  • How do other human characters view Hal, Charles and Mercedes?

  • What do the other human characters understand that Hal, Charles, and Mercedes do not?

  • What does London foreshadow through these interactions and conversations between characters.

TLW write 2 paragraphs that contrasts Francois and Perrault’s treatment and knowledge of the dogs to Hal, Charles, and Mercedes’s.  Focus on London’s use of sensory language to develop conflict.  Learners should be sure to use transition words to show contrast (on the contrary, however, in spite of, in contrast, on one hand, rather, while this may be true, etc)

TLW write a topic 2 point topic sentence to show the contrast between the groups.

 

11/13

  • In this lesson, students read pages 100-108 of Chapter 5 of The Call of the Wild and continue to analyze the way in which Charles, Hal, and Mercedes’ actions impact Buck and the sled team. Students analyze the way in which the author uses sensory details to develop the conflict and reveal the dogs’ suffering.

 Lesson Look fors:  

  • Can students explain how Charles, Hal, and Mercedes’ incompetence affects Buck and the dog-sled team?

  • Can students analyze the author’s use of sensory details and how these develop the conflict and emphasize the dogs’ suffering?

 

 

TLW read 100-102- What challenges do Charles, Hal and Mercedes face?  How do THEY contribute to these challenges?

  • Chart to list incompetence of C,H, & M: state of being unable to perform or function adequately. (overpacked, did not allow dogs to rest, inefficient setting/packing up camp, fed dogs too much, traveled too little, underfeed dogs in realization or their error)

  • Answer question: How do you foresee this becoming an even larger problem for the team?

TLW read 102-108- What happens to Buck and the dogs as they continue their journey?

  • Sensory details chart that reveal suffering and conflict under the dogs new ownership

Writing: How does Jack London use the ignorance of Hal, Charles, and Mercedes to develop the suspense and conflict?? (One paragraph about suspense; one paragraph about conflict) Use evidence from the text to support your response.

TTW pull small groups for GAME and others will work on IReady and Language Live

 

11/14 

  • n this lesson, students finish reading Chapter 5 of The Call of the Wild and explain how London uses dialogue, word choice, and figurative language to develop the conflict between Charles, Hal, and Mercedes and John Thornton. Students also identify themes that the author develops through Buck’s survival and Charles, Hal, and Mercedes’ downfall.

Lesson Look fors:

  • Can students identify themes that London develops through Buck’s survival and Charles, Hal, and Mercedes’ downfall?

  • Can students analyze how London’s use of dialogue, word choice, and figurative language develop the conflict between Charles, Hal, Mercedes and Thornton?

 

 

TLW finish reading chapter 5: What happens to Charles, Hal, and Mercedes? Why?

TLW identify evidence from the text that develops the conflict between John Thorton and Charles, Hal, and Mercedes and record it on their chart.  Students will look for word choice, dialogue, and figurative language.

TLW answer the questions:

  1.  What enabled Buck to survive despite the incompetence of Charles, Hal, and Mercedes?

  2. What is a theme that London develops through the downfall of Charles, Hal, and Mercedes?

TLW analyze a model of writing from chapter 5 in preparation for their narrative writing.  TLW focus on punctuation, phrasing, figurative language, structure.

TLW use the model to guide their writing:  Continue Chapter 5 by writing at least 4 lines of dialogue between John Thorton and a neighbor discussing what happened to Hal, Charles, and Mercedes.  

Focus on including sensory language and correct punctuation for dialogue.

TLW read their neighbors and make suggestions answering the following questions:

  1.  How easily can I follow the thoughts throughout the work?

  2. Do they establish a context and narrative point of view and a smooth progression of experiences and events?

  3. Do they properly punctuate the dialogue in the narrative?

TLW make any necessary revisions

TTW pull small groups for GAME and others will work on IReady and Language Live

 

11/18 

  • In this lesson, students read the beginning of “To Build a Fire” by Jack London and analyze London’s description of the setting and how it establishes a mood and foreshadows potential danger. Students also contrast the depiction of the man and the dog in “To Build a Fire” and make connections across the short story and Chapter 5 of The Call of the Wild.

Lesson Look Fors:

  • Can students explain what London’s description of the setting and tone foreshadows in the text?

  • Can students make connections across the characters and themes of Chapter 5 of The Call of the Wild and “To Build a Fire”?

 

 

TTW Introduce the text:

“To Build a Fire” is one of Jack London’s most famous short stories. Published in 1902, the story depicts the struggle of a man adventuring in the Yukon Territory.

Consider what you know about London’s writing from The Call of the Wild and the title of the story. Answer the questions below in your learning log to approach the text. Then, share your response with the class.

Questions:

  1. What role will the setting play in the text?

  2. What themes may you expect to see in the text?

 

TLW read the text and Stop at: “He decided to celebrate that event by eating his lunch there.”

TLW identify similarities between “To Build a Fire” and COTW. (Characters/Setting)

TLW discuss the mood that describes Chapter 5 of COTW and how London foreshadows Charles, Hal, and Mercedes fate.

TLW identify words and phrases from “To Build a Fire” that describe the setting, contribute to the mood, and foreshadow.

  1. The author uses many words and phrases to describe the setting:

  • “old and grey, exceedingly cold and grey”

  • “little-travelled trail”

  • “no sun nor hint of sun”

  • “an intangible pall over the face of things”

  • “a subtle gloom that made the day dark”

  1. The mood that the author creates is one that is bleak and foreboding. Phrases like “exceedingly cold and gray” and “subtle gloom” emphasize the harsh environment and potentially dangerous setting.

  2. The author foreshadows that something negative may happen. Despite the harsh setting, London writes “This fact did not worry the man.” This suggests that the man may not fully understand the situation that he is in, which can lead to dire consequences.

 

TLW continue reading: Start at: “The dog dropped in again at his heels, with a tail drooping discouragement, as the man swung along the creek-bed.”

Stop at: “But the man whistled, and spoke to it with the sound of whip-lashes, and the dog swung in at the man’s heels and followed after.”

TLW complete a T chart describing how the man, how the dog responded to their environment.

TLW discuss what theme the author is beginning to develop related to human nature and animal instincts.

TLW write 2 paragraphs that answer:

  1. What would John Thornton’s opinion of the man in “To Build a Fire” be?  What advice would he give?

  2. How do John Thornton and the man in “To Build a Fire” react differently to their experiences.

 

11/19 

  • In this lesson, students continue reading “To Build a Fire” by Jack London and analyze the way in which London uses word choice and sensory details to develop the conflict and mood of the text. Students also compare the man in “To Build a Fire” with Charles, Hal, and Mercedes in Chapter 5 of The Call of the Wild to make predictions about the text’s conclusion.

Lesson Look Fors

  • Can students explain the character’s actions and how they create a series of conflicts in the text?

  • Can students analyze London’s use of word choice and sensory details and how they develop the conflict and mood of the text?

 

Start at: “The man took a chew of tobacco and proceeded to start a new amber beard.”

Stop at: “His feet must be badly frozen by now, and there would be some time before the second fire was ready.”

TLW annotate “To Build a Fire” finding evidence of What conflict the man faces that endangers his life.

Start at: “He worked slowly and carefully, keenly aware of his danger.”

Stop at: “His feet must be badly frozen by now, and there would be some time before the second fire was ready.”

TLW identify words/sensory details that build a mood of suspense.

TLW will compare the man’s actions in TBAF to Charles, Hal, and Mercedes actions at the end of Chapter 5 of COTW.

TLW make a prediction of what they think will happen to the man and explain.

​​Start at: “Such were his thoughts, but he did not sit and think them.”

Stop at: “As he looked apathetically about him, his eyes chanced on the dog, sitting across the ruins of the fire from him, in the snow, making restless, hunching movements, slightly lifting one forefoot and then the other, shifting its weight back and forth on them with wistful eagerness.”

TLW focus on: How does the man try to solve his problem?

TLW record Words/sensory details used to develop the conflict on their T Chart. TLW explain how these words affect the mood of the text. (Start: The old timer on Sulphur creek…to…absorbing most of the flame)

TLW write 2 paragraphs in order to:  

  • Compare the behavior of Charles, Hal, and Mercedes from The Call of the Wild to the man in “To Build a Fire.” Focus on the author’s use of sensory language to build suspense. Use transition words and phrases to support comparison (equally, likewise, similarly, in the same way, etc.).



TTW pull small groups for GAME and others will work on IReady and Language Live

 

11/20 

  • In this lesson, students finish reading “To Build a Fire” by Jack London and identify two themes that London develops through the text’s conclusion. Students also compare the way in which London develops similar themes through the conclusion of Chapter 5 in The Call of the Wild.

  • Can students identify multiple themes that London develops through the conclusion of “To Build a Fire”?

  • Can students compare themes across “To Build a Fire” and Chapter 5 of The Call of the Wild and explain how London develops the themes in similar ways?

 

Reread “To Build a Fire” with your partner.

Start at: “The sight of the dog put a wild idea into his head.”

Stop at: “He had an impression that they hung like weights on the ends of his arms, but when he tried to run the impression down, he could not find it.”

 

Reading focus:  What does the man want to do to the dog? Why?

TLW Answer what happens to the man at the text’s conclusion?  The dog?

TLW finish the text and answer the following:

  1. How does London characterize the dog at the texts conclusion?

  2. What them about human and animal relationships does London convey through the text’s conclusion?

  3. What them about the wild does London convey through the text’s conclusion?

TLW begin planning for their writing:

Write a three-paragraph response to the question: How does Jack London use language and sensory details to develop suspense and conflict within Chapter 5 of The Call of the Wild and in “To Build a Fire”? Include an introductory paragraph and two body paragraphs. Make sure to use transition words and phrases that indicate sequence, passage of time, comparison or contrast.

 

TTW pull small groups for GAME and others will work on IReady and Language Live

 

12/2 

 In this lesson, students will write their response to compare Call of the Wild with the short story “To Build a Fire.” This is the section diagnostic.

  • Can students compare Chapter 5 of “To Build a Fire” and Chapter 5 of The Call of the Wild and explain how London uses word choice and sensory details to build conflict and suspense?

  • Can students compare themes and author’s craft across multiple texts?

 

TLW complete a multiple choice assessment covering chapter 5 of Call of the Wild and “To Build a Fire” and use the chart in their Analysis packet to help them write a three-paragraph response to the question: How does Jack London use language and sensory details to develop suspense and conflict within Chapter 5 of The Call of the Wild and in “To Build a Fire”? Include an introductory paragraph and two body paragraphs. Make sure to use transition words and phrases that indicate sequence, passage of time, comparison or contrast.