My Side of the Mountain Sample

Novel Study Guide

By Grace Choe

About the Author

Jean Craighead George, author of “My Side of the Mountain” and “Julie of the Wolves,” dies at 92

By Emily Langer May 21, 2012

Jean Craighead George, a children’s author widely regarded as one of the premier American nature writers for young readers, died May 15 at a hospital in Mount Kisco, N.Y. She was 92.

The cause was congestive heart failure, said her son Luke George.

A Washington native, Ms. George had lived for the past five decades in a cedar-shingle house in the woods of Chappaqua, N.Y. She often credited her frequent childhood expeditions along the Potomac River with inspiring her lifelong love of the wild.

Her novels and picture books — more than 100 — have sold millions of copies. “Julie of the Wolves,” a novel about a 13-year-old Eskimo runaway who is welcomed by a wolf pack in the Alaskan tundra, received the 1973 Newbery Medal for the “most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.”

Like many of Ms. George’s books, “Julie of the Wolves” possesses all the ruggedness of “The Call of the Wild” and other turn-of-the-century works by Jack London. But Ms. George began writing just as the construction of highways and suburbs began to transform American life and childhood in the 1950s. Ms. George rose to national prominence in 1959 with the publication of “My Side of the Mountain,” a novel that chronicles the experience of young Sam Gribley as he runs away from his New York City apartment for a life of self-reliance in the Catskills. Mary Harris Russell, an expert in children’s literature, once described the volume as “part ‘Walden,’ part ‘Swiss Family Robinson.’ ”

Many reviewers commended Ms. George for the scientific expertise that suffuses nearly all her writings, including “My Side of the Mountain.” She shrugged off the praise.

“It took me only two weeks to write,” she once said of the book in an interview with the Christian Science Monitor. “It was basically about my own life.”

In the wild, Sam’s closest companion is a falcon. Ms. George’s twin brothers, who grew up to become leading American scholars of grizzly bears, were falconers as teenagers. And like the Craighead children, Sam learns to builds lean-tos, forage in the woods and whittle fish hooks from twigs.

Ms. George described the boy’s exploits so convincingly that an executive at the E.P. Dutton publishing company initially rejected her manuscript on the grounds that it would encourage would-be runaways. (The publisher changed his mind, The Washington Post reported, when he reflected on his own affection for the Adirondack Mountains.)

Ms. George wrote “Julie of the Wolves” after traveling to Alaska as a reporter with Reader’s Digest in the 1970s. The magazine had sent her to Barrow, the northernmost city in the United States, to write about research on wolves taking place at the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory. Ms. George created the character of Julie after becoming fascinated by an Eskimo girl she had seen alone on the tundra.

With help from the laboratory’s scientists, Ms. George learned to communicate with the wolves. “Oh, those golden-yellow eyes of the wolf!” she once told the Monitor. “You can feel yourself being pulled in. I knew I had been accepted — and that I had spoken to another species.”

The novel was “packed with expert wolf lore, its narrative beautifully conveying the sweeping vastness of tundra as well as many other aspects of the Arctic, ancient and modern, animal and human,” author James Houston wrote in the New York Times in 1973. “It is refreshing to see the Arctic well portrayed through a woman’s eyes.”

Years later, Ms. George returned to the character of Julie for two sequels, including “Julie’s Wolf Pack” (1997), written from the lupine perspective. “My Side of the Mountain” also had sequels and was made into a 1969 film starring Ted Eccles as Sam and Theodore Bikel as the wanderer Bando.

Ms. George’s later books included “Tree Castle Island” (2002), a survival story about a 14-year-old boy who builds his own canoe to roam the Okefenokee Swamp on the Florida-Georgia border, a region Ms. George, too, had explored. Her book “Fire Storm” (2003) was inspired by a relative’s experience being surrounded by wildfire in Idaho.

Ms. George kept more than 170 pets over the years, including owls, mink, sea gulls and tarantulas. “Although always free to go,” reads the biography on her Web site, “they would stay with the family until the sun changed their behavior and they migrated or went off to seek partners of their own kind.”

Her autobiography, “Journey Inward,” was published in 1982. Another memoir for children, “The Tarantula in My Purse,” followed in 1996.

Jean Carolyn Craighead was born July 2, 1919, in the District. Her father worked for the U.S. Forest Service as an entomologist. Her first pet was a turkey vulture.

After graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School, she received a bachelor’s degree in science and English in 1941 from Pennsylvania State University.

Ms. George initially pursued a career in journalism and worked briefly at The Post as a society reporter and picture editor.

In 1944, she married John L. George, an ornithologist. Before divorcing in 1963, they wrote and illustrated several children’s books about animals, beginning with “Vulpes, the Red Fox” (1949). Ms. George had kept a pet fox as a child and became acquainted with its tricks.

Her three children became naturalists.

Survivors include two sons, Luke George of Fort Collins, Colo., and John C. “Craig” George of Barrow, Alaska; a daughter, Twig George of Cockeysville, Md.; a brother; and six grandchildren.

Ms. George regularly received fan mail from her young readers.

“A lot of them write to tell me they want to run away like Sam did,” she told a Post reporter, referring to the hero of “My Side of the Mountain.” “I tell them to run away in a book. It’s easier, and warmer.”

Pre-reading Research: Get to Know the Setting

* * * * * Pages 4-6 are to be completed before the first day of class. * * * * *

OBJECTIVES

1. PRIOR KNOWLEDGE To provide background information for the novel.

2. SKILLS To provide the opportunity to strengthen research skills.

3. WRITING To provide the opportunity to paraphrase by developing and organizing facts to relay information.

Paraphrasing Crib*

The 4 R's of Paraphrasing

REWORD - replace words and phrases with synonyms whenever you can.

REARRANGE - you can rearrange the words to make new sentences or rearrange the ideas in the piece.

REALIZE - some things can not be changed like names and dates and titles etc., but you can arrange them in a different order.

RECHECK - make sure that your paraphrased piece carries the same meaning over as the original piece and you did not use your own opinion for certain aspects.

* Source: Steemiteducation

Research & Paraphrase

DIRECTIONS Use a book or the Internet to find information on the following questions. Paraphrase the information into your own words and write in complete sentences. Do not plagiarize information directly off of the Internet.

1. GEOGRAPHY Where are the Catskill Mountains located?

2. HISTORY What is one probability of how the region got its name, Catskills?

3. WILDLIFE Research the specific bird life found in the area.

4. WILDLIFE Find out what kind of animals live here.

5. WILDLIFE Identify the type of vegetation available in the Catskills.

6. GEOLOGY Describe the various land forms you would see in this area. 7. ENVIRONMENT Define the climate found in the Catskills. 8. GEOGRAPHY What is the distance between New York City and the Catskill Mountains? 9. GEOGRAPHY Locate the nearest towns to the Catskills. 10. MAKING CONNECTIONS Name some recreational activities you can do in the Catskills. 11. ENVIRONMENT Describe the length and severity of the winters of this region.

Pre-reading discussion

versus living in a remote, isolated area? (Continued on the next page)

(Continued from #2)

OPINION Which do you prefer? Why? Write your response in complete sentences.

3. THEME Define family. How can those outside of your biological family form a community? Can animals can be a part of one's family? Write your response in complete sentences.

4. MAKE JUDGMENT This book was published in 1959. Do you think you’ll be able to relate to the character and the story? Write your response in complete sentences.

WRITING SKILLS

Figurative Language to Bring Words Alive

When a writer uses literal language, he or she is simply stating the facts as they are. For example, “The book is boring” explicitly states that the book is boring. Conversely, figurative language is implicit, meaning that the meaning is implied or hinted by using exaggerations or alterations to create a fresh way of looking at an idea, such as, “That book could put a 7-yearold’s birthday party to sleep.” Just as a painter uses brushes and paint to create an image, a writer uses figurative language, to enhance the normal meaning of words to become more effective, persuasive and impactful. This makes the story more interesting or gives an idea a

way to express an otherwise boring statement by describing an object, person, or situation by comparing it to or with something else. For example, “Her ,” compares typing to dancing. Thus it adds color and She is typing.”

To get familiar with figurative language, we will learn about the metaphor, simile, personification,, and onomatopoeia. Then in the next lesson, we will learn about imagery.

is teeming with figurative language which the narrator uses to describe the glories and hardships of winter —the strange, stark beauty and the majesty of

briefly review the major types of literary devices and preview the abundant amount that is used in the first section (Preface - Chapter 7) to help you identify them as you read them in the novel.

✎ Simile A figure of speech in which things are compared using the words “like” or “as.”

a. The surface of the water looked as smooth as glass.

b. The first placer ran like lightning during the race.

c. The farmer was as busy as a bee.

d. That thief is as sly as a fox.

e. The troops sent to the war were as brave as lions.

DIRECTIONS Explain the meaning of each simile and underline what is being compared.

1. pg. 3 “[The tree] must be as old as the mountain itself.”

2. pg. 8 “The water that day was a dark as the rocks.”

3. pg. 8 “[The clouds] looked as wild as the winds that were bringing them.”

4. pg. 28 “[The boulders] looked like pebbles beneath those trees.”

5. pg. 29 “Inside I felt as cozy as a turtle in its shell.”

6. pg. 30 “The water was like glass […].”

7. pg. 30 “Beetles skittered like bullets on the surface […].”

8. pg. 39 “Her wiry little arms were like crayfish pinchers.”

9. pg. 44 “[…] you better get down from here like a rabbit.”

10. pg. 45 “Small pinfeathers were sticking out of the strongly down, like feathers in an Indian quiver.”

✎ Metaphor Direct comparison between two unlike things, stating that one is the other or does the action of the other.

a. Eduardo had a roller coaster of emotions on his first day of school.

b. His cheeks were on fire after he farted loudly in class.

c. She was the black sheep of the family.

d. Laughter is the best medicine.

e. My memory is a little foggy because it happened so long ago.

DIRECTIONS Explain the meaning of each metaphor and underline what is being compared.

1. pg. 8 “The clouds of winter, black and fearsome.”

2. pg. 8 “I thought about New York […] how a snowstorm always seemed very friendly there.”

3. pg. 17 “I was right on the main highway of the cold winds as they tore down upon the valley below.”

4. pg. 19 “There was a house […] only a hundred feet from my torture camp.”

5. pg. 20 “I knew how to make fire, and that was my weapon.”

6. pg. 24 “[The first fire] was magic.”

7. pg. 24 “It lighted the trees and made them warm and friendly.

8. pg. 26 “ [The hickories] were gold trees to me.”

✎ Personification Attributing human characteristics or qualities to an inanimate object, animal, or abstract idea. A personification is a type of metaphor.

a. Josephine heard the last piece of cheesecake in the refrigerator calling his name.

b. The tsunami gobbled up everything in its path.

c. The bacon grease jumped out of the pan.

d. The cactus saluted any visitor brave enough to travel the scorched land.

e. The first rays of sunshine gently stroked my face.

DIRECTIONS Explain the meaning of each personification and underline the human attribute.

1. pg. 4 “[…] I think the storm is dying down because the tree is not crying so much.”

2. pg. 5 “My voice never got vert far. It was hushed by the tons of snow.”

3. pg. 7 “I was busy keeping the flames low so they would not leap up and burn the fish.”

4. pg. 7 “Then I realized that the forest was dead quiet.”

5. pg. 8 “Only the sound told me [the water] was still falling.”

6. pg. 11 “It was a clear athletic stream that rushed and ran and jumped and splashed.”

7. pg. 13 “Suddenly the string came to life, and rode back and forth and around in a circle.”

8. pg. 18 “Fortunately, the sun has a wonderfully glorious habit of rising every morning.”

9. pg. 24 “Out of dead tinder and grass and sticks came a live warm light.”

10. pg. 24 “It stood tall and bright and held back the night.

11. pg. 25 “My big voice rolled through the woods, and [the birds’] little voices seemed to rise and answer me.”

12. pg. 28 “Great boulders covered with ferns and moss stood among [the trees].”

13. pg. 29 “[…] It was discouraging to feed that body of mine. It was never satisfied […].”

14. pg. 31 “A crow flew into the aspen grove without saying a word.”

15. pg. 43 “I was high, and when I looked down, the stream spun.”

✎ Onomatopoeia Words that sound like the objects or actions they refer to (boom, buzz, crackle, gurgle, hiss, pop, sizzle, snap, swoosh, whoosh, zip)

a. The sausages are sizzling in the pan.

b. The owl hooted all night.

c. Sandra splashed into the water from the diving board.

d. Emilia’s teeth chattered as she stood out in the cold.

e. The audience clapped at the end of the show.

DIRECTIONS Identify the onomatopoeia in the sentence, and write what verb or verb phrase could replace it.

1. pg. 4 “…the whole tree moans right down to the roots…”

2. pg. 5 “[My voice] was hushed by the tons of snow.”

3. pg. 15 “I could not bear to think of [the fish] flopping itself back into the stream.”

4. pg. 19 “[…] I ran down the hill and banged on the door.”

5. pg. 24 “[The fire] cracked and snapped and smoked and filled the woods with brightness.”

6. pg. 43 “After splashing across the stream in the shallows […].”

7. pg. 43 “I wormed forward, and wham!— something hit my shoulder.”

✎ Hyperbole is an extreme exaggeration to make a show emphasis or us humor.

a. I had to walk to the ends of the Earth to find my car keys!

b. It’s so hot you could fry an egg on the sidewalk.

c. Her smile was a mile wide when her parents surprised her with a dog.

d. New York is the city that never sleeps.

e. That turkey could feed an army!

DIRECTION Identify the hyperbole and explain what it means.

1. pg. 13 “ I must have walked a thousand miles before I found a pool…”

2. pg 18-19 “…I knew I would never again see anything so splendid as the round red sun coming up over the earth.”

3. pg. 19 “…I said, “And so, can I cook my fish here, because I haven’t eaten in years.’”

4. pg. 28 “[The trees] must have begun when the world began.”

5. pg. 38 “I finished the posts for the bed […] when I nearly jumped out of my shoes.”

✎ IMAGERY

Good descriptive writing includes many vivid sensory details that paint a picture and appeals to one or several of the reader's senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste when appropriate. This is when a writer uses very descriptive language, sometimes figurative language (like similes, metaphors, and personification) to beautify a piece of literature and create sensory experiences by appealing to one of the five senses. This helps the reader imagine what is being described to evoke sensory experience and emotional response, and to envision characters and scenes in the specific way that the writer intended.

Imagery can be presented as a metaphor, simile, personification, and onomatopoeia to.

Here is an example of how imagery enhances a piece of writing:

Original sentence: The train station was noisy on Monday morning.

Added imagery: During the early morning rush hour, the train station had a hum of conversations and shouts colliding into each other as commuters rushed out to face their day.

a. The cool, refreshing water quenched the runner's thirst as the scorching sun radiated on her.

b. The lake was left shivering by the touch of crisp morning wind.

c. The Thanksgiving turkey was moist and tender, the apple stuffing permeating each bite of delicate white meat that was slathered with thick, rich gravy.

d. The sunset outlined the clouds with red and gold and left the sky blazing with a fiery orange.

e. I could hear the popping and crackling as mom dropped the bacon into the frying pan, and soon the salty, greasy smell wafted toward me.

f. "In the hard-packed dirt of the midway, after the glaring lights are out and the people have gone to bed, you will find a veritable treasure of popcorn fragments, frozen custard dribblings, candied apples abandoned by tired children, sugar fluff crystals, salted almonds, popsicles, partially gnawed ice cream cones and wooden sticks of lollipops.” (Charlotte's Web)

DIRECTION Identify which of the sense(s) each sentence appeals to and explain what it means.

1. pg. 5 “…I laughed at my dark fears.”

2. pg. 7 “…all this so that when the curtain of blizzard struck the Catskills…”

3. pg. 20 “There, caterpillaring around boulders, roller-coastering up ravines and down hills, was the mound of rocks that had once been [a fence].”

4. pg. 25 “The birds were dripping from the trees, little birds, singing and flying and pouring over the limbs.”

5. pg. 34 “[The beetles] carried a silver bubble of air with them to the bottom.”

6. pg. 42 “It was still far away when it folded its wings and bombed the earth.

7. pg. 44 “[I] leaned against the cliff, facing the bulletlike dive of the falcon.”

8. pg. 46 “[…] I liked that bird from that smelly minute.”

Section 1 ◇ Author’s Preface - Chapter 7

[ Author’s

Preface ]

1. dissuade (v): to persuade (a person) not to take a particular course of action

Although prices have gone up, it didn’t dissuade people from buying the new Air Jordans.

2. wits (n): the capacity for inventive thought and quick understanding; practical intelligence You have to rely on your wits to be successful in business.

3. naturalist (n): a type of biologist who studies the impacts of living species on each other and the environments in which they live

Charles Darwin was a naturalist known for his contributions to evolutionary biology that all species of life have descended from a common ancestor.

4. forage (v): a search for food or supplies

The lost hiker foraged for firewood to stay warm for the night.

1. CAUSE & EFFECT What influenced Jean Craighead George's writing?

a. Her father was a naturalist and scientist.

b. Her mom was a librarian who read to her everyday.

c. She lived in the forest with her family.

d. She always loved children.

2. CAUSE & EFFECT Why was George’s book originally rejected by the publisher, Elliot Macrae? __________________________________________________________________________

3. NOTE DETAILS Why did Macrae change his mind?

a. George changed the plot of the book to make it positive for kids.

b. George made the character run away to the woods instead of to the city.

c. He understood the true message of the book.

d. He thought all kids should run away to the woods.

Chapter 1: I Hole Up in a Snowstorm ]

1. game (n): wild animals and birds that are hunted for food or sport

In the UK, it is illegal to shoot game on Sundays or at night.

2. boulder (n): a detached and rounded or worn rock, especially a large one

A large boulder fell from the cliffs above during the storm, blocking the road.

3. gorge (n): a narrow valley between hills or mountains, typically with steep rocky walls and a stream running through it.

The only way to cross the gorge was over a flimsy wooden bridge.

4. flint (n): a massive hard dark quartz that produces a spark when struck by steel

The camper struck a light with his flint to roast some hotdogs.

5. purse (v): to bring your lips tightly together so that they form a rounded shape

The child pursed her lips to blow bubbles with the wand.

4. SETTING Describe Sam’s home in detail. Remember to paraphrase.

5. LITERARY DEVICE Repetition involves intentionally using a word or phrase for effect, two or more times in a speech or written work. The purpose is to make an idea clearer or to emphasize it. Read the passage below and state the point of view that is being repeated.

“Everything was white, clean, shining, and beautiful. The sky was blue, blue, blue.”

6.

CAUSE

& EFFECT Why does Sam Gribley run away from home?

a. Great Grandpa Gribley asked him to visit him.

b. He got into a fight with his parents.

c. He didn’t like his living situation back in the city.

d. He wanted to be a naturalist.

7. CHARACTERS Who are Sam’s companions?

8. MAKE CONNECTIONS Why did Sam pick the Catskills as his new home?

[ Chapter 2: I Get Started on This Venture ]

1. tinder (n): dry wood or other easily combustible material used for lighting a fire

The match instantly ignited and consumed the tinder, and turning it to black ash.

2. brisk (adj): done quickly and in an energetic way

Taking a brisk walk can help with digestion after a meal.

3. emphatic (adj): strong and clear, without any possibility for doubt

His reply was emphatic and immediate: "Absolutely not."

4. congregate (v): to gather into a group or crowd

Guests congregated in the auditorium to watch the musical.

5. bear (adj): to tolerate something, usually something that you dislike He couldn't bear to see the dog in pain.

9. NOTE DETAILS The truck driver said everything to Sam as he dropped him off in the forest, EXCEPT:

a. Told him how he ran away as a child as well.

b. Asked him if he would be scared in the woods.

c. Taught him how to start a fire with a flint and steel. d. That he would be back in the morning if Sam wanted a ride home.

10. MAKE INFERENCES Based on Sam’s dad’s reaction to Sam’s declaration that he was going to run away to their ancestral land, Sam’s dad thought Sam would _________________. a. succeed b. die c. take his siblings with him d. fail

11. LITERARY DEVICE Read the excerpt from pg. 11 and state the point of view expressed through the use of repetition.

“[The truck driver] laughed. Everybody laughed at me.”

12. CONTEXT CLUES Read the excerpt (pp. 11-12) below and— without using a dictionary— use the hints and information from the passage to determine what whittle means. Underline the clues within the text that help you determine the meaning.

“I sat down, smelled the piney air, and took out my penknife. I cut off a green twig and began to whittle. I have always been good at whittling. I carved a ship once that my teacher exhibited for parents’ night at school.

First I whittled an angle on one end of the twig. Then I cut a smaller twig and sharpened it to a point. […]”

What does whittle mean? _________________________________________________________

13. LITERARY DEVICE Read the excerpt from pg. 16 and state the point of view expressed through the use of repetition.

“I got sparks, sparks, sparks. I even hit the tinder with the sparks.”

14. STORY PLOT Although Sam achieves some success on his first night alone in the forest, he has several difficulties. Cross out the wrong choice(s), so that each each statement is true.

a. He [ caught / doesn’t catch ] fish.

b. He [ started / couldn’t start ] a fire.

c. He [ made / couldn’t make ] a shelter.

d. He could’t sleep because of the [ wind / rain / birds / hard ground ].

15. INTERPRET TEXT / CHARACTER TRAITS Read on the excerpt from pg. 17:

I wanted a drink but didn’t dare go near the stream for fear of making a misstep and falling in and getting wet.

Based on this excerpt, can you conclude about Sam?

a. He was careful.

b. He was too tired to go.

c. He was not prepared.

d. He was cold.

16. MAKE JUDGMENTS What was the most important thing that happened in this chapter? Provide several details to support your answer.

[ Chapter 3: I Find Gribley’s Farm ]

1. deed (n): a legal document, especially one regarding the ownership of property or rights. According to the deed, she owns the land from here to the river.

2. combustible (adj): able to catch fire and burn easily

Gasoline vapor is highly combustible, smoking at gas stations is prohibited.

17. CAUSE & EFFECT What was the thing that changed Sam’s attitude for his adventure?

a. He made nice friends

b. He found a map leading to the farm

c. He learned how to make fire

d. He became a good cook

18. CHARACTER TRAITS All of the following are true about Miss Turner, EXCEPT:

a. _____ She found the farm on a map and drew a picture of the route.

b. _____ She told him to come back if he needed any books to about plants and animals.

c. _____ She had faith in his ambitions.

d. _____ She didn’t think he could live on the family farm because it was too wild and.

19. INTERPRET MEANING / Words with the same spelling and sound, but different meaning are called homonyms. For example:

Marley sprained the his left hand as soon as he left the hospital.

I’m sure I’m right that you must make a right turn here. During spring, the spring near our cottage is full of fish. The surfer waves as rides across the ocean waves. Match the definition for hungry for the sentences from pg. 23:

(1) strongly motivated (as by ambition); to desire (2) barren; not rich or fertile

(3) feeling or showing the need for food

a. _____ And then I said, “No. I am here, because I was never this hungry before.”

b. _____ However, I was too hungry to run back.

20. COMPARE & CONTRAST How does Sam feel on his second night in contrast to his first night? Gives reasons to support your answer.

21. CHARACTER MOTIVES Why did Sam write a note to Bill?

a. To indirectly express gratitude for what Bill had done and taught him.

b. To show off that he knows that grass is better than pine needles for starting a fire.

c. To tell him that he is eating well.

d. Because he felt lonely.

[

Chapter 4: I Find Many Useful Plants ]

1. acreage (n): an area of land, typically when used for agricultural purposes, but not necessarily measured in acres.

They bought an acreage on the outskirts of town.

2. implement (n): a tool, utensil, or other piece of equipment that is used for a particular purpose.

A knife and fork are implements for handling food.

3. fringe (n): the border or outer edges of an area or group

There is some factories on the fringes of the city.

22. NOTE DETAILS What was the importance of the hickory trees?

a. There would be hickory nuts to eat, and he could make salt from the limbs.

b. The limbs supply good-burning firewood.

c. The limbs were great for building weapons.

d. He could build a treehouse on the sturdy branches.

23. NOTE DETAILS Why did Sam mark X’s on his map?

a. To mark where he would build shelter.

b. To mark where his grandfather’s land ended.

c. To mark where he would get his provisions.

d. To mark where the poisonous plants were.

[

Chapter 5: The Old, Old Tree ]

1. remote (adj): separated by an interval or space greater than usual

In the remote jungles of Brazil, more than 60,000 plant species grow.

2. cavity (n): an unfilled space within a mass; a hollowed-out space

Miners were trapped in a tight cavity of the mountain after it collapsed.

3. fret (v): to be nervous or worried

She spent the day fretting about the speech she had to give to the school.

4. citified (adj): relating to, characteristic of, or accustomed to an urban style of living

As many countries have become ever more citified, the need cars have grown.

24. CAUSE & EFFECT What threat does summer bring?

a. Insects b. Visitors

c. Hurricane d. Drought

25. LITERARY DEVICE Read the excerpt from pg. 28 and state the point of view expressed through the use of repetition.

“Never, never have I seen such trees. They were giants— old, old giants.”

26. STORY PLOT How does Sam make his shelter in the forest?

a. He builds a treehouse high in the branches of a beech tree.

b. He lines up tree boughs against a huge boulder and makes a tent on the ground.

c. He creates a cavity by digging and burning out a hole in a large Hemlock tree trunk.

d. He digs a deep hole next to a boulder and creates a tunnel underneath it.

27. Sam needed a pot and a bucket which he couldn’t get. Why did he need it, and what did he use instead? _________________________________________________________________________________

DRAW CONCLUSIONS What does this tell you about Sam?

Chapter 6: I Meet One of My Kind and Have a Terrible Time Getting Away

1. stutter (v): to speak with involuntary disruption or blocking of speech (as by repetition or prolongation of vocal sounds)

He hated speaking in front of the class because his shyness made him stutter.

2. reap (v): to cut and collect a grain crop

The migrant workers spent the summer reaping a harvest of fruits and vegetables.

3. escort (v): accompany (someone or something) somewhere as an escort

The referee needed a police escort as he left the stadium.

28. CAUSE & EFFECT With the coming summer, what positive change happened for Sam?

a. He started making friends.

b. Food was easier to get.

c. It rained less.

d. It was warmer, so it was easier to hunt animals.

29. FORESHADOWING At what point in the chapter is there a hint or clue that something out of the ordinary was going to happen?

30. MAKE JUDGMENTS What greatly bothered Sam about his first human encounter?

a. He wanted to go swimming because he was hot, but she stopped him.

b. He was tired from working all afternoon, but she made him work.

c. She was taking his strawberry supply.

d. She was bossy, and he didn’t like that.

31. USING TEXT EVIDENCE Cite two excerpts from the chapter to support the claim that the lady Sam encountered was headstrong, determined, fierce, imposing, and bossy.

32.

AUTHOR’S

CRAFT Read on the excerpt from pg. 39`-40:

She told me all the local and world news, and it was rather pleasant […]. “For forty years I’ve come to that meadow for my strawberries […] there’s no jam that can beat the jam from that mountain. I know. I’ve been around here all my life.” Then she went right into the New York Yanks without putting in a period.

Based on this excerpt, what is the main thing that the author wants you to understand?

a. The lady has bad grammar.

b. The lady is extremely talkative.

c. She knows a lot about what’s going on in the world.

d. Sam has been lonely since he disconnected from the outside world.

33. MAKE JUDGMENTS Read the excerpt from pg. 40:

I was thinking about the duck hawk. This bird, I was sure, was the peregrine falcon, the king’s hunting bird.

“I will get one. I will train it to hunt for me,” I said to myself.

Based on this excerpt, knowing what you know about Sam, do you think he will succeed? Explain your answer.

1. relish (n): to take pleasure in; like; enjoy

The hungry children ate the pizza with great relish.

2. exertion (n): the use of a lot of mental or physical effort

She was hot and breathless from the exertion of cycling uphill.

3. sheer (n): (especially of a cliff, wall or drop) extremely steep or completely vertical. The climber plunged from a sheer rock face to his death.

34. CHARACTER TRAITS How did Miss Turner help Sam? List two ways.

35. CHARACTER MOTIVES Why didn’t Sam go back to his tree home that evening?

a. He was too far to make it back before dark.

b. He stopped to fish and collect food.

c. He was tired after all that he did in town. d. He wanted to locate a peregrine falcon.

36. CONTEXT CLUES Read the excerpt (pp. 43) below and— without using a dictionary— use the hints and information from the passage to determine what shinnied means. Underline the clues within the text that help you determine the meaning.

I stood at the bottom of the cliff and wondered how on earth I was going to climb the sheer wall.

[…] The first part was easy; it was not too steep. When I thought I was stuck, I found a little ledge and shinnied up to it.

I was high, and when I looked down, the stream spun. What does shinnied mean? ________________________________________________________

37.

CONTEXT CLUES + FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

Read the excerpt (pp. 44) below:

With sudden nerve, I stood up, stepped forward, and picked up the biggest of the nestlings. The females are bigger than the males. They are the “falcons.” The are the pride of kings.

a. Use context clues to explain what nestlings mean. ________________________________

b. Underline the metaphor contained in the excerpt.

38. SEQUENCE Put in order from 1 to 5 the events that happened from the moment Sam said, “Oh, hello, hello” to the chicks. how Sam escaped the mother falcon as he stole her chick?

a. ____ He took a female chick.

b. ____ She saw her other chicks and left him alone.

c. ____ He used his shoe to protect himself from her attack.

d. ____ She attacked his shoulder.

e. ____ He jumped to a ledge below then slid to the next one.

39. CAUSE & EFFECT What did Sam name his falcon? Why?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. MAKE JUDGMENTS Why do you think every one laughed at Sam when he told them he was going to run away into the wilderness? What would you say to a friend who told you the same thing? _________________________________________________________________________________

2. SHARE YOUR OPINION What skill you think is the most important survival skill to know for living in the wild?

3. CHARACTER MOTIVES Why did Sam make his house in a hemlock tree? What does this tell you about him?

Genre Types

Realistic Fiction: stories that are made up but could very well happen in real life. i.e. Bridge to Terabithia; My Side of the Mountain

Contemporary Fiction: stories take place in the present day and characters encounter modern day difficulties and issues. i.e. The Hate U Give; Wonder

Historical Fiction: stories that didn’t really happen, but are based on events in history. i.e. Little House on the Prairie; Number the Stars; The Hundred Dresses

Science Fiction: stories that are not very likely to happen in real life, but are generally set in the future and tie in with science and technology. i.e. The Harry Potter series; A Wrinkle in Time

Fantasy: A genre of stories that are made up and include ideas that could not happen in real life, often involving magical or supernatural elements, such as talking animals. i.e. Charlotte’s Web, The Cricket in Time Square

Mystery: suspense-filled stories, characters use various clues to solve crimes or uncover a culprit. i.e. Encyclopedia Brown series; Nancy Drew series

Biography: An account of someone’s life written by another person. i.e. Brown Girl Dreaming; Soul Surfer

Autobiography: An account of someone’s life written by that person. i.e. Smile; The Diary of a Young Girl

Poetry: A genre where verses, that may or may not rhyme, are written to evoke a feeling from a reader. i.e. Where the Sidewalk Ends, Brown Girl Dreaming

Drama: a story created specifically for a stage performance. i.e. Romeo and Juliet; Grease

Folktale: a traditional story or legend that's common to a specific culture and often passed along orally, and often contain a lesson to be learned, and can take many forms, like fables, tall tales, and myths. (Aesop’s fables, Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen)

4. GENRE Based on what you’ve read so far, what is the genre of the story?