module: technology · web viewa fishbone diagram (see worksheet 3a) could be used to record...

Stone Fox

Teacher’s Book

Stone Fox Teacher’s Book

Part I

Teacher’s Guide and Teaching Plan

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Description Students read the story chapter by chapter.

The Story

The story came from a Rocky Mountain legend. Ten-year old Little Willy lived on a potato farm in Wyoming with his grandfather and his dog Searchlight. He was faced with a big problem when his grandfather fell ill, that was to get five hundred dollars in a hurry to save their farm from the tax collector. Willy decided to enter the National Dogsled Race for the prize money. But he had to compete against Stone Fox, an Indian who had five beautiful Samoyeds and had never lost a race. Stone Fox also needed the prize money badly. The story had an exciting, tragic but moving ending.

Learning Targets

(KDa) to find out information about characters and the setting of the story.

(KDb) to interpret and use more extensive information through processes or activities such as describing, comparing, explaining, predicting, inferring, and summarizing.

(KDd) to solve problems and explain the solutions. ((EDb) to respond to characters, events and issues in the story

through oral, written and performative means such as making predictions and inferences, making evaluative comments, explaining one’s feelings towards characters, and participating in dramatic presentations.

(EDc) to give expression to one’s feeling towards characters through creative writing, e.g. poem, diary, extended story.

(IDb) to converse and exchange points of view about feelings and ideas.

Generic Skills and Attitudes

Communication skills Collaboration skills Creativity Critical thinking skills Problem-solving skills

Learners develop cultural interest and appreciation through being exposed to story in a foreign setting and culture.

Learners develop an awareness of the potential influences of language use on other people’s feelings and direction of thinking,

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Objectives

Students are able 1. to appreciate the way characters are portrayed in a story2. to understand the importance of a story’s setting in making

the story authentic and in creating the mood and atmosphere for the story.

3. to understand and suggest solutions to a problem and to evaluate different solutions to a problem.

4. To predict the development of the story and to make guesses for unknown causes.

5. to substantiate one’s views with supporting reasons6. to write creatively in the form of diary, acrostic poem and

extended story

Language Focus

Language Function & Structure:

Use of adjectives and descriptive expressions to describe a charactere.g. “…her skin was tan and her face was covered with wrinkles.” “He was big and strong ….His eyes sparkled in the sunlight.” “Stone Fox is probably as strong and stubborn as a stone.”

Use of noun phrases or gerunds after “I can see …” and “I can hear ….” to describe a scene.e.g” I can see a boy and an old man playing in the garden”;

“I can hear the squeak of the fresh powder when Willy walked on the snow.”

Use adjectives and formulaic expressions to express states

of mind /affairs which cause illness..e.g. “He was worried about the future.” “He was troubled by some money problems.”

“He was too old to move.”

Activities and Skills Focused

Listening : listening to group members’ views and teachers’ reading aloud, to comprehend and to interpret

Speaking: discussion, reporting, reading aloud Writing: jotting down ideas in charts, tables, word spiders, setting

map etc, writing diary, poetry writing and extended story writing Reading: reading for gist and for underlying meaning

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Materials Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner . Worksheets 1 to 9 Background information about the author, the book, the setting

of the story and teaching ideas can be downloaded from the web.

Catering for Learner Diversity

Quite a number of the activities suggested have two versions, one less demanding and the other more demanding. Teachers should also feel free to adapt the materials judiciously for the needs of the students.

Suggested Number of Lessons

12-14

* Background Information

John Reynolds Gardiner, author of the book, was born on December 6, 1944 in Los Angeles, California. Gardiner described himself “a rebel” when he was young. He had difficulty with his spelling and grammar and got low grades for his reading and writing. He didn't even read his first novel until he was 19. When Gardiner was 28 years old, his brother persuaded him to take a television writing class because of his humour and imagination. There his interest in writing began because the instructor was not bothered about spelling and grammar. Six years after, he wrote Stone Fox, one of his best selling books. It has sold 3,000,000 copies, won many prizes and has also been translated into six foreign languages.

Gardiner has a Masters Degree in Engineering from the University of California in Los Angeles. He writes during his lunch breaks. He has written a number of books including Stone Fox, Top Secret, and General Butterfingers.

Wyoming (adapted from the Wyoming State website http://wyoming.gov/)

Wyoming is located in the Rocky Mountain section of the western United States. It is the ninth largest state in the United States containing 97,914 square miles and is made up of 23 counties. There is evidence of more

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http://wyoming.gov/


than 12,000 years of prehistoric occupation in Wyoming by different groups with a mixed hunting and gathering economy. These were followed by the predecessors of the historic Indians.

The name Wyoming was adopted from two Delaware Indian words, MECHEWEAMI-ING. To the Indians it meant "at the big plains," or "on the great plain," certainly appropriate for Wyoming. The Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming. The state is a great plateau broken by a number of important mountain ranges. Because of its elevation, Wyoming has a relatively cool climate. Annual precipitation varies from as little as five inches to as much as 45 inches a year, some in the form of rain and some in snow.

Samoyed: A dog with a thick creamy white coat, distinctive ruff, and tightly-curled tail, belonging to a Siberian breed.

Dog-sled: Long ago, Eskimos figured out a way to make wooden sleds that can slide over ice and snow. They harnessed long leather straps made from the skins of seals on their dogs to pull the sleds. Sleds pulled by dogs were a good way to carry heavy loads far distances in their cold land. Some dogs are bred for dog-sled racing, a sport which stands as a symbol of what man and animal can accomplish together in the face of nature's awesome power. These dogs live and breathe to run, and they are most happy when they are pulling along as a team.

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Lesson Procedure

General Approach:

This is a moving story about love between a boy and his grandfather, love between the boy and his dog and love and respect between people. The themes are worth exploring and the story also raises awareness of the life of people of different cultures.

The story is set in a potato farm in Wyoming, a state in the Rocky Mountain section of western United States. The place and the life of the people there may be quite remote to the Hong Kong students. The story is slow moving in the beginning. The climax of the story does not come until the last two chapters. In order to help students appreciate the story and to sustain their interest in reading on, the pre-reading activities and the teachers’ input of some background information at different stages is important.

Activities suggested for the different chapters of the book are grouped in three sections and are meant for encouraging continuous reading for the general meaning instead of focusing on intensive comprehension.

- The first section (Chapters 1-3) focuses on understanding the setting and the life of the main character (Willy the 10-year-old boy) and some other characters of the story.

- The second section (Chapters 4-7) focuses on the problem facing Willy and the conflict between him and the other main character (Stone Fox, the Indian).

- The third section (Chapters 8-10) is the climax of the story where the conflict reaches the highest point and the story has a swift ending leaving some unanswered questions for readers to think about for themselves.

Teachers can decide their own focus of the reading and select from the range of activities suggested for their class. They can provide some interesting input to motivate students to read the different sections at home. During class, theyb can highlight or read aloud interesting/important sections and ask students to do the activities in groups. Many of the suggested activities require creative or critical thinking. Interaction among students would make the activities more interesting than individual work.

Pre-reading Arouse students’ interest in reading the book by discussing the book cover. Ask students questions such as:

1. What can you see on the book cover?

2. What do you think the story is about?

3. What do you think “Stone Fox” is – an animal, a person, a toy, a statue, a place, …?

4. Teacher introduces the author of the story.

5. Teacher reads aloud the first page of the story (first three paragraphs of the story) and briefs students about Wyoming.

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I. Getting to know the background -- Chapters One to Three (4 periods)

The three chapters provide the background information of the story. Ask students to read the three chapters and find out who the different characters are, what they do, where the story takes place and what problem the main character faces.

Product: A character chart (to be further developed as students read along)

A setting map

A fishbone diagram

Language:

i. Vocabulary: adjectives and expressions describing appearance and setting

ii. Language structure:

Use of noun phrases or gerunds after “I can see …” and “I can hear ….” to describe a scene.e.g” I can see a boy and an old man playing in the garden”; “I can hear the

squeak of the fresh powder when Willy walked on the snow.”

Use adjectives and formulaic expressions to express states of mind /affairs which cause illness..e.g. “He was worried about the future.”

“He was troubled by some money problems.” “He was too old to move.”

1. Characters:

Students complete Worksheet 1a by matching the characters with their appearance and jobs.

There may be a few characters who will appear in later chapters. Ask students to work on these characters when they meet them later on.

More demanding task:

Students can be given a blank table (Worksheet 1b) and asked to extract the relevant information about characters from the text on their own.

2. Setting:

Where did the story take place and what season of the year was mentioned? Students put observation in the setting map as shown in Worksheet 2a.

More demanding task:

Students work in pairs. Each partner reads a different text focusing on different scenes (see Worksheet 2b) extracted from the story.

Each partner then completes one section of the scene comparison table and reports to their partner about their scene. Their partner will complete the missing information of

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the table as they listen to their partner’s report.

Encourage students to extend their imagination and to respond to this question by talking about what they see and feel beyond the description of the words.

Help students to understand from this activity the importance of a story’s setting in creating the mood and atmosphere for the story. The fine details of the setting make the story real and help readers visualize the scene.

3. Prediction:

After reading Chapter One, students could be asked to predict what the possible causes of grandfather’s illness are.

A fishbone diagram (see Worksheet 3a) could be used to record students’ predictions. Each prediction is written along side a fishbone.

The teacher can do this as a teacher-led activity with the whole class or ask students to do the prediction in groups and report back to the class.

More demanding task: Students can be asked to write down in the fish head the symptoms of

Grandfather’s illness as well (Worksheet 3b).

II. Getting to know about Willy’s problem and meeting Stone Fox -- Chapters Four to Seven (4-5 periods)

Chapters 4 & 5 unfold the reason of Grandfather’s illness and Willy’s solution to the problem. Chapters 6 and 7 introduce Stone Fox, the other main character of the story, and the heightened conflict resulting from the emergence of this new character.

Products: Decision diagram

labeled picture / word spider

summary

discussion about one’s impression of Stone Fox

diary

Language:

Stating the advantages and disadvantages of a choice of decision systematically through sequence words, e.g. first, second, third.

Use of adjectives and descriptive expressions to describe a charactere.g. “He was big and strong ….His eyes sparkled in the sunlight.”

“Stone Fox is probably as strong and stubborn as a stone.”

Activities:

1. Decision Making

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The adult characters in the story had a different view from Willy about how to pay the taxes.

Students list the different characters’ views in the decision diagram provided (Worksheet 4).

Ask if they can think of other alternatives and put their own views in the space under “You” in the diagram.

Students state the pros and cons of each view by completing the next layer of the decision diagram.

Ask students to decide which solution they think is the best for Willy. Encourage students to explain their views to their classmates with the help of the explanation frame provided in the worksheet.

Less demanding task:

Teacher can include some clues in the decision diagram for the students instead of leaving it all blank.

2. Getting to know about Stone Fox

Physical appearance

Ask students what impressions they have about the personality of Stone Fox and whether they liked him.

Depending on students’ interest and ability, the teacher can set them a more demanding or a less demanding task.

Less demanding task (Worksheet 5a):

Students read the description of Stone Fox’s appearance. They then

(i) Draw a picture of Stone Fox. Label the picture using expressions and adjectives used by the author.

(ii) Think about what kind of person Stone Fox is. Give reasons to support their views.

More demanding task (Worksheet 5b):

Before focusing on the description of Stone Fox, students brainstorm ideas, words and adjectives associated with “stone” and those associated with “fox”.

They then discuss what impression they have about the personality of someone whose nickname is “Stone Fox”.

Read the description of Stone Fox’s appearance and discuss what kind of person they think he is, whether the nick name “Stone Fox” fits him well and whether they like him? Why?

The background of Stone Fox

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Students study the background of Stone Fox (p.51-56) and complete a summary of the story of Stone Fox. (Worksheet 6)

3. Willy’s Diary

Willy could not sleep the night before the race after meeting Stone Fox. Students imagine themselves as Willy and write a diary recounting the meeting with Stone Fox earlier that evening. (Worksheet 7)

4. Prediction

Ask students to guess in groups

a) What will happen in the race?

b) Will Stone Fox do anything harmful to Willy?

c) What difficulty will Willy meet?

d) Who will win the race finally?

III. Getting to know what happened during and at the end of the race -- Chapters Eight to Ten (4 periods)

These three chapters bring the story to a climax. The events on the day of the race unfolded with a festive mood in the little Town. The atmosphere turned tense as the race between Willy, Stone Fox and the other contestants started. Willy was leading in the beginning and Stone Fox gradually caught up pushing the race between the two to a high point.

It is not advisable to do too many activities for these 3 chapters at the while-reading stage. Rather, effective interactive reading by the teacher or students (e.g. reading aloud by the teacher and pausing to ask students a few questions to highlight important points) will help sustain the excitement of the story.

Product: character comparison table

: photos

: poem

:extended story

Language: giving reasons

: adjectives describing a character

Activities

1. Comparison between Willy and Stone Fox (while-reading activity)

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Highlight the following paragraphs in p.65 & 67 of Chapter 8 and ask students to compare the physical appearance and the spirit between Willy and Stone Fox.

Although little Willy’s eye was black, puffy, and swollen shut, he still felt like a winner. He was smiling. Searchlight knew the route as well as he did, so it really didn’t matter if he could see at all. They were going to win today, and that was final. Both of them knew it.

Stone Fox looked bigger than ever standing next to little Willy. In fact, the top of little Willy’s head was dead even with Stone Fox’s waist.

”Morning, Mr. Stone Fox,” little Willy said, looking practically straight up. “Sure’s a nice day for a race.”

Stone Fox must have heard little Willy, but he did not look at him. His face was frozen like ice, and his eyes seemed to lack that sparkle little Willy remembered seeing before.

Suggested answer: Willy could not see well because one of his eyes was swollen, but he was smiling and felt like a winner. Stone Fox looked big next to Willy, but he looked very cold and his eyes lacked the sparkle they had before. He was not as spirited as Willy.

2. Hero of the Story (Post-reading activity 1) (Worksheet 8)

Ask students to discuss in groups the following questions. The table in Worksheet 8 can help them in organize their ideas in the process of discussion.

i) Who do you think the hero of the story is? Why?

ii) Who is the hero of the story from the author’s point of view? How do you know?

3. Snap shot of the onlookers (Post-reading activity 2)

Students work in groups. Each member poses like one of the onlookers before and after the race (See the two paragraphs below).

Before the Race (p.67, ch. 8)

“Miss Williams clenched her hands together until her knuckles turned white. Leter’s mouth hung open, his lips wet. Mr. Foster began chewing his cigar. Hank stared without blinking. Doc Smith held her head up proudly. Dusty took a powerful swig from a whiskey bottle. Clifford Snyder removed a gold watch from his vest pocket and checked the time.”

After the Race (p.78, ch.10)

“Lester’s eyes looked to the ground. Miss Williams had her hands over her mouth. Mr. Foster’s cigar lay on the snow. Doc Smith started to run out to little Willy, but stopped. Mayer Smiley looked shocked and helpless. And so did Hank and Dusty, and so did the city slickers, and so did Clifford Snyder, the tax man.”

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Photos of the 2 snap shots are taken for each group and students guess who’s who (i.e. which role is assumed by each student) in the snap shots and vote for the best snap shots.

4. Acrostic poem of Searchlight (or any other character in the story) (Post-reading activity 3)

Ask students to think about what they have learnt about Searchlight in this story. Other related questions could also be asked to stimulate students’ thoughts of writing an acrostic poem about Searchlight. (Worksheet 9)

The whole class can compose the poem together if they haven’t done something similar before. Teacher puts brainstormed ideas on the blackboard and organizes them into a poem. The poem could take forms other than acrostic poem.

5. Extend the Story (Post-reading activity 4)

What are the many unanswered questions at the end of the story that students would like to find answers to. List these questions. Then write an ending to the story with some of the questions answered. (Worksheet 9)

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Part II

Student’s Book with Answer Key

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Worksheet 1a Characters Read chapters 1-3 and match the characters in the character chart below with their appearance and jobs by linking the relevant bullet points. The first one is done for you. There are a few characters who you will meet in later chapters. Work on them later on.

Job Character AppearanceThe grandchild of the potato farm owner

Clifford Snyder He was big and strong, dressed in furs and leather with moccasins that came all the way up to his knees. His skin was dark, his hair was dark, and he wore a dark-coloured headband. His eyes sparkled in the sunlight, but the rest of his face was as hard as stone. His face was solid granite, but his eyes were alive and cunning.

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The medical doctor Doc Smith He sat with his feet on his desk and mopped sweat from his neck with a silk handkerchief.

The school teacher Dusty He always carried a whisky bottle.

The Potato buyer Grandfather Appearance not described.

The tax man from the State of Wyoming

Hank Appearance not described.

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The president of the bank Lester An old man with a beard.

The owner of the general store

Mayor Smiley A tall man with a thin face.

The owner of a potato farm Miss Williams A skinny but strong man who always wore a white apron and talked with saliva no his lips

One who swept over at the post office

Mr. Foster A short man with a small head and a thin droopy mustache. He had yellow, tobacco-stained teeth.

The Mayor of the city who worked in a large office inside the City Hall

Mr. Leeks A lady with snow white hair. She wore long black dress, her skin was tan and her face was covered with wrinkles.

The town drunk Stone Fox A big man with a big cigar stuck right in the centre of his big mouth.

An Indian, a mountain man Willy A 10-year-old boy

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Worksheet 1b Characters

Read Chapters 1-3 and jot down in the character chart below information about the characters, their jobs and appearance (if described in the text).Please note that there are a few characters who you will meet in later chapters. Work on them later on.

Characters Jobs Appearance Grandfather

Willy

Doc Smith

Mr. Leeks

Mrs. Williams

Clifford Snyder

Mr. Foster

Lester

Hank

Mayor Smiley

Dusty

Stone Fox

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Worksheet 2a Setting

What is the setting (time and place) of the story?

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Season(s): autumn, winter

Place(s):Wyoming Potato farm: field, farmhouse town (Jackson): school, Lester’s General Store, bank, Main Street, old church, North Road …


Worksheet 2b Setting

Work in pairs (Student A & Student B).

1. Individual work: Each partner reads a different scene taken from the story. Jot down information about the scene in the table below. Put in your imagination for items that are not described in the book.

Scene (a) for Student A“Little Willy lived with his grandfather on a small potato farm in Wyoming. It was hard work living on a potato farm, but it was also a lot of fun. Especially when Grandfather felt like playing. Like the time Grandfather dressed up as the scarecrow out in the garden. It took little Willy an hour to catch on. Boy, did they laugh. Grandfather laughed so hard he cried.” (Chapter 1, p.3)

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Scene (b) for Student B“It’s easy to tell when it’s winter in Wyoming. There is snow on everything: the tress, the houses, the roads, the fields, …. It’s not a dirty snow. It’s a clean, soft snow that rests like a blanket over the entire state. The air is clear and crisp, and the rivers are all frozen. It’s fun to be outdoors and see the snowflakes float down past the brim of your hat, and hear the squeak of the fresh powder under your boots. Winter in Wyoming can be the most beautiful time of the year…. If you’re ready for it. …… Each morning, he (Willy) would get up and make a fire. Then he would make oatmeal mush for breakfast. He ate it. Searchlight ate it. Grandfather ate it. He would feed Grandfather a spoonful at a time. …..” (Chapter 3, p.22, p.24)

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Scene (a) Scene (b) Dominating colour(s)Possible season / timePeople you seeThings you seeSound you hearAdjectives to describe life on the farm as shown in the pictureIs this the scene before or after grandfather was ill?

2. Pair work: Now take turns in reporting to your partner about your scene of the farm using the reporting frame below. Jot down information about your partner’s scene as you listen to him/her and compare the scene of the farm in the two different seasons.

The dominating colours of my picture of the farm are yellow and brown . It is autumn/harvest time. I can see a boy and an old man in the garden. I can also see the old man dressed up as scarecrow / bags of potatoes. I can hear a dog barking / the boy and his grandfather laughing. The picture shows that life is happy on the farm before grandfather was ill. OR

The dominating colours of my picture of the farm are white and gray. It is winter time. I can see a clean, soft snow that rests like a blanket over tress, houses and the field . I can also see little Willy getting up in the morning to make oatmeal mush for breakfast. I can hear the squeak of the fresh powder when Willy walked on the snow / the sound made by Willy when he cooked / some gentle footsteps. The picture shows that life is hard b ut peaceful on the farm after grandfather was ill.

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Worksheet 3a Fishbone diagram

What are the possible causes to Grandfather’s illness? Put your prediction of the possible causes next to each fishbone. An example is done for you.

Possible C auses of Grandfather ’ s I llness

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e.g. He was too old to move and talk.

Symptom of Grandfather’s illness: He wouldn’t get out of bed, he wouldn’t talk, but just lay there, stared at the ceiling and looked sad.

He was worried about the land and the harvest.

He was worried about the future of Willy.

He was worried that someone would take Willy away from him.

He was troubled by money problem.

He had some conflicts with other people.


Worksheet 3b Fishbone diagram

What was wrong with Grandfather? Put the symptoms of Grandfather’s illness in the box of the fish head. Guess the possible causes of Grandfather’s illness and put each of your predictions next to each fishbone (an example is done for you):

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Symptom of Grandfather’s illness:

e.g. He was too old to move and talk..


Worksheet 4 Decision making diagram

a) Complete the decision making diagram by

- putting in the problem of Willy;- writing down the different solutions suggested by different people in the story;- suggesting your solution;- working out the advantages and disadvantages of each solution;- making a decision of the best solution to the problem.

Possible SolutionsDoc Smith, Mr. Foster, Miss Williams, Lester, Hank

Willy You

To sell the farm(send grandfather to Mrs. Peacock -- the nursing home, sell Searchlight to a farmer, and let Willy be taken care of by someone)

To take part in the National Dogsled Race in Jackson and to win the race

e.g. to borrow money from friends

EvaluationAdvantages This is a quick way to

get money. All the family members

would be looked after by someone.

Disadvantages The family would be

separated.

Advantages This is a quick way to get money. The first prize is $500, the exact

amount needed for the taxes. The family could be together.

Disadvantages Willy had to compete with the

finest dog teams in the country, including Stone Fox who had never lost a race – risky, Willy had very little chance to win.

Willy had to pay $50 -- a large sum of money for the entrance fee. If he lost in the match, he would lose also the only money in the bank.

Advantages The family members

could be together.

Disadvantages They might not know many

friends who could lend them money.

It might take more time to get enough money from different friends.

It would take a long time for them to repay all the money.

Decision – the best solution

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ProblemTo repay the $500 tax money


b) Now explain your choice of the best solution to others. The following frame can be used to help you explain your choice.

I think the best solution is to sell the farm and the dog, and to send grandfather to the nursing home. There is one disadvantage to this solution, that is the family will be separated. But, there are two advantages to this solution. First, this is a quick way to get money. Second, all the members of the family would be looked after by someone .

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Worksheet 5 (a) Getting to know about Stone Fox

Read this paragraph taken from Chapter 6

“The man was an Indian – dressed in furs and leather, with moccasins that came all the way up to his knees. His skin was dark, his hair was dark, and he wore a dark-colored headband. His eyes sparkled in the sunlight, but the rest of his face was as hard as stone.”

1. Draw a picture of Stone Fox. Label the picture using expressions and adjectives used by the author.

(ii) What kind of person do you think he is? Give reasons to support your view.

Possible Answer: He is probably a confident and stern person because his face is as hard as stone. He may be very clever and smart because his eyes are bright and sparkled in the sun.

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Worksheet 5(b) Getting to know about Stone Fox

1 What does a stone look like and feel like? Do you know any expression related to “stone”? Brainstorm ideas, words, expressions relating to “Stone” using the word spider below. An example is done for you.

2 What kind of animal is a fox? What adjectives would you like to use to describe a fox. Brainstorm ideas, words, expressions relating to “fox” using the word spider below. An example is done for you.

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cunninghard Stone Fox

cold wild

stubborn

strongclever

dangerous

secretiveconfident

Persistent, unchanging

Fast moving

Firmcalculating

cunning


1. What could be the personality of a person if his nickname is “Stone Fox”?

(hint: a possible way to organize your answer is: The person is probably as strong/stubborn as a stone, but as cunning/secretive as a fox.)

2. Read the following description of Stone Fox’s appearance taken from Chapter 6 of the book. -- “The man was an Indian – dressed in furs and leather, with moccasins that came all the way up to his knees. His skin was dark, his hair was dark, and he wore a dark-colored headband. His eyes sparkled in the sunlight, but the rest of his face was as hard as stone.”

What kind of person do you think he is?

3. Does the nick name “Stone Fox” fit him well?

4. Do you like him? Why?

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Worksheet 6 The Background Story of Stone Fox

Read p.51-53 of Chapter 8. Complete the following summary about the background of Stone Fox.

Stone Fox was an Indian . He refused to speak with the white man because of his tribe, the Shoshone, who were peaceful seed gatherers, had been forced to leave Utah and settle on a reservation in Wyoming with another tribe called the Arapaho. His dream was to use the money he won from racing to buy the land back for his people, so that they could return to their homeland .

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Worksheet 7 Willy’s Diary

Willy met Stone Fox the evening before the race. That night, he could not sleep.

Imagine you were Willy. Write a diary recounting what you remembered most about the meeting with Stone Fox earlier that evening and how you are feeling as you could not sleep.

Brainstorm ideas on a story map first before writing the diary.

Friday evening - heard dogs barking, The old deserted barn near the schoolhouse - saw 5 Samoyeds, Stone Fox Searchlight

I wanted to pat the beautiful Samoyeds.

Stone Fox hit me in the face. I told him I didn’t mean any harm. I told him I will beat him and I was

sorry we could not both win. He was motionless and did not say a

word. He pushed open the door and left.

Unprepared/ Shocked/ Hurt to be hit. Determined that I will beat him. Sorry that we can’t both win. Unsure of how Stone Fox feels. Uncertain/ Nervous about the race of

Stone Fox also wants to win Confused with different thoughts

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Meeting with Stone Fox

When & Where

What did I hear and see?

What happened?

Who was with me?

How do I feel now?


Now write the diary.

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Friday

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Worksheet 8 Hero of the story

Compare and contrast the 3 main characters in the story with the help of the comparison table below. Decide who the hero of the story is.

CharactersWilly Stone Fox Searchlight

Target / GoalTo repay $500 tax money. To buy the land taken away

from the white men for the Indians.

e.g. To please the master and to carry out instructions faithfully

Means to achieve the target / goalTo join the National Dogsled race and to win the race.

To join the National Dogsled race every year and he had never lost a race.

To run as fast as she could with all her energy and to win the race.

Was the goal achieved? Why?This depends on how one looks at it. He didn’t win the race, but Stone Fox honoured Searchlight by letting Willy walk to the finished line holding Searchlight.

This depends on how one looks at it. He could win, but he chose not to. He even broke his own rule of not speaking to the whitemen by saying “Anyone crosses this line – I shoot” to allow Willy to walk to the finished line holding Searchlight.

Yes, she sacrificed her life for the goal.

Who do you think the hero is? Why

Who does the author think the hero is? How do you know?The author probably thinks Stone Fox is the hero because the book uses his name for the title.

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Worksheet 9 Acrostic poem of Searchlight

Think about these questions:What have you learned about Searchlight in this story? What can you remember about her (e.g. what does she like? What is her relationship with Willy? What adjectives can you use to describe her? Do you like to have a dog like Searchlight?

Write an acrostic poem with the name Searchlight.

Snow lover/ Enjoys farm life Able Reliable Caring Helpful Loving Intelligent Gentle Hardworking Travels at great speed

OR

Searchlight, my wonderful pet and friend -- Ever faithful, ever true; Always affectionate, always cool. Runs the farm with me when I’m blue, Carries me to and back from school, Have you ever seen a dog like this? Loyal, devoted and selfless. I will never forget the way you Gallop like a horse, Helping me achieve my wish Till the very last minute of your breath ……

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Worksheet 9 Extend the Story

What are the many unanswered questions at the end of the story that you would like to find answers to. List these questions.

e.g. Q1. Where did Willy bury Searchlight?

Q2. Who was the winner of the race?

Q3. Who receive the prize of 500 dollars?

Q4. What happened to Willy’s grandfather? Did he get well?

Q5. Did Willy and Grandfather leave their farm? If so, where did they go? If not, did they keep a dog?

Q6. What happened to Stone Fox? Did he get enough money to buy the lands back for his own people?

Q7.

Q8.

Now write Chapter 11 of the story with some of the questions answered.

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module: technology · web viewa fishbone diagram (see worksheet 3a) could be used to record...

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