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Procedure:
Students will gain a better understanding of the
plight of the characters as they try to survive in
the Yukon if they visit the web sites in this
lesson before reading The Call of the Wild.
In this unit, students will read biographical
information on the author Jack London, historical
background on the Yukon of 1897, and present day
weather and tourist information on the Yukon as it
is today.
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1. Ask your students if any of them have been in
a life or death situation in which they had to make
a choice. Did they experience an internal conflict
when contemplating their decision? Remind students
of the kinds of conflict: man against man, man
against nature, man against self, and man against
society. Explain the internal conflict is a
struggle between conflicting thoughts or emotions.
External conflict is a struggle with another
character, against nature, against society, or
against fate.
Tell your students that the setting of The
Call of the Wild is in the Yukon territory,
above the Arctic Circle, during the spring and
winter. Discuss wind chill and the amount of time
for exposed skin to freeze at various temperatures.
 | Windchill
- An explanation (scientific tables posted
online)
| Frostbite
- Medical definition and treatment
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As your students read The Call of the
Wild, ask them to pay attention to details in
the story that indicate that Jack London was
experienced with Arctic weather conditions.
If copies of The Call of the Wild are not
available, you can find the text online at the
OFCN
Electronic Bookshelf.
2. After your students have read the story,
discuss the details in the story that indicate that
Jack London was familiar with the setting. What
clues tell the reader that it was extremely cold?
What events help them draw the conclusion that the
main character is inexperienced in the cold north?
3. Ask students to describe the internal
conflict and the man-against-nature conflict. What
choices did the character make?
4. After students have discussed the internal
conflict and the man-against-nature conflict, have
them go to the following web sites to gain
information about Jack London. Tell your students
to use the Jack London
activity sheet to record the results of their
research.
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Additional Activities:
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1. Have your students research Jack London's
life by reading about the Wolf House and about
other aspects of his legacy. Have them find
information about his later years and his death. Click here to view the
online worksheet and Jack London internet sites to assist you in this activity.
2. Have your students research other great
explorers who explored the Arctic or Antarctic.
| Treasures
of the Arctic - information about Dutch
explorers through the Little Ice Age.
| Arctic
Dawn -- The Journeys of Samuel Hearne -
Originally published in 1795, this is a new
hypertext edition of the journals of Samuel
Hearne, the first European to explore the
western Canadian Arctic. Includes pictures and
sounds.
| Matthew
Henson, Explorer - biography of the Arctic
explorer.
| Antarctic
Philately: James Cook - an account of his
second voyage to determine whether the
unexplored part of the southern hemisphere was
an immense mass of water or contained another
continent.
| Tandem
One Step Beyond - join 34 UNESCO Young
Explorers on their exploration of Antarctica,
January 1997. Weather and satellite position
reports, photographs, and other data will be
posted twice daily during the trek.
| Antarctica
- Discovery Channel expedition
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3. Have your students communicate via email with
students in Alaska. Have students email the
administrators at one of the following Alaskan
school districts via their web sites. Students can
communicate daily or weekly with their epal,
electronic friend or pal. Instruct students to ask
their epal to describe the area they live in,
activities they participate, and other day-to-day activities. In turn, your students will also share
their own descriptions and information about their
hometown.
| Juneau
School District, Juneau, Alaska
| Anchorage
School District, Anchorage, Alaska.
| Fairbanks
North Star Borough School District,
Fairbanks, Alaska.
| Kenai
Peninsula Borough School District, Soldotna,
Alaska.
| Mat-Su
School District, Matanuska/Susitana, Alaska.
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4. The Call of the Wild
Scavenger Hunt!
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