Stone Fox
Teacher’s Book
Teacher’s Book
Stone Fox

Part I 
Teacher’s Guide and Teaching Plan
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Stone Fox
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,

Objectives
Students are able
1. to appreciate the way characters are portrayed in a story
2. to understand the importance of a story’s setting in making
the story authentic and in creating the mood and atmosphere
for the story.
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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 reasons
6. to write creatively in the form of diary, acrostic poem and
extended story
Language Function & Structure:
Language Focus

Activities and
Skills Focused




Use of adjectives and descriptive expressions to describe a
character
e.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.”
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
Catering for
Learner Diversity
Suggested Number
of Lessons



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.
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.
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
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up of 23 counties. There is evidence of more 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:

2.
Students can be given a blank table (Worksheet 1b) and asked to extract the relevant
information about characters from the text on their own.
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
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(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
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 character
e.g. “He was big and strong ….His eyes sparkled in the sunlight.”
“Stone Fox is probably as strong and stubborn as a stone.”
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Activities:
1. Decision Making
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
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him? Why?
The background of Stone Fox

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
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: adjectives describing a character
Activities
1. Comparison between Willy and Stone Fox (while-reading activity)

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.”
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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.”

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
Appearance
The grandchild of the
potato farm owner


Clifford Snyder

The medical doctor


Doc Smith

The school teacher


Dusty

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.
He sat with his feet on his desk and
mopped sweat from his neck with a silk
handkerchief.
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.
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

One who swept over at the
post office


Mr. Foster

The Mayor of the city who
worked in a large office
inside the City Hall


Mr. Leeks

A skinny but strong man who always
wore a white apron and talked with
saliva no his lips
A short man with a small head and a
thin droopy mustache. He had yellow,
tobacco-stained teeth.
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

An Indian, a mountain man


Willy

F
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A big man with a big cigar stuck right
in the centre of his big mouth.
A 10-year-old boy
Teacher’s Book
Stone Fox
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

Grandfather

Willy

Doc Smith

Mr. Leeks

Mrs. Williams

Clifford Snyder

Mr. Foster

Lester

Hank

Mayor Smiley

Dusty

Stone Fox
Jobs
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Appearance
Teacher’s Book
Stone Fox
Worksheet 2a Setting
What is the setting (time and place) of the story?
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 …
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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 / time
People you see
Things you see
Sound you hear
Adjectives to describe
life on the farm as
shown in the picture
Is 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 but
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 Causes of Grandfather’s Illness
He was
worried about
the future of
Willy.
He was
worried about
the land and
the harvest.
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 had some
conflicts with
other people.
He was
troubled by
money
problem.
He was worried that
someone would take
Willy away from
him.
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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):
e.g. He was too
old to move
and talk..
Symptom
of Grandfather’s illness:
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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.
Problem
To repay the $500 tax money
Possible Solutions
Doc Smith, Mr. Foster,
Miss Williams, Lester,
Hank
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)
Advantages
 This is a quick way to
get money.
 All the family members
would be looked after by
someone.
Disadvantages
 The family would be
separated.
Willy
You
To take part in the National Dogsled
Race in Jackson and to win the race
e.g. to borrow money from
friends
Evaluation
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.
Decision – the best solution
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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.
Teacher’s Book
Stone Fox
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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Teacher’s Book
Stone Fox
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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Teacher’s Book
Stone Fox
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.
cold
wild
dangerous
confident
secretive
hard
Stone
cunnin
cunning
g
Fox
Fast
moving
Persistent,
unchanging
stubbor
n
clever
strong
calculating
Firm
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Teacher’s Book
Stone Fox
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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Teacher’s Book
Stone Fox
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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Teacher’s Book
Stone Fox
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
The old deserted barn near the schoolhouse
- heard dogs barking,
- saw 5 Samoyeds, Stone Fox
Searchlight
What did I
hear and see?
When &
Where
Who was
with me?
Meeting with
Stone Fox
What
happened?






How do I feel
now?





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.

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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
Teacher’s Book
Stone Fox
Now write the diary.
Friday
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
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Teacher’s Book
Stone Fox
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.
Characters
Willy
Stone Fox
Searchlight
Target / Goal
To repay $500 tax money.
To buy the land taken away
from the white men for the
e.g. To please the master and
to carry out instructions
Indians.
faithfully
Means to achieve the target / goal
To join the National Dogsled
To join the National Dogsled
To run as fast as she could
race and to win the race.
race every year and he had
never lost a race.
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
This depends on how one
looks at it. He could win, but
race, but Stone Fox
honoured Searchlight by
letting Willy walk to the
finished line holding
Searchlight.
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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Teacher’s Book
Stone Fox
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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Teacher’s Book
Stone Fox
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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