Where the Red Fern Grows
Chapter 1 (pg. 1-6)
The author uses the literary technique of flashback in this chapter. When
earlier events might help the reader understand the story, the author uses
this technique to present background information.
The students will determine who is telling the story and make a timeline to
show the present and the past time.
Please create the cause-effect chart in your reading spiral with today’s
date and chapter 1 listed.
Cause-Effect Analysis Chart
How did the dogs affect Billy and his family?
Cause
Billy saved
money to buy
the dogs
Vocabulary (in your spiral)
Vocabulary (word maps for this set of words, in your spiral)
synonym
antonym
WORD
definition in
your own words
1.
2.
3.
4.
squalling (pg. 2)
cur (pg. 2)
dormant (pg. 3)
caress (pg. 5)
use the word in a sentence
Chapter 2 (pg. 7-15)
Vocabulary (word maps for this set of words, in your spiral)
synonym
antonym
Word
definition in
your own words
1.
2.
3.
4.
use the word in a sentence
allotted (pg 8)
aromatic (pg 8)
canebrakes (pg 9)
peach tree switchings (pg 13)
Questions
In your reading spiral, answer the following questions in
complete sentences. A complete answer will include restating
the question in the answer.
1. Many stories have the same parts-a setting, a problem, a goal, and a
series of events that lead up to the ending or conclusion. These story
elements can be placed on a story map. Just as a road map leads a driver
from one place to another, so too a story map leads a reader from one
point to another. What information do we have to begin a story map?
-What is the setting?
-Who is the main character?
-What is the problem?
2. What unusual fact do we learn about Billy’s mother? Why was she
allotted land?
3. There are many sound words in this book that add a special touch to the
story. Make a list for each chapter. Beside each sound word write how
this word makes you feel?
4. Did you laugh when you read chapter 2? What incidents made you
laugh? Why? An author uses certain elements to create humor or to
make us laugh. These elements are:
--word play and nonsense-coined-words, absurd names, puns;
-surprise and the unexpected;
-exaggeration;
-ridicule.
5. Have you ever gotten ready to run away from home? What did Billy take
for supplies? How did the supplies compare with yours? What stopped
Billy?
-word play and nonsense-coined-words, absurd names, puns;
-surprise and the unexpected;
-exaggeration;
-ridicule.
Chapter 3 pgs. 17-24
Vocabulary
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
festered (pg. 17)
fantastic (pg. 18)
mulled (pg. 18)
fabulous (pg. 19)
heft (pg. 20)
urgency (pg. 21)
7. destination (pg. 21)
Questions
1. What do you think the saying, “God helps those who help
themselves” means? Write a one-sentence explanation of this saying
and share it with a classmate.
2. Billy confided in Grandpa. Both of them are important in this novel.
Begin attribute webs for both characters. How are they alike? How
are they different? As we read we will add to the attribute webs.
Chapter 4 (pg. 25-33)
Vocabulary
(make a t-chart, on one side have guess and the other why, you chose that definition)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
briers (pg. 28)
provisions (pg. 28)
amends (pg. 30)
depot (pg. 30)
sorghum (pg. 31)
hillbilly (pg. 32)
Discussion/ Response Questions
In your reading spiral, answer the following questions in
complete sentences. A complete answer will include restating
the question in the answer.
1. Do you think the price of the dogs changed? Why or why not?
2. Billy asked how far it was to Kentucky. How far would it be from
northeastern Oklahoma to Kentucky? Use a map and figure the
approximate number of miles. Draw a map for Billy’s trip to
Tahlequah. (Use page 27 of your book for directions)
3. List the new things Billy saw in town (clue: there are 8 things)
4. Billy has to make many decisions, begin filling in your decision
making chart for Billy.
Chap. 5 (pg. 35-46)
Vocabulary
Aside from your definition state whether the words were used to
support the setting, characters, problem and action.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
snickered (pg 38)
stance (pg 40)
grit (pg 41)
ventured (pg 44)
anvil (pg 45)
1. Make a T-diagram to compare the dogs. (Male to Female)
2. Billy was most uncomfortable in town. Have you ever gone some place
very different and felt like Billy? Write a 10 sentence paragraph. Tell
where you went, what made you feel badly or uncomfortable and how
your problem was resolved.
3. (Prediction) The dogs gave Billy courage and showed their stuff with the
mountain lion. Knowing what you know about dogs, what kind of
hunters will they be?
4. Find examples of similes and metaphors, copy it into your spiral then
draw a picture to show comparisons. Put the page number on your
drawing. (hint…you may want to look on pg 36, 37, 40 and 45)
5. (Cause and Effect) How did the dogs affect Billy and his family?
Cause – Billy saved money to buy the dogs.
Effect - __________________ _______________________
Chap. 6 (pg. 47-53)
1. For each of the vocabulary words, write a sentence that makes sense.
Underline the vocabulary word in each sentence.
trance (pg. 49) querying (pg. 51) shucks (pg. 53)
hampering (pg. 53)
2. What would happen to you if you left home for several days without
telling your parents? How will Billy’s parents react when he comes
home?
3. Billy’s language is not exactly like ours. He uses colloquial (or
homespun) dialect of the Ozarks. Make a list of the unusual phrases
Billy uses and the page they are found on. Next to each phrase, write
down what it means. (hint: look on pg 27,28 29)
4. What was Billy thinking and feeling during this time? Did he feel sorry
for himself? Why? (support your answer with examples from the book)
Chap. 7 (pg. 55-68)
1. Each team will be assigned a vocabulary word. Your job will be to
act out the word (charades) so the class can understand its meaning.
Write the definition (synonym in your reading spiral next to the
word).
a. submerged (pg 59)
b. squall (pg 62)
c. lunge (pg 62)
d. lope (pg 63)
e. persistence (pg 67)
f. leverage (pg 67)
g. frazzle (pg 68)
2. Why did Billy have to have a coonskin?
3. Why did Billy’s father have him pull the nails from the coon traps
after he caught the first one? What do these statements tell you
about coons and Billy’s father?
4. How did Billy train the dogs to hunt for coons? How do you think
Billy learned all these tricks of training? Do you train your dog to do
certain things? How do you do it?
5. How do you feel about hunting? Why?
Chap. 8 (pg 69-83)
Vocabulary (context clues)
Rodent (pg. 72)
riffle (pg. 75)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
guinea’s egg (pg. 81)
Why do you think Billy cried when his dogs first found the raccoon?
Why did Billy decide to cut down “the big tree”?
How did Billy’s dad show his understanding of Billy?
On page 72, write down two unusual comparisons.
On page 83, write down one unusual comparison.
Chap. 9 (pg 85-98)
Vocabulary – checking your definition
Find the vocabulary words in the book and read only the sentence in which
each of the vocabulary words is used. Write down your own definition,
then check with the dictionary to see if you are correct.
Fad (pg. 91)
liniment (pg. 91)
limber as a rag (pg. 92)
whiled (pg. 97)
1. Billy did a lot of growing up in this chapter. Prove this by writing down
at least three examples from the book.
2. (prediction) A good story has a goal. Billy’s first goal was to get some
dogs and then to hunt his first coon. What could happen in the next
hundred pages?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Chapter 10
Vocabulary (define using context clues)
nonchalantly (pg 100)
belligerent (pg 102)
destined (pg 103)
slough (pg 106)
1.
2.
3.
4.
What did Billy do with the money he earned from hunting coons?
Why was Grandpa counting the furs and marking a paper?
What did Billy discover when he hunted with only Old Dan?
How do you feel about hunting? Killing animals? Why did Billy enjoy
hunting? Does this tell us anything about his character?
Chapter 11
Vocabulary
(word maps for this set of words, in your spiral)
synonym
antonym
WORD
definition in
your own words
use the word in a sentence
1. predicament (pg 111)
2. rile (111)
3. dauber’s (pg 122)
Questions
1. How did Little Ann get into such a serious predicament?
2. This book does not have chapter titles. Write the best title for each
chapter without giving away the main event.
Chapter 12
Vocabulary (define using context clues)
1. fame (pg 123)
2. pelts (pg 123)
3. disposition (pg 124)
4. ferret-like (pg 125)
5. begrudgingly (pg 125)
6. leered (pg 126)
7. designated (pg 129)
8. wily (pg 131)
9. maneuver (pg 135)
10. spraddle-legged (pg 133)
11. surpassed (pg 135)
Questions
1. Why do you think Grandpa bragged about Billy? How did Grandpa get
Billy into trouble?
2. What do we know about the Pritchard boys? How did the Pritchard boys
differ from Billy? Use the T-diagram and elicit differences from the class.
(e.g., dress, speech, actions, etc.)
Billy
Pritchard Boys
Rubin-big, husky, rugged face, mean-looking
eyes, chewed tobacco, had nickels worth of
sense
Rainie-meanest disposition, always wanted
to bet, nervous-couldn’t stand still, picked
on by his brothers, dirty neck and ears,
wiped his nose on his sleeve
Chap. 13
Vocabulary: find the base or root word of each vocabulary word. What prefixes or
suffixes were added? What is the meaning of the root word? How did the prefix or
suffix change it?
1. resistance (pg 139)
2. entangled (pg 142)
3. astraddle (pg 145)
4. trance (pg 145)
5. nauseating (pg 146)
6. protruding (pg 146)
7. foliage (pg 147)
Questions:
1. Wind was important in this book. What did the wind have to do with
catching the first coon?
2. What was the ghost coon’s trick?
3. Why didn’t Billy want to kill the ghost coon?
4. What threat did Ruben make? (Page 144, “If you say one word to your
grandpa about this, I’ll catch you hunting some night and take my knife
to you.”)
5. Why did Ruben grab Billy’s ax?
6. What happened to Rubin?
7. Who saw everything that happened?
8. Did Billy blame the ghost coon? Prove or disprove.
9. How did the death of Rubin affect Billy?
Chapter 14
Vocabulary: (pick two words and tell how they might be related)
tragedy (pg 153) championship (pg 156) dumfounded (pg 156) registered (pg 157)
jubilant (pg 158) gloated (pg.163)
grub box (pg 167)
Questions:
1. Why didn’t Billy want to see grandpa?
2. What do these phrases mean?
- “I’m going to wear you out?”
- “flew out of gear like a Model-T Ford”
3. Why was Billy a bit uncomfortable with his ax?
4. Why do you think Billy was a good brother?
5. Billy talked to the dogs all the time. Do you believe that dogs can
communicate with one another? If they do, what would Little Ann and Old
Dan say about Billy? Write a short conversation between the dogs after
Rubin’s death or during the championship.
Chapter 15
Vocabulary (define using context clues)
1. tarp (pg 169)
2. domain (pg 172)
3. snuff can (pg 175)
4. impulsively (pg 176)
5. eliminated (pg 177)
Questions:
1. What were the rules for a cocoon hunt?
2. How were Old Dan and Little Ann unusual as dogs?
3. Brainstorm the word “superstition.” Brainstorming rules:
-All ideas count.
-Add details.
-Adapt others’ ideas.
-Suggest unusual ideas.
causes
synonym
Superstition
types
results
4. What were the rules for a cocoon hunt?
5. How were Old Dan and Little Ann unusual as dogs?
definition
Chapter 16
Vocabulary:
Define using context clues
1.
2.
3.
4.
gauge (pg 185)
gingerly (pg 185)
eliminations (pg 189)
doused (pg 190)
Questions:
1. What almost ended the hunt?
2. Do you think the men in the camp wanted Billy to win the
Championship? Why or why not? Prove it.
Chapter 17 (pg 197-208)
Vocabulary:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
momentary (pg 199)
logic (pg 202)
massaged (pg 204)
gully (pg 204)
numb (pg 205)
gawking (pg 205)
carcasses (pg 208)
Questions:
1. How did Billy keep the judge, his dad, and Grandpa going in the sleet
storm?
2. Grandpa kept getting into trouble on the hunt. How did he hold things
up?
3. What can we surmise about Grandpa’s character?
Chapter 18
Vocabulary using context clues
1. haggard (pg 201)
2. stampede (pg 218)
3. defiant (pg 219)
4. verge (pg 220)
Questions:
1. How did the dogs keep from freezing to death?
2. Why did Billy want to take the cup home before it was engraved?
3. Why do you think Billy never called his sisters by name?
4. What did Billy do with the prize money?
5. What do you think momma meant when she said, “Thank god, my
prayers have been answered.”? Prove your answer.
6. Why do you think momma knelt in prayer in front of the dogs and cried?
7. What plans do you think Mama and Papa were making?
Chapter 19
Vocabulary
1. vicious (pg224)
2. predatory (pg 224)
3. petrified (pg 224)
4. impact (pg 225)
5. berserk (pg 225)
6. lithe (pg 226)
7. jugular (pg 226)
8. disembowel (pg 227)
9. scourge (pg 228)
10.entrails (pg 230)
11.peroxide (pg 231)
12.fate (pg 240)
Questions:
1. How did Mama feel about Billy’s hunting? Would you let your son go
hunting? Why or why not?
2. How did the dogs save Billy’s life?
3. Why was Billy angry after the deaths of Old Dan and Little Ann? What
did Billy say to show how he felt?
4. How had the hounds helped the family?
5. How did Billy’s mother help him feel better?
Chapter 20
Vocabulary:
1. spiral (pg 248)
2. scurried (pg. 248)
Questions:
1. What was the legend of the red fern?
2. How did the legend of the red fern help Billy?
3. On page 249- the author-an older Billy- said part of his life was buried
where the red fern grows. What did he mean?