Call of the Wild

Call of the Wild Adventure

A WebQuest for English 9-3G

Designed by Denise LaVell

Edited by S. Feniello and L. Tokarczyk

(Original WebQuest can be found at http://teachers.northallegheny.org/sfeniello/webquest/Call%20of%20the%20Wild%20Webquest%202006.htm)

With permission by L. Tokarczyk, this WebQuest was Adapted and Re-edited by C. Randall (4/2/08)

Introduction

Jack London (1876-1916) wrote two exciting books about northland adventure: The Call of the Wild and White Fang. His childhood was poor, and young Jack found escape and adventure by reading books from his local library. At age fifteen, Jack left home and tramped around the United States ending up in California at age nineteen working as a boatman. He never lost his love for reading. Knowing the importance of education, he managed to enroll at the University of California. He did not stay in school for long, finding himself caught up in a northward migration to the Klondike River area of the Canadian Yukon in 1896. His novel, The Call of the Wild, incorporates his experiences in the Canadian Yukon.

Why were people headed north into the frozen wilderness? What were they looking for? Why were large dogs disappearing in California?

The Task

Before reading The Call of the Wild, you will work in groups of three to discover what life was like in the Canadian Yukon around 1896. Each member of the group will be assigned one of the following topics. The end result of your group effort is a frontier scrapbook that includes:

Biography pages of Jack London (including a map of his travels to the North)
Diary pages of a miner living in a camp (including living and working conditions)
Feature pages about dog sledding (including the importance and types of dogs used)

Use the websites provided to research the topics, then type up your findings in a Word document. You are encouraged to add charts, maps and graphics where appropriate. Correct spelling and grammar are expected. Organize your materials and add them to the scrapbook you create from the supplies given to your group. Class discussion of the final projects will take place before we read. Enjoy this introduction to The Call of the Wild by Jack London.

The Process

To produce the frontier scrapbook:

Research:

In groups of three you will each be assigned one of the following topics to research with identified websites or sites you find on your own. Take notes using flow charts, time lines, etc. Collect graphics, diagrams, photos and maps as appropriate. Make sure you write down the source of all information. Everything must be typed in Word and spelling checked. (You are not allowed to copy and paste information – that is called plagiarism. You are to take notes and then type the information in your own words.)

Publication:

You will be use Word to publish your scrapbook pages. Please be creative with page layout for your scrapbook pages. Each student must produce a minimum of two pages. You are allowed to cut and paste pictures and graphics into your scrapbook. Combine your pages as a group and make sure all of your members names are on the final product. When you are ready to print the final project, you may print your pages on the color printer. (I will help you do this AFTER I approve your final project.)

Presentation:

Each student will be required to present their two pages as part of their group's class presentation.

Topics:

Biography of Jack London's life and travels

· Jack London Biography link (http://london.sonoma.edu)

· Jack London Timeline/Pictures link (http://www.jack-london.org/main_e.htm)

Diary of a miner during the "Gold Rush"

· Gold Rush terms link (http://www.arcticwebsite.com/GlossaryGoldRush.html)

· Gold Rush link (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/goldrush/)

· Gold Rush photos link (http://www.library.state.ak.us/hist/goldrush/table.html)

· Women of the Alaskan Gold Rush (http://library.thinkquest.org/11313/Gold_Rush/index.html)

Feature story about breeding, training, racing sled dogs

· Sled Dogs/Racing link (http://www.iditarod.com/)

· Sled Dogs training link (http://iditarodblogs.com/news/)

· Making of a Sled Dog (http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/cgi-bin/splitwindow.cgi?top=http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/top2.html&link=http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/sleddogs/index.html)

· Sledding into the Wilderness (http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/cgi-bin/splitwindow.cgi?top=http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/top2.html&link=http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/sleddogs/index.html)

· Dog Sledding 101 (http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/cgi-bin/splitwindow.cgi?top=http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/top2.html&link=http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/sleddogs/index.html)

Steps:

1. Research given websites for your topic

2. Take notes

3. Collect photos, diagrams, charts, maps, etc.

4. Produce scrapbook pages by typing them into a Word document

5. Explain content of pages to class

Evaluation

The following rubric will be used to score your individual scrapbook pages.

	Poor 1	Fair 2	Good 3	Excellent 4	Score
Photos, charts, maps, diagrams and captions used	Few used and inappropriately used	Some used appropriately	Good use of most graphics	Varied and appropriate use of all graphics
Complete scrapbook pages	At least one scrapbook page with some evidence of topic relevance	At least one scrapbook page relating to the assigned topic	One well-constructed scrapbook page relating to the assigned topic	Two or more well-constructed scrapbook pages relating to the assigned topic
Orally present scrapbook pages to class	Poor quality with only some evidence of topic knowledge	Fair presentation with some evidence of topic knowledge	Organized and somewhat complete presentation with knowledge of topic	Well-organized and complete presentation demonstrating knowledge of topic

Conclusion

Life in the Canadian Yukon around 1896 was an adventure for all who lived there.

Your completed frontier scrapbook is a great introduction to The Call of the Wild.

Enjoy the book!

Credits & References:

Jack London photo from Berkeley Digital Library

Call of the Wild photo from Amazon.com