The Call of the Wild
Teacher's Guide - Schedule / Lesson Plans

Introduction

Schedule/Lesson Plans

Capstone Project Ideas

Essay Topics

Additional Resources

NCTE Standards

Credits

Back to Reader's Guide

This is a suggested teaching schedule for a 10 class study of Jack London's The Call of The Wild. Lesson plans and handouts can be downloaded individually by clicking on the name of the file in the schedule below. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view these files.

The CD Audio Guides are available only for the communities participating in The Big Read. If your community is participating, contact the lead community organization to receive a free Audio Guide. If your community is not participating, encourage a local organization (such as a library, museum, literary center, arts council, or similar non-profit organization) to apply.

DAY ONE

FOCUS: Biography
Day One Lesson Plan [58K]
Activities: Listen to the Big Read CD. Discuss Reader’s Guide essays. Have students write about their work experience and reading habits.
Homework: Read Chapter 1: "Into the Primitive."
Handout One [59K]

DAY TWO

FOCUS: Culture and History
Day Two Lesson Plan [70K]
Activities: Discuss the Klondike and the gold seekers’ arduous journey across the Yukon Territory. Map Buck’s journey.
Homework: Read Chapter 2: “The Law of Club and Fang.”

DAY THREE

FOCUS: Narrative and Point of View
Day Three Lesson Plan [71K]
Activities: Discuss the book’s narrative point of view. Analyze passages that reveal Buck’s perspective. Write a story from the perspective of an animal.
Homework: Read Chapter 3: “The Dominant Primordial Beast.”
Handout Two [60K]

DAY FOUR

FOCUS: Characters
Day Four Lesson Plan [60K]
Activities: Discuss Handout Three. Analyze each dog’s personality and place in the pack. Write an essay considering the importance of the fight between Buck and Spitz.
Homework: Read Chapter 4: “Who Has Won to Mastership.”

DAY FIVE

FOCUS: Symbols and Metaphors
Day Five Lesson Plan [69K]
Activities: Discuss the symbolic meaning of the “mysterious song” Buck hears as he adjusts to life in Alaska. Write an essay about the man Buck “sees” squatting by the campfire.
Homework: Read Chapter 5: “The Toil of Trace and Trail.” Ask students to select a favorite passage from the book, and note three characteristics of London’s writing style.
Handout Three [60K]

DAY SIX

FOCUS: Jack London’s Writing Style
Day Six Lesson Plan [61K]
Activities: Discuss Naturalism. Analyze favorite passages to better understand London’s style. Write an essay considering the parallel London makes between the artist, soldier, and Buck.
Homework: Read Chapter 6: “For the Love of a Man.”

DAY SEVEN

FOCUS: Character Development
Day Seven Lesson Plan [70K]
Activities: Discuss the parallels between the human characters and the dogs. Discuss London’s view of humans and animals.
Homework: Read Chapter 7: “The Sound of the Call.”

DAY EIGHT

FOCUS: The Plot Unfolds
Day Eight Lesson Plan [70K]
Activities: Discuss the book’s turning points and what we learn about Buck during those moments. Write an essay on the novel’s conclusion.
Homework: Consider whether Buck’s actions would have differed if John Thornton had survived.

DAY NINE

FOCUS: Themes of the Book
Day Nine Lesson Plan [60K]
Activities: Discuss themes of Nature and Civilization. Write an essay about the novel’s epigraph.
Homework: Begin working on essays.

DAY TEN

FOCUS: What Makes a Great Book?
Day Ten Lesson Plan [61K]
Activities: Explore the qualities of a great work of fiction.
Homework: Work on essays.