Grade 7: Introducing The Call of the Wild by Jack London

7th graders, you are about to travel to the Yukon and begin a great adventure with Buck.  Before we actually start reading Jack London's classic novel, The Call of the Wild, we are going to learn a little bit about the Yukon, sled dogs and what it takes to make it rich during the 1800s.

 The Call of the Wild:  Background Information

Skookum Jim Mason, Dawson Charlie and George Washington Carmack found gold in a tributary of the Klondike River in Canada's Yukon Territory. Their discovery set off one of the greatest gold rushes in history.

All kinds of men (and women too), sold or gave up everything they had, and tried to strike it rich. A few actually did (mostly the early arrivals), some decided to profit from the gold fever of others. Some had to move back to wherever they came from, broke and broken, and many didn't make it at all. The Canadian Mounties (their organization began during this tumultuous time) tried to keep order, but there were scams and hoodlums and all kinds of unsavory characters. You had to watch your back, as well as the weather.

Jack London wrote vividly about life during that time, and the effects the harsh environment and circumstances had on the men and animals who lived through it. Now it's your turn.

Click here to begin The Call of the Wild web quest. 

You may access a copy of the questions and a link to the webquest on Google Classroom

Click here to create an Haiku Deck account.  Your Call of the Wild Presentation should be on one of the main topics of the story:  Women of the Yukon, Dogsleds, Jack London, The Yukon.  You should make at least four slides. Your audience is your classmates who will not have the depth of knowledge you have gained in your research.
To view examples of Haiku Decks:  "Women of the Yukon,"  "Sled Dogs"  and "Jack London"