Compare and Contrast
What do readers do when they compare things?
Look for similarities.
What does a reader do when they make an inference?
They use information from the story and knowledge from personal experiences to understand something that is not directly stated in the story.
Rhyming poem
What is the setting (time and place) in the story?
What is a synonym?
Words that have the same meaning.
What do readers do when they contrast things?
Look for differences.
Read the quote from page 71. "Edgar's dogs pricked up their ears, and some began to howl." What do you know about dogs' behavior that explains why the author describes the dogs doing this?
I know dogs have a good sense of hearing. They often hear other dogs or animals before people can. They also bark when they hear other dogs. The author describes the dogs' behavior to let the reader know that Bill's dog team will be arriving soon.
What are some of the rhyming words in stanza 1?
know/though/snow
What is the problem in the story?
Three people have died of diphtheria. It's highly contagious- and could spread to the whole village. The serum to fight the disease is 1,000 miles away.
What is an antonym?
Words that have opposite meanings.
On page 67, the doctor compares and contrasts the symptoms of the deadly disease. It says that Bessie Stanley has "the same symptoms" as the two children the doctor saw earlier. Compared to the other two children, what symptoms would Bessie Stanley show?
High fever, struggling to breathe, swollen throat
Make an inference about why animal skins were the materials of choice when warming dogs, people, and serum?
This area was very isolated, so animal skins may have been the warmest materials that were easiest to access.
What are some of the rhyming words in stanza 3?
shake/mistake/flake
What is the solution in the story?
A train will bring the serum 300 miles closer to Nome, and from there it will be transported to Nome by dogsled.
Are these words antonyms or synonyms?
Apology, defiance
Antonyms
Both teams had to travel in terrible weather. Both teams ran in blowing snow.
"The dogs devoured their rations of salmon and seal blubber."
What inference can you make about this sentence?
An alliteration is the repeating of the sound at the beginning of a word. Example: In stanza 1, the author uses the alliteration, "To watch his woods"
What is an example of an alliteration in stanza 4?
Dark and deep
On page 71 and 72, the author provides details about the environment in which the mushers and dogs must travel. Which details help you visualize the setting?
"brutally cold"
"temperatures fell to fifty-six degrees below zero"
"wade through a slushy overflow, a place where the river seeped through a crack in the ice."
Accept any correct answers
Dialogue, chat, discussion
Synonyms
Leonhard and Kassen's were mushers who helped during the Great Serum Race. How were their journeys different?
Leonhard's lead dog was Togo. Leonhard had to stop to massage the dogs' freezing muscles. Kaasen's lead dog was Balto. Kaasen had to stop when the sled blew over. Kaasen's team ran the final leg into Nome.
"When Gunnar knocked on the door, Dr. Welch greeted him with a stunned face. How could a musher and team have fought their way through such a storm?"
What inference can you make about the expression on the doctor's face?
The doctor had a stunned face. He was not expecting the delivery during the storm. He thought it would be too dangerous or that people would probably wait until the weather cleared to come.
How is perseverance like a journey?
You have to keep going until your reach your destination or goal. It can take a long time to get there, and obstacles can get in your way.
How does the setting affect the characters and impact the story?
Many mushers and dogs are braving the terrible weather in order to try to save people in Nome, Alaska. The setting with all the bad weather is one of the obstacles in reaching the goal.
Which two words are ANTONYMS?
Logical
Rational
Illogical
Logical and illogical