Can you read Where the Red Fern Grows without crying? I can't!

I came home from a family vacation yesterday with my bucket filled from spending time with my extended family!  Thinking about them made me think about this book.  So many dog lovers there!🐕 

True confession.  I made a novel study guide ten years ago to help my students strengthen their summarizing skills as we read this book.  I hadn't touched it since.

Friends, it was time.  Oh my yes, it was time! 
 

It had been that long since I'd read this book and I was pleased to pick it up again.  Something about the simple innocence in this story gets me every time.  Yes, it's not a perfect world and yes, Billy missed out on many things by living out in the mountains.

But.  

But that running around in the woods makes me wish it for others.

Without hunting and skinning raccoons, of course. 🦝

There's a timeless presence in this book that still makes it a great read-aloud.  Your students will have lots to marvel at as they learn about Billy and his sisters, their responsibilities, the gender expectations, and yes, not going to school every day.

They might grimace at some of the descriptions of hunting.  I did.  

But boy, oh boy, they will get the love and pride that this boy has for his dogs.  They might even shed a few tears (with you?) by the end.

The resource has been completely updated, and there are lots of good discussion questions for you to explore with your students to firm up reading comprehension skills and a love of reading!

What you get:

• Teacher notes, QR codes, and lesson plans
• Printable Student packet with QR codes for digital links to videos for: building background knowledge, reviewing character traits, and summarizing
• Literary analysis pages
• Text-dependent questions to help students support evidence
• Extension activities and rubrics
• Answer key with answers to every question including sample responses

What your students get:

• 50-page student packet to work through while reading the book
• Background knowledge-building to help students more easily understand difficult concepts
• Reading comprehension questions that require thoughtful analysis and reinforce skills
• Video links to help students keep working independently
• Extension activities to enhance learning and deepen understanding

Use my novel study guides in your classroom:

1. Print all the pages, have students read independently, and complete the pages independently (except where directions suggest partner work.)
2. Read the book aloud to your class. Print all the pages and have students complete the activities independently, with a partner, or in small groups.
3. Pick and choose! Print some of the pages to differentiate for students' needs. Students can work on different pages and then come together to share what they have learned.

Lots of ways to use it:

• Teacher Read-Aloud
• Independent Reading
• Book Clubs
• Lit Circles
• Stations
• Sub Plans

Go ahead!  Take a closer look.