1a. What is the crowd staring at on the beach? What remarks do the people on the beach make?
2a. What does David want the crowd to do?
3a. Why does the hotel manager agree to sell the turtle to David's father?
1b. What do these people's remarks reveal about them?
2b. Why doesn't the turtle bite David?
3b. Why do you think David calls the turtle "old man"?
4a. Compare and contrast David and his family to the other people in the story. How are the tourists different from David and his family? How are the native Jamaicans different from David and his family?
4b. Why do you think David decides to go with the turtle?
5a. When David confronts the crowd and insists that the turtle be freed, the writer indicates that "it was possible to sense a slight change of mood, a feeling of uneasiness, a touch even of shame" among the crowd. What do you think this change says about the people involved?
5b. Throughout history, individuals and groups of people have effected change by standing up for issues they believe in. What cause might you be willing to take a stand on?
Theme. What topics does "The Boy Who Talked with Animals" explore? One possible topic is the relationship between humans and wild animals. Work through a graphic organizer like the one below to develop ideas about themes associated with that topic. After you have finished, you may want to try it again using a different topic you find in the story.
Conflict. Given the ending of the story, what do you think was David's internal conflict?
1. Many environmental organizations exist today for the purpose of preserving birds and animals and their natural habitats. Write your own bumper sticker regarding the freedom and well being of animals or a specific animal in danger of extinction.
2. Write an itinerary for what you think would be the ideal vacation. Include for each day the activities you would plan and the time of day each activity would occur.
3. A sequel is a continuation of a literary work or film. Write a summary of events for your sequel to the story "The Boy Who Talked with Animals."
Antonyms. An antonym is a word that has the opposite meaning of another word. For example, down is an antonym for up. Review the Words for Everyday Use from "The Boy Who Talked with Animals." Then select the description that is most opposite in meaning to the vocabulary word.
1. consumption click to select answer a. expulsion b. devouring c. eating
2. restrain click to select answer a. release b. hold back c. monitor
3. deem click to select answer a. deny b. believe c. see as
4. impassive click to select answer a. lacking emotion b. expressive c. expressionless
5. patronizing click to select answer a. unkind b. snobbish c. kind
6. commotion click to select answer a. ado b. stillness c. chaos
7. intimate click to select answer a. cozy b. private c. public
8. sedate click to select answer a. calm b. noisy c. tranquil
9. bilious click to select answer a. healthy b. sickly c. looking green
10. extraordinary click to select answer a. plain b. fantastic c. extremely weird
Simple and Compound Sentences. A simple sentence consists of one main clause. A compound sentence consists of two (or more) main clauses joined by a semicolon or a comma and a coordinating conjunction. Identify each of the following sentences as either simple or compound.
1. I decided to spend a few days in the West Indies.
2. I chose Jamaica, and my friend and I flew direct from London to Kingston.
3. On the evening of my second day, I sat on my little balcony.
4. The women had better taste and were dressed for the most part in pretty cotton dresses.
5. David's father wanted to set the turtle free, so he offered to buy it.
6. David begged and begged the fishermen to let the turtle go, but they refused.
7. His old wrinkled neck was straining out of its shell.
8. The crowd froze.
9. The boy dodged and swerved through the crowd like a player running with the ball, and the only person to intercept him was the fisherman.
10. The tug-of-war pullers remained motionless.
Endangered Animals Class Project: Many animals, like the sea turtle, are in danger of becoming extinct due to extensive hunting or fishing of their species or due to a loss of habitat. Using information on the Internet and from books or periodicals at the library, find a list of endangered animals and choose one you wish to study. Try to answer the following questions. What is this animal's habitat? Why is it endangered? What steps are being taken to prevent its extinction? Prepare an oral report and present your findings to the class. Then, as a class, you could select one animal that you all wish to support. Perhaps you could hold a bake sale or other fundraising activity to raise money to send to an environmental group working to save this animal. You could write letters to government representatives or letters to the editor of your local newspaper to discourage activities that cause habitat destruction. Or you could make posters to hang in your community making others aware of the animal's plight. Research Log. Use this log to keep track of the sources you use, the information you find, and your reactions to what you learn.
Internet sources:
Books and other print sources:
Notes:
