Example



"Today, class, we will be reading the short story "To Build a Fire" by Jack London. The title sounds pretty straight-forward, so, what do you think the reading will be about? Why do you think this? It is possible that the title has absolutely nothing to do with the text, but it seems pretty easy to make some predictions. Almost **//too//** easy. I would like you to jot down quickly on a piece of notebook paper what you think this story is going to be about. Now, read Part I of the story silently. **Stop**. What do you think the story is about? We can discuss this as a class. Feel free to confirm, reject, or refine your own predictions, but be sure to justify your ideas with references from the text. If needed, jot down new predictions on your paper. Go ahead and read Part II silently. **Stop.** Have your predictions changed? Yes, the story is quite a bit more intense than the title alone leads on. What do you think will happen in the last part? What will happen to the man-without-a-name and his loyal companion? Write down any new or altered predictions for the last section of the text. Read Part III silently. Let us reflect on the text. //How and why did your predictions change as you read through the story?// What do you think would happen to the pair if the man ever did successfully 'build a fire'? You may now break up in to groups of four and discuss each others' predictions and what caused them to change throughout the story, as well as your general reflections on this rather doom-and-gloom tale of man vs. nature."