The Call of the Wild

- Focus on: Jack London; Huskies - CLIL History: the Klondike Gold Rush - Glossary of difficult words - Comprehension and grammar activities including B1 Preliminary style exercises and 21st century skills activities - Final test

Stage 3 B1

Stage 1

In this reader you’ll find:

The Call of the Wild

Buck, a happy, quiet dog living in sunny California, is stolen from his owner and sent north to begin a new hard life as a sled dog during the Klondike Gold Rush.

Read about his adventures and the many problems he has to face in this new cruel world. Discover how he begins to change and how he answers to the Call of the Wild.

Readers

Jack London The Call of the Wild

Jack London

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Adventure | Courage | The Wild

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The Call ofbrief the Wild Book

1 2 3

The Call of the Wild is a short adventure novel by Jack London set in Yukon, Canada, during the Klondike Gold Rush in the 1890s.

The story follows the adventures of Buck, a dog stolen from his home in California and sold as a sled dog.

As Buck’s life changes from a much-loved pet to a working dog in often very hard conditions, Buck is forced to learn to survive.

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As the story progresses, Buck becomes more attracted to the Call of the Wild.

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Main themes include survival, returning to nature, and loyalty built on trust.

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Spazio didascalia

In this reader: 21st Century Skills

To encourage students to connect the story to the world they live in.

Preliminary

B1 level activities.

Story Notes

A brief summary of the text.

Glossary

Explanation of difficult words.

Picture Caption

A brief explanation of the picture.

Audio

These icons indicate the parts of the story that are recorded.

Think

start stop

To encourage students to develop their critical thinking skills.

The FSC® certification guarantees that the paper used in these publications comes from certified forests, promoting responsible forestry management worldwide.

For this series of ELI graded readers, we have planted 5000 new trees.

Jack London

The Call of the Wild Retold and with activities by Silvana Sardi Illustrated by Marco Somà

Teen

Readers

Contents

6

Main Characters

8

Before you read

10

Chapter 1

18

Activities

20

Chapter 2

28

Activities

30

Chapter 3

38

Activities

40

Chapter 4

48

Activities

50

Chapter 5

58

Activities

60

Chapter 6

70

Activities

72

Focus on... Jack London

74

Focus on... Huskies

76

Focus on...

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Test Yourself

79 Syllabus

Far from Home A Dog’s Life The Fight Changing Masters Love and Respect Back to the Past

CLIL History: Context The Klondike Gold Rush

Main Characters

Buck

Buck, the much loved pet of Judge Miller and his family.

Dave

A quiet dog: he helps the other dogs to learn how to pull the sled well.

Buck

Buck, who follows the call of the wild and joins the wolves.

Spitz

A big white dog that Buck hates.

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Sol-leks

An old, thin husky with only one eye.

François

Perrault

They deliver letters and parcels for the Canadian government and are good masters.

Charles, Mercedes, Hal

They don’t know anything about camping, the cold or how to look after the dogs.

John Thornton

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He loves his dogs as if they were his children and Buck loves and respects him for this.

Before you read

Vocabulary 1 Look at the picture and complete the words.

1 2 3 4

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5

1 R_N_E_S 2 S_ _D 3 _US_Y D_G 4 _O_D 5 PA_ 6 _A_ _ESS

runners load harness husky dog paw sled

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Reading B1 Preliminary 2 Choose the best answer, A, B, C or D to complete the text

about the story.

is The Call of the Wild _______ a story about a dog (1) ________ Buck.

At the beginning of the story, Buck is living (2) ________ California with Judge Miller and his family. He has a happy life and (3) ________ have to worry about (4) ________. Then everything changes and Buck finds himself in the north of Canada and becomes a working dog. Buck has to learn to (5) ________ a sled with a team of husky dogs. Life in the cold north is hard and (6) ________ different from his old one.

A speaks 1 A called 2 A at 3 A don’t 4 A nothing 5 A push 6 A much

B says B name B in B can’t B something B keep B very

C makes C which C from C doesn’t C everything C pull C more

D is D who D to D mustn’t D anything D carry D too

Speaking and Writing 3a Many countries have a national bird or animal. With your partner, match each animal with the correct country. Go online for help.

a New Zealand

b Ireland

c United States of America

d Australia

e England

f South Africa

c 1 _______

2 _______

5 _______

3 _______

6 _______

g Scotland

4 _______

7 _______

21st Century Skills

3b Now talk about the national bird or animal of your country

and discuss why you think this animal was chosen.

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Chapter 1

Far from Home 2

Buck lives happily with the Miller family in California and everybody loves him.

He doesn’t know that his life is about to change because of the Klondike Gold Rush.

Buck, a big strong dog, lived happily in a beautiful farmhouse with Judge Miller and his family. He lived in the Santa Clara Valley, near San Jose, California. The land was good in this area and famous for its fruit. Buck was a friendly dog and he loved going fishing with Judge Miller’s sons.

Life was fun, but things were about to change for Buck. The Klondike1 Gold Rush2 had started, and Buck would soon be part of it.

All the newspapers were talking about the Gold Rush, but of course Buck couldn’t read, so he didn’t know anything about it. He wasn’t interested in gold anyway!

The Miller family had lots of dogs, but at four years old, Buck was already boss. All the other dogs respected him and every member of the family loved him too. In summer, the Judge’s grandchildren rode on his back, while in winter he sat quietly with Judge Miller in the library in front of a warm fire, where he felt safe and loved.

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The Klondike a region of the Yukon (Canada) Gold Rush a time when lots of people were looking for gold

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Buck is sitting quietly with Judge Miller in the library in front of a warm fire.

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Jack London

Manuel, the gardener’s helper, decides to sell Buck for a few dollars. Goldseekers in the north need a strong dog like him. Buck knows and trusts Manuel so he doesn’t realize what’s happening until Manuel gives him to another man who takes Buck on a train to San Francisco.

He often walked with the Judge’s daughters, and even swam with the boys in the pool in the garden.

Buck wasn’t fat like some pets: he loved swimming and became stronger every day.

Everybody loved Buck. Unfortunately, the gold seekers1 in the north needed a dog like him.

Manuel, the gardener’s helper, decided to sell Buck to make a few dollars. So, one evening, he took Buck for a walk when nobody was looking.

Buck knew Manuel well and was happy to go with him. They went to the train station, where another man was waiting to give Manuel the money for Buck. The stranger put a rope2 round Buck’s neck and pulled it tight. Then the man put Buck on a train. The dog was very angry and bit the man’s hand, but it was no use, he couldn’t escape.

They reached San Francisco where the man gave Buck to another stranger. By now, Buck was very thirsty and hungry. He was even too tired to fight when they cut off his collar and threw him

1 2

a gold seeker a person looking for gold a rope a piece of very thick string

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The Call of the Wild into a wooden crate1. He couldn’t understand what was happening. Why are they doing this to me? he thought.

During the night, the man came to see Buck.

Buck thought it was the judge, but barked2 angrily when he realized it was the stranger. Where is my master3? he thought sadly.

Next morning, four men came for the dog.

They looked dangerous and Buck barked at them from inside the crate. They just laughed at him and put the crate on another train.

Buck now began a long journey which took him far from the peace and quiet of his home and the people who loved him. From the train, they moved him to a truck, then a boat, then finally a train once more. All this time, nobody gave Buck even a drink of water and he was weak and frightened.

Two days and nights passed, and Buck lay in the crate barking when anyone came near him.

He was really thirsty now, and he was furious4 with these men who were taking him away from

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a crate a wooden box (see picture on p. 15) to bark to make the loud sound a dog makes 3 master (here) a dog’s owner 4 furious very, very angry 2

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In San Francisco, they put Buck in a wooden crate and put him on another train, then a truck, then a boat and finally a train once more. In these two days and nights nobody gives Buck anything to eat or drink.

He’s dirty, his eyes are red, he’s angry and frightened.

Jack London

In Seattle, a man with a red sweater breaks the crate open.

Buck is now like a wild animal and tries to attack the man, but the man hits Buck with a club again and again until the dog gives up.

everything he knew and loved. His eyes were red, he was dirty and angry, and he didn’t look like the Buck Judge Miller knew. He couldn’t wait to get out of the crate to try and bite these men. He no longer had the rope around his neck, but his throat hurt.

At last they reached Seattle, and the four men carried the crate into a small back yard1 with high walls. Then, a man with a red sweater came into the back yard. He was carrying a hatchet2 in one hand and a club3 in the other. Buck knew he was in danger. The man hit the wooden crate with the hatchet to open it, and inside Buck pushed angrily against the breaking wood. He wanted out. He was like a wild animal, ready to attack.

“Come on then, red eyes,” said the man, as he hit the crate once more and broke it open.

Buck jumped at him with a mad look in his eyes. The man hit Buck hard with the club and the dog fell to the ground. Buck tried again, but it was no use. Each time, the man in the red sweater hit him with the club. The man continued to hit

1

a back yard an area behind a building (see picture on p. 15) a hatchet a tool for cutting wood (see picture on p. 15) 3 a club a big heavy stick 2

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Buck is now in Seattle. The men have put his wooden crate in a small back yard.

Buck can’t wait to get out of the crate to bite these men who have taken him away from his home.

The Call of the Wild

15

Jack London

The man in the red sweater sells Buck and another dog called Curly to Perrault who needs them to pull the mail sled. He takes the two dogs on a ship where there’s his friend François and another two dogs, Spitz and Dave.

Buck thinks François is a good master because he punishes Spitz when the dog tries to steal Buck’s dinner.

Buck until the dog lay on the ground. When Buck looked up, the man was standing over him.

“Well, Buck”, he said, “now you know who’s boss. Be a good dog and you won’t have any problems.”

Then the man gave the dog some food and water. Buck had to accept1 that he couldn’t fight against a club and a hatchet. He realized that now. This was the first lesson he learned in this new world.

Every day, new dogs arrived, and the man in the red sweater was ready for them with his club. Sometimes men came, gave the man some money and took a dog away.

I wonder where they’re going? thought Buck.

Then, one day, a little man who spoke French came and chose Buck. The man was Perrault and he delivered2 letters and parcels3 for the Canadian government4. He needed a strong dog to pull the mail sled5 and Buck was perfect for the job. The man also bought another dog called Curly. He

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to accept to take something that is offered to you to deliver to take from one place to another 3 parcel 4 government a group of people who control a country 5 sled the dogs are pulling one in the picture on p. 23 2

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The Call of the Wild took the two dogs to the ship, where his friend François was waiting. There were another two dogs there, and they left for the cold north. The other dogs were called Spitz and Dave. Spitz was a big white dog who tried to steal Buck’s dinner the first night. François punished Spitz, so Buck decided that this new master was a good man.

The other dog, Dave, was very quiet and wasn’t interested in Buck and Curly.

As they went north, it got colder and colder.

Then, early one morning, they arrived at Dyea beach, near Skaguay, in Alaska. This was where a lot of gold seekers began their journey to the goldfields around Dawson in the Yukon, Canada.

It gets colder and colder as they go north until they arrive at Dyea beach near Skaguay in Alaska, where a lot of goldseekers start their journey to the goldfields.

Think

Do you think Buck will be happy with Perrault and François?

Why? / Why not?

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After-reading Activities • Chapter 1

Reading Comprehension 1 Match each description with the right person. e He had a farmhouse in California. a The stranger 1 ■ 2 ■ He sold Buck for a few dollars. b Manuel 3 ■ Buck bit his hand. c François 4 ■ He hit Buck with a club. d Perrault 5 ■ He took Buck to the ship. e Judge Miller 6 ■ He punished Spitz for trying f The man in the to steal Buck’s dinner. red sweater

Grammar 2 Underline the correct alternative.

Buck loved fishing / fish with Judge Miller’s boys.

1 Buck couldn’t read / to read about the gold rush.

2 Manuel wanted sell / to sell Buck.

3 Buck liked swimming / swim in the pool.

4 Buck hated being / be in the crate.

5 The man in the red sweater decided to give / giving Buck some food.

6 Buck learned be / to be a good dog.

Vocabulary 3 Circle the odd word out. loved 1 happy 2 thirsty 3 car 4 warm

enjoyed furious friendly truck strong

hated angry hungry bus hot

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liked worried tired boat cold

21st Century Skills

Speaking

4 At the start of the story, Buck is a pet loved by all of Judge

Miller’s family. Look at the pictures below with a partner and talk about the advantages and disadvantages of having these animals as pets.

1 __________

2 __________

3 __________

4 __________

5 __________

6 __________

Before-reading Activity

Listening B1 Preliminary 3 5 Listen to the start of Chapter 2 and complete the text with

one word in each space. glad when he finally got off the ship. It had never Buck was ________ (1) ________ in the Santa Clara Valley so Buck was really surprised when he saw how white and bright everything was. There were also other (2) ________ and their dogs, but they weren’t very friendly.

The dogs showed their (3) ________ as soon as Buck went near them. They were ready for a (4) ________ anytime. Poor Curly was attacked and (5) ________ by a big husky and Buck was shocked and angry. Instead, Spitz (6) ________ and Buck hated him from that moment.

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After-reading Activities • Chapter 6

Reading B1 Preliminary 1 Choose the best answer, A, B, C or D to complete the text

about Chapter 6.

look for gold in Thornton left with his friends and dogs to go and ______ the east. He didn’t take (1) _______ with him, just his gun for hunting. Summer came and there were (2) _______ more sleds to pull so that dogs didn’t have to work anymore. Then the men found gold in the river and they were excited at (3) _______ thought of being rich at last. Buck began to spend more and more time in the forest and loved running through it (4) _______ midnight. Buck stayed away for many days to hunt a moose, and (5) _______ he came back, he found the camp in ruins and his master dead. He killed as many Yeehats as he (6) _______. Then he followed the call of the wild and returned to the forest to become leader of the pack of wolves.

A wait B ask C care D look 1 A much B many C little D few 2 A some B any C no D none 3 A a B the C one D that 4 A in B at C on D to 5 A while B after C then D when 6 A could B might C would D should

Writing 2 Did you enjoy The Call of the Wild? Write 30-40 words

explaining why you liked / didn’t like the book. Think about:

• the events • the characters • how the book made you feel 21st Century Skills

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Vocabulary 3 Read the clues and complete the crossword.

Across 2 Buck learns to pull this.

3 Thornton goes _______ to look for gold with Pete and Hans.

7 The drivers feed their dogs with this.

9 The state Buck lives in with Judge Miller.

10 Mercedes wants to take this with her to sleep in.

11 After Spitz dies, Buck wants to be this for the sled team.

Down 1 Wild dogs who live in the forest.

4 The wolves are weaker than Buck - Buck is _______.

5 What men discover in the north.

6 Buck travels to Alaska with Curly on this.

8 Buck sleeps outside in the snow in this.

9 They put Buck in this to go to Seattle.

1 2

3

4

5 7

8

6

9

10

11

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Focus on...

Jack London 1876

Jack London American writer, real name, John Griffith Chaney born in the USA on 12 January, 1876.

Family and early life Lived with his mother, Flora, and her husband, John London in Oakland, USA. John London wasn’t his father, but he used his surname in later life. Jack started working when he was only 14 in a factory. Then at 15, he became an oyster pirate and by the age of 17, he had become a good sailor. At 18, he had no money nor home and spent some time in prison. At 20, he joined the Oakland Socialist Party and defended the rights of workers, writing about their conditions. At 21, he went to the Klondike to look for gold.

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1903

1906

Writing and Success At 22, he became a journalist and published a number of short stories in magazines. He then became famous worldwide when his book The Call of the Wild was published in 1903. Another popular book written by London about dogs and wolves is White Fang (1906). Both books are set during the Klondike Gold Rush. He wrote more than 50 books, but his most popular works are his dog stories.

Later life Apart from writing, he also sailed the South Seas in his boat with his wife, visiting places like the Solomon Islands and Hawaii. At 35, he became an excellent rancher and by the time he was 40, he had become a millionaire.

1916

Died On 22 November, 1916 when he was only 40 years old.

Task Complete the form with the information about Jack London.

Real name: __________________________________________ Place of birth: ________________________________________ Date of birth: ________________________________________ Age started work: _____________________________________ Where: _____________________________________________ Number of books written: _______________________________ Two famous works: ____________________________________ Date of death: _______________________________________

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Focus on...

Huskies

A special dog

Balto

Balto was the name of a Siberian husky whose determination and courage saved the lives of many children in Nome, Alaska in 1925.

At that time in Nome, there was a terrible disease called diphtheria and Balto and his team of dogs transported the antitoxin, by sled to Nome, to stop this epidemic.

Balto became a hero, and a statue of the dog was put up in Central Park in New York in 1925. Every year, this event is marked with the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

A husky is the general name given to a type of dog which is used to pull sleds in cold northern regions.

They are energetic and athletic and are famous for being very fast. In fact, they are often used in sled dog racing. They have a thick coat of fur and their eyes can be brown, blue or even yellow.

Huskies have been the subject of many films including Balto, Eight Below, and Snow Dogs which are all about sledding.

Balto.

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Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race

Skijoring

This sled dog race takes place at the beginning of March and goes from Anchorage to Nome in western Alaska. It usually takes a team of about fourteen dogs between 9 and 15 days to make the journey. They go through forests, across rivers and over mountains and it is very hard work. This race is the most popular sporting event in Alaska and people from all over the world take part every year, including many women.

This is a popular winter sport in Scandinavia, Canada and Russia. A person on skis is pulled by a dog, or dogs. Skijoring races can be short-distance sprints or held over longer distances.

Bikejoring

This is when a dog pulls a person on a bike. This is an out of season sport, when there is no snow. It is often used to train sled dogs for the winter months and they run on soft trails in the countryside.

Task Many people disagree with using animals in sport. What do you think? Write 30-40 words giving your opinion. Think about sledding, hunting, show-jumping, bull-fighting or another sport you know.

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CLIL History

Focus on...

The Klondike Gold Rush

The Klondike Region

The Klondike is a region in northwest Canada and is part of the Yukon Territory. This region has a subarctic climate, so it’s extremely cold in winter. It usually snows from September to May and the rivers are covered in ice from October till spring.

Dawson city is on the Klondike River. It became famous worldwide for the Klondike Gold Rush in 1896. At this time, the population of Dawson grew to 40,000. Then, after the Gold Rush ended in 1899, it went back to being a small town of 8,000 people.

The Gold Rush

During the Gold Rush, between 1897 and 1899, more than 100,000 people went to the Klondike region to look for gold which was discovered there for the first time in August 1896, along the Klondike River. When gold started to arrive in the ports in northwest America, people from Seattle and San Francisco, rushed to the region in the hope of becoming rich. Newspapers reported the discovery of large quantities of gold, so people left their jobs to dig for gold. It was a long hard journey to the Klondike. They had to cross mountain passes with heavy loads. The lucky ones discovered mines full of gold, but the majority arrived too late. The gold rush in this region lasted until 1899.

Trails

Most people arrived in South-east Alaska at the ports of Dyea or Skagway (originally Skaguay). They then had to take the Chilkoot or White Pass trails to the Yukon River where they had to make a boat and sail downriver to the Klondike. The Canadian government made the gold diggers bring a year’s supply of food with them. This meant they had a heavy load to carry, so it was very difficult and not Historic miner’s cabin. everybody reached the mines.

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Miners outside a gold mine.

The Chilkoot Trail The White Pass This was the most direct overland route to get to the main area of the goldfields around Dawson City and the Yukon River. It was also one of the cheapest ways to get there, so it became very popular. Those who chose the Chilkoot Trail started their journey from Dyea. This route was shorter than the others, but it was also more difficult because it was very steep.

This other main route left from Skagway harbor. It was longer than the Chilkoot Trail, but it wasn’t as hard. This mountain pass, which still exists today, goes through the mountains which border Alaska and Canada. It starts from Skagway, Alaska, and leads to the lakes at the headwaters of the Yukon River.

Task Online research.

In 1848 another Gold Rush started in California. Find out: • how long it lasted • how many gold-seekers were involved • what its long-term effects were

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Test Yourself Choose A, B or C to complete the sentences.

At the start of the story, Buck lived in an area rich in 3 industry.

A ■ agriculture.

B■ C ■ oil.

1 The gardener’s helper who sold Buck was called A ■ Matthew.

B ■ Martin.

C ■ Manuel.

2 Perrault and François worked for the _____ government.

A ■ French B ■ Canadian C ■ United States 3 Which dog had only one eye?

A ■ Dave B ■ Sol-leks

C ■ Billee

4 What did Buck steal from Perrault and François one night when he was very hungry?

A ■ fish B ■ chicken C ■ bacon 5 Spitz killed a ______ that Buck and the other dogs had wanted to catch.

A ■ rabbit B ■ wolf C ■ moose

6 François and Perrault sold Buck and their dog-team to a man from A ■ England.

B ■ America.

C ■ Scotland.

7 What did Hal carry with him?

A ■ a hatchet B ■ a knife

8 Hal and Charles started their journey with A ■ ten dogs.

B ■ twelve dogs.

C ■ a book C ■ fourteen dogs.

9 When did they first arrive at John Thornton’s camp?

A ■ spring B ■ summer C ■ autumn 10 At the end, Buck goes and lives with A ■ the Yeehats. B ■ the wolves.

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C ■ Judge Miller’s family.

Syllabus This reader contains the items listed below as well as those included in Levels A1 and A2.

Topics adventure; betrayal; courage; respect; love; the Wild Connectives so that, (in order) to so, so…that, such…that if although, while Nouns Countable and uncountable nouns with some and any Abstract nouns Compound nouns Complex noun phrases Verb Present simple; Present continuous; Past simple; Past continuous; Present perfect simple and Past perfect simple; Futures with Present continuous, going to and will; modals: could, must, have to, would, should.

Verb Forms and Patterns Imperatives Verbs + ing / infinitive Passive forms: present and past simple Phrasal verbs Conditional sentences type 1 and 2 Functions Discussing topics by asking and answering questions Expressing personal opinions Giving details of plans Giving explanations

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Teen

Readers

Stage 1

Maureen Simpson, In Search of a Missing Friend Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales Janet Borsbey & Ruth Swan, The Boat Race Mystery Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Angela Tomkinson, Great Friends!

Edith Nesbit, The Railway Children Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna Anna Sewell, Black Beauty Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

Stage 2

Elizabeth Ferretti, Dear Diary…

Angela Tomkinson, Loving London Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Mary Flagan, The Egyptian Souvenir Maria Luisa Banfi, A Faraway World Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island Elizabeth Ferretti, Adventure at Haydon Point William Shakespeare, The Tempest Angela Tomkinson, Enjoy New York Frances Hodgson Burnett, Little Lord Fauntleroy Michael Lacey Freeman, Egghead Michael Lacey Freeman, Dot to Dot Silvana Sardi, The Boy with the Red Balloon Silvana Sardi, Scotland is Magic!

Silvana Sardi, Garpur: My Iceland Silvana Sardi, Follow your Dreams Gabriele Rebagliati, Naoko: My Japan

Stage 3

Anna Claudia Ramos, Expedition Brazil Charles Dickens, David Copperfield Mary Flagan, Val’s Diary Maureen Simpson, Destination Karminia Anonymous, Robin Hood Jack London, The Call of the Wild Louisa May Alcott, Little Women Gordon Gamlin, Allan: My Vancouver