Stone Fox is a classic novel that can be taught in 3rd-4th grade classrooms. There are many Stone Fox activities that can keep students engaged and thinking through complex ideas throughout. Plus, the interest level in this novel is high! I will share some ideas for Stone Fox activities that you can use when reading this novel in your classroom.Â
Best Stone Fox Activities: Iditarod Connections
Learning about the Iditarod is such a fun and engaging activity for kids! Plus, it is a great way to connect to the story! Read in this blog post here how to incorporate the Iditarod into your classroom! Â
Understanding Characters
The characters in this novel are very dimensional and can be analyzed throughout the novel. Different Stone Fox activities to analyze characters include…
- Having students draw a timeline on how Willy, Stone Fox, and Grandfather change throughout the novel
- Students can describe each character: what they look like, their traits, their motivations, etc.
- Students can visualize scenes by drawing them out and showing what each character would look like
- Acting is a great way to show how characters react and feel throughout different scenes in the novelÂ
End of Novel Projects
After reading the novel, doing a project is a great Stone Fox activity to wrap it up and show understanding. Some ideas include…
- Book Commercial- Have students plan and film a commercial to showcase the book
- Board Game- Have students create a board game to review questions for the novel
- Newspaper- Have students create a newspaper that would be given to Grandfather during this time, showcasing different events in the novel
How Language has Changed
The language in the novel is a tad bit different since this novel was written about a time so long ago. This is a great time to discuss and research how language has changed throughout time. One activity to do so is to play the video below!Â
Chapter PlansÂ
It is super easy to plan how to teach each chapter with Stone Fox activities to engage students. For myself, I taught one or two chapters a day, depending on the time.Â
Each day would look like this…
- Read a chapter or two and review discussion questions as you read (read together, with partners, alone, etc.)
- Then, practice one reading skill (theme, point of view, setting, etc.)Â
- Take a quiz every few chapters to check for understanding of the novel
- Throughout, do fun activities, like having students draw and visualize, act out parts of the story, or even rewrite parts!Â
Want to teach the novel to be no-prep and engaging? Well then, just grab the entire unit here, ready to go!
Hannah Wilde
I am so glad you’re here! I love helping 3rd-5th grade teachers by providing ideas, engaging resources, and professional development they need. I am a literacy coach who is here to help lessen the workload for teachers while making them more confident! I want students to be continually engaged in a rigorous environment!