The Curse of the Viking Grave - Previewing

The Curse of the Viking Grave - Previewing

The Curse of the Viking GraveIntroductory Lesson

I. Previewing -

1. Read the book jacket at the rear of the book and the “Books by Farley Mowat” page – what information does this provide about the story and the author?

2. Look at the title. What kind of story is this going to be (romance, adventure, drama, mystery, horror, etc.)? What can you predict is going to happen in the novel from this title?

3. Look at the map on page 15 – it will help you follow the characters’ movements in this section. Also, look at the following link to a map of Manitoba:

Specifically,

  • Find the town called “The Pas” (pronounced like “the paw”) on the western border of Manitoba and Saskatchewan about halfway “up” the province.
  • Find Kasmere Lake in the very northwest corner of Manitoba. This lake is included on the map on page 15 of the book. Also find the Cochrane River on both maps.
  • Figure out approximately how far it is between The Pas and Kasmere Lake.

4. Trapping. In the first section of this novel, the words “trapping”, “traplines”, and “snares” come up quite frequently. Go to: and read the short section called “History” for a brief explanation of trapping.

II. Reading English novels -

1. Do you read for pleasure in your own language? How about in English? What are the advantages of extensive reading?

2. The DOs and DON’Ts of novel reading:

DOs of Novel Reading / DON’Ts of Novel Reading
-Read regularly (not just the night before)
-Keep a character list/map and update it
-Underline unknown words (guess for now and maybe check later)
-Complete study guide questions in full. Include page #’s, quotes, and explanations to help prepare you for discussions.
-WRITE NOTES IN THE NOVEL! Underline words, write comments in the margins, put stars beside important events. This will help you interact with the story and remember information that you can share in the discussions. / -Don’t look up every unknown word you find
-Don’t get stuck if you don’t understand something - ask other students in the novel study, Dewey, or John.
-Don’t quit the novel study just because you might not have read the section assigned for a certain week. You can likely catch up the next week.

III. Assignment

Read section 1 of the novel (Chapters 1 - 3) and do all questions on the question sheet. Write the answers to the questions and include page numbers of where you got the information to make the discussions easier.

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