Welcome! December 5th, 2017 Tuesday Do Now Get out your weekly Bell Ringer sheet and begin working on Tuesday’s assignment. Once the bell rings, you will have five minutes to guess the meaning of the word. Make sure you explain your thinking! Remember: Do Now's are INDEPENDENT and QUIET exercises. Thank you 

In the summer months, the local shops are filled with the usual Read the following sentence and guess the meaning of the word throng based on the context. In the summer months, the local shops are filled with the usual throng of browsing tourists. A throng is a large, densely packed crowd of people or animals. © Presto Plans

Jack London (1876-1916) Grew up in extreme poverty Dropped out of school at 11 to work in factories to feed himself and his family Arrested for vagrancy (homelessness) in New York. Decided to educate himself and reshape his life – finished high school in one year, went to University of California Dropped out of college after one semester to join the Alaskan Gold Rush Returned to New York and wrote his most famous novels, The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both inspired by his experiences in Alaska and his fascination with wolves.

“To Build a Fire” In 1867, the U.S. purchased Alaska from Russia for two cents an acre. At first, people believed it was a waste of money – they thought Alaska was a frozen wasteland. However, in 1896, enormous amounts of gold was discovered in the Yukon area of Alaska, leading to the Klondike Gold Rush (the river where gold was first discovered). Thousands of prospectors headed north, many of them unprepared for the brutality of Alaskan nature. “To Build a Fire” depicts one of these prospectors trying to travel through this wilderness.

“To Build a Fire” Since London’s story is so long, we’re going to split the reading into two class periods. Today, you’re only going to read the first 18 paragraphs. As you read through the first half of the story individually, with a partner, or with your groups, use the “To Build a Fire” Organizer (Part 1) to write down the most important sentence in each paragraph. The definition of “important” may vary , but be sure you choose a sentence that you believe emphasizes something important or moves the story toward its conclusion. Once you finish writing down the most important sentences, respond to the three critical thinking questions on the back of your organizer. Don’t forget to cite evidence from the text! 