There are so many classic Jack London stories, but my favorite by far is his To Build a Fire short story. Don’t let the title fool you- the story does not revolve around the steps of building a fire.
In fact, no fire is actually created in the story. The irony of the title is what makes this story a classic!
If you want to make teaching the To Build a Fire short story a bit easier, keep reading for 6 To Build a Fire Short Story Activities focused on the standards!
Need help with Test Prep? Check out this FREE Pack of 3 Test Prep Activities to help students achieve success on standardized tests!
To Build a Fire Short Story Synopsis
A young man travels the Yukon Territory to meet up with a people at an encampment. With the naivete and self-confidence of youth, he journeys into the Wild after being warned by old-timers about possible consequences.
After several tragic occurrences, he freezes to death, and his dog, who survives, makes its way to warmth and safety.
The To Build a Fire Short Story is not long or arduous like the protagonist’s trek, and your students should easily be able to read and comprehend the story with little or no help.
Need more teaching ideas for literature like the To Build a Fire short story? Click below!
6 Timesaving To Build a Fire Short Story Activities
1. Setting Analysis
Setting is simply the description of time and place. When students focus on this element first, they are “setting” the stage for their own success. Let’s look at the first part of the story:
Day had dawned cold and gray when the man turned aside from the main Yukon trail. He climbed the high earth-bank where a little-traveled trail led east through the pine forest. It was a high bank, and he paused to breathe at the top. He excused the act to himself by looking at his watch. It was nine o’clock in the morning. There was no sun or promise of sun, although there was not a cloud in the sky.
It was a clear day. However, there seemed to be an indescribable darkness over the face of things. That was because the sun was absent from the sky. This fact did not worry the man. He was not alarmed by the lack of sun. It had been days since he had seen the sun.
There is SO MUCH to examine here when it comes to setting! Students can locate quotes depicting how the setting looks, feels, tastes, sounds, etc. Then, to get students to the next level, have them examine the effect(s) of each description.
Why does the author use the phrase “no sun or promise of sun?”
Why does the author begin with “Day had dawned cold and gray?”
Why does the author claim there was “an indescribable darkness?”
Afterward, students can create images for this chunk based on the evidence. Textual evidence is key!
2. Character Development
I love focusing on characterization when I teach. I usually require students to focus on one or two characters and dive deeply into how they develop throughout the text. In Jack London’s To Build a Fire Short Story, there is so much to examine.
The protagonist and dog do not necessarily change, but a ton happens to them throughout the story. And through this development, we as readers can learn some amazing lessons.
At the start of the story, we experience a bit of foreshadowing:
But all this—the distant trail, no sun in the sky, the great cold, and the strangeness of it all—had no effect on the man. It was not because he was long familiar with it. He was a newcomer in the land, and this was his first winter.
Ask your students, what can we learn about the protagonist based on this description? What can we predict might happen? What evidence proves your ideas?
Partway through the story, we get another gander at this character’s development or lack thereof:
What was a little frost? A bit painful, that was all. It was never serious.
Empty as the man’s mind was of thoughts, he was most observant.
Even though the situation is becoming increasingly dire, how does the character respond? Why? What diction/evidence supports your assertions?
After you have read the entire To Build a Fire short story, you might ask students for the following:
- Paragraph Response: How has the character changed or developed? Use at least two pieces of evidence for your ideas.
- Character Visual: What does the character look like? What evidence supports your ideas? Include at least 4 pieces of textual evidence.
- Journal Entry: If the character had lived, what might he say to someone like him on a new journey into the wilderness? Craft your advice based on the story.
When students can hyper-focus on characterization and evidence with a skills-based activity as the assessment, it makes the learning process much easier and streamlined!
3. 1-Sentence Summaries Activity
Choosing chunks or specific excerpts to examine more closely while reading is a great way to practice some summarizing skills! I personally enjoy writing one-sentence summaries or gist statements; however, I always require evidence.
Here is an excerpt near the beginning of the To Build a Fire short story:
As he turned to go on, he spat speculatively. There was a sharp, explosive crackle that startled him. He spat again. And again, in the air, before it could fall to the snow, the spittle crackled. He knew that at fifty below spittle crackled on the snow, but this spittle had crackled in the air.
Undoubtedly it was colder than fifty below—how much colder he did not know. But the temperature did not matter. He was bound for the old claim on the left fork of Henderson Creek, where the boys were already. They had come over across the divide from the Indian Creek country, while he had come the roundabout way to take a look at the possibilities of getting out logs in the spring from the islands in the Yukon. He would be in to camp by six o’clock; a bit after dark, it was true, but the boys would be there, a fire would be going, and a hot supper would be ready.
As for lunch, he pressed his hand against the protruding bundle under his jacket. It was also under his shirt, wrapped up in a handkerchief and lying against the naked skin. It was the only way to keep the biscuits from freezing. He smiled agreeably to himself as he thought of those biscuits, each cut open and sopped in bacon grease, and each enclosing a generous slice of fried bacon.
1-SENTENCE SUMMARY
Ex. The man is taking this journey to reach Henderson Creek, but it is becoming even colder.
TEXTUAL EVIDENCE
Ex. “how much colder he did not know”
Ex. “He was bound for the old claim on the left fork of Henderson Creek, where the boys were already”
Reading through the To Build a Fire short story has never been easier when you take the time to summarize!
4. Man vs. Dog Comparison/Contrast
One easy way to get students involved is through a simple yet effective comparison/contrast organizer. They can compare and contrast the man and the dog from Jack London’s “To Build a Fire.” Use evidence from the beginning, middle, and end of the To Build a Fire short story.
After students have researched and written down their evidence, they can show what they have learned in several ways:
- Answer the question in a paragraph or two response: What does the evidence reveal about the relationship between humans and animals? Use evidence to support your ideas.
- Write the story from the dog’s point of view: In at least one page, write the To Build a Fire short story from the dog’s perspective. Make sure to reference major events in the story.
- Visualize the Dog vs. the Man: Split a page in half and ask students to create a visual for each based on the beginning, middle, or end of the story. Your or their choice!
5. Comprehension & Discussion Questions
While I would love it if all students would participate in a class discussion, many may not feel comfortable with that. Instead, you could provide questions for students to discuss in small groups or pairs.
You might ask open-ended questions, basic comprehension questions, or both, depending on your students’ needs, after they have read London’s To Build a Fire short story.
Here are several questions you might offer:
- What is the man’s initial attitude towards the setting?
- How does the man’s attitude change throughout the story?
- What universal ideas does the story relay?
- What message or messages is the author conveying to the reader/audience?
- How is the dog similar or different from the man? Why?
- What is the mood of the story? How does it change?
- How might you characterize the man in the story?
- What are three major events in the To Build a Fire short story? Why are they important?
- What happens at the end of the story? What can it teach us?
Students might also create their own questions with question stems; it is up to you and where they are at in their comprehension and analytical abilities. I find students are WAY MORE capable than we sometimes may preconceive based on a previous class or test.
6. Test Prep Quiz
Instead of frenzied test prep practice a month or two before the state test, I prefer integrating test prep questions and answers throughout the year. Traditionally, those students who do better on standardized tests will practice in some way when it comes to how the test functions, the types of questions asked, the formats of the answers, etc.
I am also a HUGE believer in using higher-level classic literature to get students to make huge strides throughout the year. By incorporating 5, 10, or 20 reading test prep questions and answers for varied texts like plays, novels, poems, articles, and short stories, my students greatly benefit. NO ONE wants to read only nonfiction news articles all the time.
Here are 2 sample questions and answers from my To Build a Fire short story quiz pack!
STRUCTURE
Which 2 details about the man create tension in the plot?
□His rejection of the old men’s advice
□The wisdom of the man bundling up for the trip
□His awareness of the dangers of walking on thin ice
□His wisdom in bringing the dog along as a trusty companion
□His indecisiveness regarding taking a friend with him on this trip
□His doubtfulness in the face of his journey through the wild of Alaska
TONE
How does the man’s tone towards the old men change?
A. It shifts from agreeable to angry to humble.
B. It shifts from delighted to uncertain to furious.
C. It shifts from peaceful to conceited to annoyed.
D. It shifts from dismissive to arrogant to accepting.
Get a test prep quiz as well as short story activities for a week in this teaching resource for the To Build a Fire short story!
Jack London’s To Build a Fire Short Story Resources
This Jack London’s To Build a Fire Short Story Lesson Bundle contains 20 reading test prep QUESTIONS and ANSWERS modeled after various standardized tests as well as ENGAGING and RIGOROUS reading and writing activities! Make analyzing this classic short story STRESS-FREE!
One of the things I struggle with the most is preparing my students for all kinds of exams that they will encounter. With this EASY-TO-USE bundle, you can practice with your students so they will feel more confident analyzing short stories and preparing for state assessments. Use for pull-outs, push-ins, whole groups, small groups, or sub-plans to aid in differentiation!
Give yourself a breath of fresh air with this NO PREP curriculum that integrates test prep as you teach London’s To Build a Fire short story! Just PRINT and TEACH!
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