The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Teachit Primary · The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain Finding a den Read the passage and answer the questions. Use quotes from the

T E ACH ER N OT E S

The Adventures of

Huckleberry FinnBy Mark Twain

© Puffin Books 2015 22099 Page 1 of 16www.teachitprimary.co.uk

Background to the novelHuckleberry Finn is a boy of 13 or 14 living in Midwestern America between 1835 & 1845. This book is the sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer but it is not necessary to have read that book to enjoy this one. It was published in 1884 (ie. it was historical when it came out).

The story is narrated in the first person by Huck in an engagingly direct and conversational voice. In the first book he and Tom have come into a large sum of money. Huck’s father is a drunk and much of Huck’s motivation is to stop his father getting hold of – and wasting – the money.

The key themes of the book are the values of society, morality (slavery), loyalty, friendship, being civilised (or sivilised as Huck calls it), promises and the survival of children despite rather than because of adults.

There are some parts of the book where the descriptions are bloodthirsty. The second extract here is not the strongest in the book!

1. Tom Sawyer’s Gang (comprehension)Truth and lies is the topic covered here, based on the money that Huckleberry Finn has hidden. Is he right to do this, or not? This will provide a lively class discussion but the issues may be harder to pin down to clearly defined (and expressed) text.

You will need:

• copies of text 1 – Finding a den

• copies of worksheet 1 – Finding a den

Before reading the passage aloud, present a bit of the background to the novel (see above) to set the scene. Then give copies to the children to read themselves. Discuss any tricky words/phrases before children complete the comprehension exercise.

2. Allegiance (Citizenship/PSHE)You will need:

• copies of worksheet 2 – Allegiance

• make a reference to text 1 – Finding a den

This activity needs to be used within a context of a teacher’s confidence that it will not cause trouble outside the classroom. The notion that a gang is something that can develop in the absence of appropriate belonging needs to be discusssed as well as the need people have to belong. If they do not belong to something in a positive way it can lead to the development of gangs and the severe implications that has for society. Identify the positive power of having a safe identity in a family and how that prevents the need to seek a different kind of group to belong to.

Encourage a dicussion of social groups from political partieis to clubs, families and school teams.

Extension activity: research dangerous gangs from the past and consider the contexts in which they formed and why, as well as the damage that they did.

T E ACH ER N OT E S

The Adventures of



3. Codes You will need:

• copies of worksheet 3 – Codes (first page)

• access to research material on codes

Decide how far you want to take the coding activity and utilise the subsequent pages accordingly. Discuss what a code is and why they might be needed.

The first page asks the children to create a code word and gesture (eg handshake) and then to develop a written code. There are frames on the following pages for developing their own codes and deciphering messages using keys.

Extension activity: research the use of codes during WWII and/or computer coding.

4. Huck fakes his death. (First person/Third person)You will need:

• copies of text 2 – Huck fakes his death

• copies of worksheet 4 – Huck fakes his death

Here we have the dramatic and rather gory description of Huck killing a pig and laying a false trail to mislead his father into thinking that he has been killed.

Either explain why Huck is doing this before reading the passage or initiate speculation afterwards about what might make this necessary for Huck.

(The two paragraphs are on separate sheets to facilitate differentiation.)

Ensure that they understand who the narrator is and ask them to re-tell the story in their own words but in the third person. There are several ambiguous phrases in the passage providing opportunities for deduction. Encourage debate about these and discuss variations in interpretation that arise.

5. Who is there? (playwrighting) You will need:

• copies of texts to help children use Huck’s ‘voice’

• copies of worksheet 5 – Who is there?

• extra frames for the more prolific writers

Ask the children to imagine that they are living on the island without any adults, and they hear someone land. They write the scene for 4 or 5 characters including Tom & Huck. Remind them about the difference between the written and the spoken word and of Huck’s unusual way of speaking; model some examples of how he might phrase things.

Choose some of the plays to perform in groups and get the children to appoint a director for each group.

T E ACH ER N OT E S

The Adventures of



Alternative suggestions for play topics:

• The discussion between the boys about who will take responsibility for what on the island.

• A dispute over food/other scarce resource)

• Missing Home

6 Review You will need:

• copies of worksheet 6 – Review

Encourage children to think about reading more of the book and talk about what they have learned from it.

Curriculum linksHistory• A time line from when the story was set and when it was published to the present would give the

children an idea of the considerable age of the book.

• Look at the huge changes in American life since the period in which the book is set.

• Slavery (see also PSHE).

Geography• The extracts chosen are set in Illinois and Missouri. Locate these places on the map and research the

climate and geography of the area.

• The Mississippi river is a significant element in the story. The children could research the importance of rivers to the development of towns.

PSHE• The texts chosen do not include the word ‘nigger’ or any reference to slavery but they occur frequently

elsewhere in the book. If the group was ready to have the discussion then they could be presented with a debate about the changing way that people refer to each other and the whole debate about exploitation and slavery.

Music• Old Man River

• Other negro spiritual songs

• Chants that the ‘gang’ might develop

Art• The passages present visual images that children could paint or draw.

• The significant river could be a backdrop for group artwork where different people paint/draw/collage various elements of the story.

By Mark Twain


T E X T

The Adventures of

Huckleberry Finn1. Finding a denFrom Chapter 2

Huckleberry Finn has run away from Miss Watson and Widow Douglas who is trying to ‘sivilise’ him. He is with Tom Sawyer.

2. Huck fakes his deathFrom Chapter Seven

Huckleberry Finn has decided to fake his own death so that he can escape his father’s drunken beatings. He kills a hog and uses its hair and blood to make a false trail. He has decided to live below the ferry on Jackson’s Island.

Well, when Tom and me got to the edge of the hill-top, we looked away down into the village and could see three or four lights twinkling, where there was sick folks, maybe; and the stars over us was sparkling ever so fine; and down by the village was the river, a whole mile broad, and awful still and grand. We went down the hill and found Jo Harper, and Ben Rogers, and two or three more of the boys, hid in the old tanyard. So we unhitched a skiff and pulled down the river two mile and a half, to the big scar on the hill-side, and went ashore.

We went to a clump of bushes, and Tom made everybody swear to keep the secret, and

then showed them a hole in the hill, right in the thickest part of the bushes. Then we lit the candles and crawled in on our hands and knees. We went about two hundred yards, and then the cave opened up. Tom poked about amongst the passages and pretty soon ducked under a wall where you wouldn’t a noticed that there was a hole. We went along a narrow place and got into a kind of room, all damp and sweaty and cold, and there we stopped. Tom says:

‘Now we’ll start this band of robbers and call it Tom Sawyer’s Gang. Everybody that wants to join has got to take an oath, and write his name in blood.’

I stood on the bank and looked out over the river. All safe. So I took the gun and went up a piece into the woods and was hunting around for some birds, when I see a wild pig; hogs soon went wild in them bottoms after they had got away from the prairie farms. I shot this fellow and took him into camp.

I took the axe and smashed in the door. I beat it and hacked it considerable, a-doing it. I fetched the pig in and took him back nearly to the table and hacked into his throat with the axe, and laid him down on the ground to bleed – I say

ground, because it was ground – hard packed, and no boards. Well, next I took an old sack and put a lot of big rocks in it – all I could drag – and I started it from the pig and dragged it to the door and through the woods down to the river and dumped it in, and down it sunk, out of sight. You could easy see that something had been dragged over the ground. I did wish Tom Sawyer was there, I knowed he would take an interest in this kind of business, and throw in the fancy touches. Nobody could spread himself like Tom Sawyer in such a thing as that.


WO R K SH EE T 1

The Adventures of


Finding a denRead the passage and answer the questions. Use quotes from the passage to justify your answers.

1 Who is present at the beginning of the passage?

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2 What time of day is it? How do you know?

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3 Describe the river using information from the passage.

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WO R K SH EE T 1

The Adventures of


4 Where do Tom & Huck meet the others?

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5 Use the information given in the first paragraph to work out what a skiff is.

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6 What do you think the big scar on the hillside might be?

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7 Write another phrase that means went ashore.

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WO R K SH EE T 1

The Adventures of


8 Describe in your own words where the boys go after they come ashore.

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9 What does Tom propose that they do?

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10 What is an oath?

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WO R K SH EE T 2

The Adventures of


AllegianceLook up the word allegiance in the dictionary and write down what it means and what its root word is:

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In the passage Huck and Tom create a group with an identity. They call it Tom Sawyer’s Gang. A gang in society can be a bad thing as it suggests that people in it may be violent and that there are some people who are excluded. However the idea that you are part of a club or group who will help each other out is a very important part of society. Write down as many social groups as you can think of.

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What group allegiances do you have? Your class has a name and hopefully you are proud of it and want it to win the house cup this year or whatever your school has like that. Write down the things that you belong to starting with your family/school etc.

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Choose one of the groups above and write down some of the rules or customs that make it special and distinctive.

1.

2.

3.

4.


WO R K SH EE T 3

The Adventures of


Codes Later on in the book The Tom Sawyer Gang develop signals and codes to make sure that only the right people enter the cave.

What would your group’s code word be?

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Think of a secret handshake or gesture that makes doubly sure that you are a member of the right group.

Here is a code-breaking key:

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

z a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y

Use this code to find out what this says:

i f m m p i v d l

Use this code to write a message:

Now develop your own code. You can use letters, numbers or symbols.


WO R K SH EE T 3

The Adventures of


Deciphering frame:


WO R K SH EE T 4

The Adventures of


So I took the gun and went up a piece into

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the woods and was hunting around for some

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

birds, when I see a wild pig; hogs soon went wild

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

in them bottoms after they had got away

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

from the prairie farms. I shot this fellow and

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

took him into camp. I took the axe and smashed

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

in the door. I beat it and hacked it considerable,

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a-doing it. I fetched the pig in and took him

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Huck fakes his deathBetween the printed lines write your own version of what happens but in the THIRD PERSON.

Where there are phrases that are strange write what you think they mean, the first line is done for you.

So he took the gun and went up a little way into


WO R K SH EE T 4

The Adventures of


back nearly to the table and hacked into his throat

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

with the axe, and laid him down on the ground

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

to bleed – I say ground, because it was ground –

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

hard packed, and no boards.

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Well, next I took an old sack and put a lot

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

of big rocks in it – all I could drag – and I

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

started it from the pig and dragged it to the

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

door and through the woods down to the

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

river and dumped it in, and down it sunk,

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................


WO R K SH EE T 4

The Adventures of


out of sight. You could easy see that something

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

had been dragged over the ground. I did wish

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Tom Sawyer was there, I knowed he would

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

take an interest in this kind of business,

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

and throw in the fancy touches. Nobody could

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

spread himself like Tom Sawyer in such a thing as that.

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................


Who is there?You are going to write a play, here are some tips…

In your writing, put the character’s name in the margin with a colon ( : ) beside it to show that the person is speaking. Write stage directions in brackets eg. (he picks up an axe…).

Write in a conversational style; meaning write in a way that people would talk in real life. Read your work out loud as you go along. If it sounds stiff, and not like normal conversation, ask your partner’s advice on how to make it sound more natural.

WO R K SH EE T 5

The Adventures of



WO R K SH EE T 5

The Adventures of



WO R K SH EE T 6

The Adventures of


Reviewing what we have done

Good bits Bad bits

Do you want to read the rest of the book? ...........................................................................................................................................

Why?

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What did you learn from working on this project?

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Can you find all the

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Documents

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Teachit Primary · The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain Finding a den Read the passage and answer the questions. Use quotes from the