Assign this text to deeply engage your students!

Actively Learn provides free ELA, science, and social studies digital content—short stories, primary sources, textbook sections, science articles, novels, videos, and more—and embeds them with assignments aligned to standards for all 50 states that you can assign immediately or customize for your students.

Whether you’re looking for “The Tell-Tale Heart,” The Hate U Give, “The Gettysburg Address,” or current science articles and simulations, Actively Learn is the free go-to source to help you guide your students' growth in critical thinking all year.

Teaching To Build a Fire

To Build a Fire

"To Build a Fire" is the title of two short stories by American author Jack London published in 1902 and 1908. The 1908 story has become an often anthologized classic; the 1902 story describes a similar situation but has a different, less famous plot. The 1908 "To Build a Fire" is an oft-cited example of the naturalist movement that portrays the conflict of man vs. nature. It also reflects what London learned in the Yukon Territory.

Jack London
Public Domain

ESSENTIAL QUESTION:

Is it better to rely on instinct or knowledge to survive?
STANDARDS:
RL.1 - Meaning & Evidence, RL.2 - Main Ideas, RL.3 - Characters & Plot, RL.6 - Point of View

DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE (DOK) LEVELS:

2,3,4
Assign this text to your students for free!