The Voyage of the Frog

GARY PAULSEN

The Voyage of the Frog

Author Notes

Gary Paulsen

http://www.randomhouse.com/features/garypaulsen/about.html

Chapter 1Pages 1-8

Vocabulary bowsprit pulpit mast boom portholes sheen hull opaque scrabbled cremated hasp

Character Development: Keep a character chart throughout the story.

Setting: Draw a picture of the Frog using details for the story. Label the parts from the vocabulary list.

Conflict: Explain the main conflict in this chapter.

Figurative Language

Chapter 2Pages 9-15

Vocabulary bow lazaret spinnaker trysail stanchion winches jib sustain halyard battens clambered

Character DevelopmentSetting: Continue to add to

your picture of the Frog. ConflictFigurative Language:

OnomatopoeiaDescribe David’s relationship

with his uncle, Owen. Why do you think the author

spends so much time explaining what the Frog looks like?

Chapter 3Pages 16-22

Vocabulary cleated tiller helm knots placid reverence omens

Character DevelopmentSettingConflictFigurative LanguageWhat can you infer when

David mentioned that his uncle always checked the weather before setting sail and that David had not done so this time? Use evidence to help support your thinking.


Vocabulary drudge heed stern phosphoresce

d squall

Character DevelopmentSettingConflictFigurative LanguageList the clues that David has

mentioned that have given him an uneasy feeling regarding his trip out to sea.


Vocabulary wallowed galley frothy resonance scudding

Character DevelopmentSettingConflict: Describe how the

conflict of the story has changed.Figurative Language: Symbol

(storm/weather)Do you believe that David will be

able to survive the storm? On what do you base your thinking?

Why do you think the storm appeared right after David threw his uncle’s ashes overboard?

Chapter 6 Pages 39-48

Vocabulary foundered horrid scow

Character DevelopmentSettingConflict: Now that the storm

has passed, what is the new conflict in the story?

Figurative LanguageHow would you be feeling if

you were David?How do you think his parents

are feeling?


Character DevelopmentSettingConflictFigurative LanguageWhat thinking skills does

David employ to help him in his dire situation?

Explain the saying, “One hand for the sailor, one hand for the ship.”


Vocabulary aggravated gouges detonated endurable

Character DevelopmentSettingConflictFigurative LanguageWhy does David now believe that

knowledge is everything? Explain using evidence from the text.

Make a list of dangers that David needs to be aware of while out at sea. After you have made your list, prioritize the items on it from most important to least important. Explain your top three most important items on the list.


Vocabulary lateral raking becalmed ravenously

Character DevelopmentSettingConflictFigurative LanguageHas David changed since the

beginning of the story? If so, how? Use evidence to support your thinking.


Vocabulary dinghy baleen

Character DevelopmentSettingConflictFigurative LanguageDo you think David’s uncle would

mind David reading the captain’s log book under the circumstances, even though it contains some personal information?

How do you think the log book will impact David’s situation?

Do you think David will be rescued by the oil tanker? Explain your reasoning.


Vocabulary sluiced turbulence

Character DevelopmentSettingConflictFigurative Language: Symbol

(candle/light)How do you think David is

feeling after being so close to being rescued by the oil tanker? What would something like that do to your spirits? Would you give up the will to survive?


Character Development: Describe David’s emotions throughout the chapter. Is he changing? If so, how?

SettingConflict: Has the conflict

changed since the storm ended? If so, how?

Figurative LanguageMake a list of things David

could do while waiting for the wind to come.


Vocabulary frittered contrail burbling

Character DevelopmentSettingConflictFigurative LanguageWhat major change occurs in

this chapter, and how might this change have an impact on David?


Vocabulary tandem

Character DevelopmentSettingConflictFigurative LanguageHow is David coping with his

journey? How do you think his parents are coping?

How did David feel about the killer whales? Was he afraid of them? How would you have felt if you were in his place?


Vocabulary nautical astounding reveled elation

Character DevelopmentSettingConflict: How has the conflict

changed?Figurative LanguageWhere could David possibly be

if he isn’t near Los Angeles or San Diego?

How do you think he must be feeling at this point in time, to know he has found land but not civilization? How would you be feeling?


Character DevelopmentSettingConflictFigurative LanguageWhy do you think David said

that he had never felt so secure in his life, especially when he hasn’t been rescued yet and could still possibly run out of food and water?


Vocabulary putrid vile gingerly flukes

Character DevelopmentSettingConflictFigurative LanguageImagine you are on the boat in

the bay with the pod of whales. Write a poem or a descriptive paragraph using sensory details and figurative language.

Do you think David and the Frog can survive another storm? On what do you base your opinion?


Vocabulary gale prevailing eddy

Character Development Setting Conflict Figurative Language Is it proper for David to call himself the

captain of the Frog? Explain. Would you have made the same decision as

David, to stay with the Frog and not get home for two or three more weeks, or would you have had the whale research ship take you home and be there in three to five days?

Describe how you think David’s parents must be feeling thinking he has died just after Owen? How do you think they will feel once they hear from the captain of the whale research ship? Do you think they would want David to sail home alone after what has transpired?

Novel Projects

Research: Do some research on sailboats and sailing. Write a report to share with your classmates.

Research: Research one of the ocean animals mentioned in the story (orca/killer whale, whale, shark). What types of whales and sharks can be found off the coast of southern California and Baja? Write a report to share with your classmates.

Narrative: Write a series of entries for the Frog’s log book describing David’s journey home after he leaves the whale research ship.

Argument: Imagine you are David. Write a letter to your parents persuading them to let you go sailing again, despite what you and they have suffered through with your last experience. Provide strong reasons to support your request.

Theme: Explain the theme of the story using evidence to support your position.

Documents

The Voyage of the Frog