Reading Schedule for The Yearling
W
e will use a rather non-conventional method of studying this novel. Since the story is set
in the Florida Scrub (Ocala and Cross Creek areas) and begins in April and ends a year
later in April, following the Florida seasons with descriptions that may seem familiar to you—
heat, hurricanes, mild winters, etc., I’d like for us to follow that timeline. Thus we can
experience, with Jody and with the environment, a year’s worth of growth and change.
Sixth grade students will begin the novel in April and will finish in April of their seventh-grade
year according to this flexible schedule: The months listed for our readings are the months for
the setting in the text.
(
April, May—Chapters 1 though as far as you can get before school ends
( Mrs. Harrell will read the first couple of chapters aloud to get you going as 6th graders)
June—Read through chapter 13 for summer reading and return as 7th graders to finish the novel)
(chaps 14 and 15 will be read aloud by Mrs. Harrell in class when you return in August)
July, August—Chapters 16-18 (after Mrs. Harrell has read 14-15)
September—Chapters 19-21
November—Chapters 22-24 (field trip to Ocala National Forest)
December—Chapters 25-27
January—Chapter 28
February—Chapter 29
March, April—Chapters 30-33
(These will be read aloud by Mrs. Harrell as we finish our 7th grade year)
(field trip to MKR homesite in April)
The field trip will culminate our reading, but MKR recipes can be sampled all year long!
We may try some unusual poetic renderings of some of her recipes if inspiration strikes.
Hopefully, in 8th grade we can prepare a MKR pot luck lunch based on some of the foods
we read about and learn how to prepare.
NB I imagine some of you will just have to read the whole novel at once. I won’t stop you.
Just be sure you keep good notes so you can have useful recall for discussions.
Activities for The Yearling
1. Get the novel and set up your notebook pages or on-line folder for the study. *
2. As you read, make notes on points 1-8 from your Yearling Overview page or
from other stems, questions, or guidelines available. You may wrote notes in your
personal copy of the novel, make notes on Post-its, or write notes on in an electronic folder.*
3. Participate in class discussions by listening and by contributing your insights *
4. Do any journaling, group activities, and short writings as provided in class *
5. Field trip to Ocala National Forest to hike the Yearling Trail, observe, learn, and have fun
6. Field trip to Cross Creek in April—tour of MKR home, grounds, plant identification hike,
photo essay, picnic, play
7. Watch the DVD of Cross Creek (in class 6th)
8. Watch the DVD of The Yearling and complete viewing guidesheet (in class 7th)
9 .Look over recipes and vocabulary words. Plan to bring in Rawlings food, if possible.
10. Fill in the Categories chart as you read *
11.Write any poems, songs, descriptive pieces, or ponderings you are inspired or assigned to
do as you read. These may be based on characters, plot, setting, ideas, symbols. etc.
Transformation poems, diamantes, opposites, bio-poems, sensory poems, pantoums, found
poems work well here.
12. Read another one of MKR’s novels, short stories, or her autobiographical Cross Creek
if you wish—or any other Yearling related book from our classroom that I can suggest
(Jason and Elihu is a good choice.
13. Choreograph and perform a Dance of the Cranes
14. Write an Ode the Sinkhole
15. Write and perform a Forresters’ “Midnight Rock out Song” (you will of course, not be naked)
(perhaps the Blue Grass band could help)
16. Draw one of the great descriptive passages
17. Set one of the main plot events to music that you think fits it. Play the music you chose
in class and explain the connection you made.
18.Jody made a fluttermill and a necklace (and probably other toys) out of natural products.
Try your hand at this.
The items marked with * are “must do” items. Please choose at least two of the other items
to do excellently based on your talent and preferences. You may do more for extra credit. Many
of these activities are fun to do and fit your talents and could be Antholio pieces. All Yearling work
must be completed by the end of our study in 7th grade, but it’s a good idea to turn in writings
and projects as you finish them. I’ll check on your notes from time to time, but I’ll know what you
are doing by your class participation.
Naturally, our other activities, projects and lessons (Twain, Shakespeare, vocab and words,
writing, etc) will continue as we read the novel, but we are able to handle multiple tasks.
In fact, we may be amazed at the way various activities and ideas juxtapose and merge together.