Synopsis:
Threatened is a young adult/adventure novel about an orphan named Luc who has lost everyone close to him but gains a new and unexpected family as he sets off on a journey into the jungles of Gabon.
4. Rationale for Use in the English Classroom (where/how it would “fit”, complement to other English Language Arts content, etc.)
Scholars would choose the protagonists from Eliot Schrefer’s books and write letters that those characters might exchange, describing their animal friends and what happened because of their connections with the animals. The exchange, which should include at least six letters total, should draw on events in the books and characteristics of the protagonists. Have students share their letters in small groups.
- National Book Award Finalist
- Green Earth Book Award
Before-Reading Activity:
Introduce the book by researching a variety of endangered species. Examine traits of individuals within a population of organisms that may give them an advantage in survival and reproduction in given environments or when the environments change. Present findings, citing ways that the endangered animals’ traits give them survival advantages and/or disadvantages.
During-Reading Activities:
Scholars will describe the effect of environmental changes on populations of organisms when their adaptive characteristics put them at a disadvantage for survival. Describe how extinction of a species can ultimately result from a disadvantage.
After-Reading Activity:
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Does saving wild animals justify the use of counterfeit money and cheating local people?
2. What can we do to help children such as Luc, who are orphaned by AIDS? (See organization references in the back of the book.)
3. Would you be able to survive in the jungle? Why or why not?
4. Do you think the professor was a real professor? Or was he “counterfeiting” his education? Why or why not? Can you cite evidence from the text?
Recommended Resources:
Free ebooks, App Download
http://www.rarshare.com/threatened-by-eliot-schrefer-pdf/
Eliot Scherefer
http://www.eliotschrefer.com/
Good Reads
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18222541-threatened
Book Page
https://bookpage.com/reviews/16213-eliot-schrefer-threatened#.VwvEppwrJdg
Barnes & Noble
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/threatened-eliot-schrefer/1116157493
Connections to Other Content Areas/Disciplines:
There are two subject areas where this book fit and that the English teacher could collaborate to teach the book with; that would be the Social Studies teacher and the Science teacher.
