Old Yeller Powerpoint

Old Yeller By: Fred Gipson, 1957

Old YellerAuthor: Fred Gipson, 1956Unit Presentation by Nicole Jenny & Willard JohnstonSUMMARYSet in the Texas farmland of the 1860s, Fred Gipson tells the story of Old Yeller, a dog who wins over the heart of the storys narrator, 14 year-old Travis Coates.

SUMMARYThe novel begins with Travis being entrusted to take care of the household by his father while away on a cattle drive. A yellow dog, who comes to the house uninvited, steals food from the family, and Travis, irritated by this rascal, does not want the dog around. His little brother, Arliss puts up a fight though, and the mother allows Arliss to keep the dog.

Travis, initially not fond of Yeller, grows to care for him over time, after Yeller helps him hunt game, and protects the family from danger on several occasions.

When the rightful owner comes to claim the dog, little Arliss throws another fit, and, after seeing how much Yeller means to the family, the owner agrees to let them keep him, in exchange for a delicious, hot meal prepared by the mother.

After Yeller gets in a fight with a wolf that is infected with rabies, Travis is forced to kill their beloved dog, as he would pose too much of a risk to the family.

Old Yeller did have puppies with one of the family friends dogs, so they take one in. This helps Travis and the family to move past Yellers death, and to begin anew.

Elements of Lesson Plans and ActivitiesSome of the activities we have included in this unit are an anticipation guide (to be given before and after reading the book), quizzes, journal entries, and a final test. The movie will also be shown on the last day.Discussion is led by the teacher on the first day, as an introduction to the novel, and to find out what is already known about its title and the main theme of animal loyalty.

On the first day of the unit, the teacher begins reading Chapter One. Then, students alternate reading aloud on the second chapter, and the third is read independently. A few of the chapters are given as homework, in order to have a little more class time to do activities, and also so that students can identify vocabulary words they want to find out about and discuss.Mid-week, students will be given a hand-out on information regarding how people lived in the 1860s. They will also be asked to explain how they would feel and what they would do in response to a question on the board. This will be in regards to the related time period, written in their journals, and graded with a scoring rubric.The test is given on the last day, followed by a quick discussion of the anticipation guides to see if any one changed their minds after reading. Lastly, the movie will be shown to wrap up the remainder of class time.