Guardians of the Taiga: Wild Rescuers, Book 1
What's included
6 live meetings
4 hrs 30 mins in-class hoursHomework
1-2 hours per week. Reading 3 chapters per week , please read chapters 1-3 for the first lesson. Week 1 - Chapters 1-3 Week 2 - Chapters 4-6 Week 3 - Chapters 7-10 Week 4 - Chapters 11-13 Week 5 - Chapters 14-16 Week 6 - Chapters 17-20Class Experience
US Grade 4 - 5
New York Times bestseller! Stacy was raised by wolves. She’s never needed humans to survive and, from what she sees of humans, they’re dangerous and unpredictable. For as long as she can remember, Stacy’s pack of six powerful, playful wolves—Addison, Basil, Everest, Noah, Tucker and Wink—have been her only family. Together, Stacy’s pack patrols the forest to keep other animals safe, relying on her wits and each wolf’s unique abilities to accomplish risky rescue missions. But as the forest changes and new dangers begin lurking, are Stacy and the wolves prepared for the perils that await them? This class will have a weekly reading assignment and then meet to discuss the book (learners will need their own copy) - we will discuss themes, setting, sequencing, use prediction, learn new vocabulary, study writing techniques and analyse the text. This class will use a collaborate board on Nearpod for class interaction and participation and fun quizzes on Kahoot! for our reading comprehension activities. This book has a reading age of Grades 3-7 Review from Booklist: “Filled with thunderous action, this first entry in the Wild Rescuers series reads like an episode from Hinojosa’s (aka StacyPlays) YouTube series, Dogcraft…. With a fast pace likely to appeal to gamers, this series starter will leave readers anxiously awaiting the next instalment.”
Learning Goals
Educational Value
The story, transplanted from the Minecraft world, uses some of its terminology (e.g., "biome") and passes along knowledge about biology, ecosystems. The brainy narrator unapologetically uses an advanced vocabulary, ranging from "Rube Goldberg" to "theodolite," then thoughtfully includes a glossary at the end of the book where she explains words she thinks you might not know. Including "taiga: a northern subarctic forest primarily composed of coniferous trees including pine, fir, and spruce."
Positive Messages
Strong messages about friendship, loyalty, steadfastness, clever problem-solving, a love for reading, writing, and learning, and respect for nature.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Parents need to know that Guardians of the Taiga is the first volume of a new book series based on the popular Minecraft-inspired Dogcraft adventures and YouTube videos of StacyPlays, aka Stacy Hinojosa, and featuring characters based on the author and her own dogs. You need to suspend disbelief a bit here -- the story involves a girl raised by wolves in a world strongly resembling our own, who manages a pretty high level of education and standard of living while rescuing forest critters from hair-raising perils -- but the story hits a lot of sweet spots, especially for animal-loving kids and their parents. As the title suggests, there's a lot of information about nature and how ecosystems work, as well as a brainy narrator who doesn't talk down to her readers, includes a lot of vocabulary (such as "taiga") that might be new to them, and thoughtfully provides a glossary to explain it all at the end.
Common sense media rating :
Violence & Scariness
Several rescues involve scary situations, like caves and molten lava. Wolves killing livestock leads to trouble. Animals are killed and injured by various means, from hunters to forest fires. Stacy was injured and lost her parents in a past incident she can't remember.
Supply List
Learners will need their own copy of the book, in any format.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
- Nearpod
- Kahoot!
Teacher expertise and credentials
Non-US Teaching Certificate in English to Speakers of Other Languages
Bachelor's Degree in English from University of Northampton
I have a BA (Hons) degree in English and a Teaching Literacy Diploma for Primary and Secondary Schools. I am a qualified English Language teacher with TEFL and am currently studying a Masters Degree in English.
Reviews
Live Group Class
$60
for 6 classes1x per week, 6 weeks
45 min
Completed by 7 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 9-11
2-9 learners per class