Book Detail

Moby-Dick

Publication Information
Author:  Melville, Herman/Needle, Jan Illustrator:  Benson, Patrick
Title:  Moby-Dick Date:  2006
Publisher:  Candlewick Press City:  Cambridge, MA
ISBN, paperback:  978-0-7636-3018-8 ISBN, hardback:  

Recommended audience:
ABE/ABLE:   Yes ESOL:  
Family:   Young Adult:  
Picture:  

General Information:
Book Type(s):    fiction

HSE Descriptor(s):    language arts - reading

Summary:
Melville's classic tale of Ahab's obsessive hunt for the great white whale Moby Dick is retold in a format that includes excerpts from the original, summarized passages (each in a different type face), a very helpful glossary, a labeled cross-section of the whaling ship, and exquisite pencil and ink drawings that capture the dangerous voyage. Because the long story includes difficult vocabulary and archaic speech, it is recommended for advanced readers or as a read aloud.

Teaching Ideas:
Teachers may want to introduce the book by reading some passages aloud. In preparation for reading _Moby Dick_, students can read more about ships and whaling from the books in the Eureka Thematic Collection on whaling and in the Online Resources section of the Mystic Seaport web site which offers a variety of visual information. Creating a timeline would help readers keep track of characters and events and following the voyage on a map would help visualize the distance traveled. Since Melville often referred to Bible passage, readers could chose one to research and explain to the class(e.g. Elijah, Rachel, the prophecy of Fedallah). Since the sea is almost a character in the tale, readers can collect descriptions as they read to add to a class list. Readers can discuss how and why the narrator survived. Readers could also discuss the issues involved in whaling today.

Teaching Strategies:
bullet Clustering
   http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/clustering.pdf
bullet Matrices or Charts
   http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/matrices_charts.pdf
bullet Reader's Theater
   http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/readers_theater.pdf
bullet Save the Last Word for Me (Adaptation)
   http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/adapt_save_last_word.pdf
bullet Think-Pair-Share
   http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/think_pair_share.pdf

Keywords: select any link below for a list of resources which also have that keyword
bullet Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > fear
bullet History > time period > 19th Century
bullet Literature and Language > figurative language > imagery
bullet Literature and Language > figurative language > metaphor
bullet Literature and Language > literature > classics
bullet Literature and Language > literature > Moby Dick
bullet Geography > environment > ocean
bullet History > topic > journeys/voyages
bullet Work > occupations > fishing


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