The Secret of the Seal
Author: Deborah Davis
Illustrations:  Judy Labrasca
Section1 p 1-31
    This story begins with a small Inuit boy, Kyo, that is out to hunt seals.  He falls asleep waiting for seal and wakes up to a seal watching him.  Seeing that he seal was not scared of him he put down his harpoon and named the seal Tooky just before he dives back into the water.  He begins to get curious how the seal can stay under water so long.  Kyo continues to visit with his seal friend for a few days and learns about the seals breathing by watching them sleep. One day Kyo’s uncle came for a visit.  His Uncle is from a city that is paying good money for a seal that will live in the zoo.  The Uncle plans to catch a seal and take it back to the zoo.  Kyo tries to keep his Uncle from catching the seals and especially his friend, Tooky, by not taking him to the fishing hole that Kyo met Tooky.  Kyo misses his friend and during the night goes to visit the fishing hole.  The next morning Kyo wakes up and sees that his uncle has already gone searching and is heading towards Tooky’s hole.  Kyo hops on the snowmobile and races to his uncle only to see him shoot Tooky with a tranquilizer.  When the seal appears to stop breathing they let Kyo in the cage.  Kyo knows that the animal is not dead and waits for it to wake up.  When Tooky wakes up he lets the seal loose.  The next morning the Uncle left with no seal.

Word Wizard
Your job today is to find 4 words that are essential to the meaning of the story, or other unknown words.  Follow these steps when recording your words:
1- Word page and paragraph #
2- Sentence used in text
3- Definition
4- Part of Speech
5- Your own sentence using the word

With 2 of these four words you will put on a note card:
On the Front:
Word
(page # and paragraph # in corner)
On the Back:
Define
Part of speech
The sentence the with word from the text
Your own sentence using the word
Illustrate the word.

1- cove p. 1, par. 1
2- “The settlement houses were small specks on the cove behind him when Kyo saw the hole in the ice.”
3-  small bay or inlet
4-  noun
5-  Lets go swimming in the cove.
 
1- eager p. 1, par. 2
2- “Although he was eager to see the hole close up, he moved cautiously.”
3-  wanting very much; anxious
4-  adjective
5-  I am eager for summer so I can go swimming.

1- harpoon p. 1, par.2
2- “Every few steps he tested the strength of the snow-covered ice with his harpoon.”
3-  a spear with a barb at one end and a cord attached to the shaft.  It is used for spearing whales or other sea animals.
4-  noun
5-  To hunt for seals you need a harpoon
 
1- baffled p. 3, par. 3
2- “Baffled by her fearlessness, Kyo heaved the sharp weapon into a mound of snow.”
3-  to confuse in order to keep from understanding or solving; to puzzle
4-  verb
5-  This crime has the police baffled.

Discussion Director
Your job today is to generate 5 meaningful questions and answers that will motivate group discussion.  You will want to use different types of questions like: Fact & Opinion, Multiple Choice End of Grade, Problem/Solution, Sequence, Prediction, Cause & Effect.  Good Questions begin with: Who, What, When, Where, Why, How, Tell, and Describe.  Each question must have a page# and paragraph# of where the answer can be found in the text.

1. Q: Why did Kyo say that he could never be a seal?
A:  Because he cannot stay underwater as long as they can.  (p.4&5)

2. Q: Kudlah, Kyo’s father, wants Kyo to kill a seal, do you think that he will kill Tooky? Why or Why not?
A:  I think that Kyo finds Tooky interesting and does not want to kill it. (p. 5 par. 4)

3. Q: Why did Kyo not want to eat dinner with his uncle?
A: Because the thought of his uncle hunting and killing Tooky made him loose his appetite.  (p. 16, par. 4)

4. Q: Why did Kyo get in the cage for the seal?
A: To see how strong it was.  To see if Tooky could break out.  He was putting himself in the seal’s position to understand what it felt like. (p.22, par. 4)

5. Q:  Was did Kyo not tell the truth about the fishing hole to his uncle?
A:  To keep him away from Tooky. (p.25, par.3)

Character Sketcher
Your job is to create and illustrate a character map of a character.  You are to use at least three words that describe the character you choose.  For each word, or character trait, you will prove or give an example from the text.  You will also identify the character goals, problem and solution (or possible solution) for that section of reading. Finally you will make a visual illustration of your character.
 
Kyo
Character Traits
Patient (p.2, par.3) Because he waited in an uncomfortable position for a seal
Curious (p.4, par.1) Tooky is wondering why the seals can stay under water so long enough to ask both his mother and father
Playful (p.9, par.5) Kyo and Tooky are wrestling

Problem:  Uncle wants to hunt for seals
Solution:  Keep uncle away from Tooky’s hole
Goal:  To keep Uncle from catching Tooky

Passage Picker
Today your job is to find 4 passages in the text that are significant and/or descriptive and lead the group into discussion through questioning and stating the author's purpose for the passage. Follow the steps below:
1.    Pick out a passage you would like to share.
2.    Write down the page and paragraph number.
3.    Write down the first two words and the last two words of your passage.
4.    Write down the reason you chose the passage, and explain why
5.    Ask a question about your passage, and give an answer.
6.    Write down the Author’s Purpose:  To Describe, To Entertain, To Inform, or To Persuade.
Look for passages that are: Descriptive and Informative.

1- Passage #1
2- p.3, par.2
3- “The sun…silver hilltop.”
4- Descriptive simile
5- Q: Use a simile to describe a part of your body.
    A:  My hair is as straight as a stick
6- To Describe

1- Passage #2
2- p.9, par. 5
3- “Kyo draped…fell off.”
4- It was a good description of the relationship between Kyo and Tooky
5- Q: What does this tell you about the relationship between Kyo and Tooky?
     A:  They are both playful and nit afraid of each other
6- To describe

1- Passage #3
2- p.20, par.7
3- “I never…they want.”
4- It shows that the Uncle does not think about the seal’s side of the deal.
5- Q: Do you think that Tooky would like living in a cage?
     A: No, I think that Tooky would rather have to find his food in the ocean than be fed in a cage in the zoo.
6- To inform

1- Passage #4
2- p22, par.4
3- “Kyo sat…the house.”
4- It shows that Kyo has empathy for the seal that Uncle catches.
5- Q: Why did Kyo get in the cage?
    A:  To see how strong it was, and if the seal could get out.
6- To describe

Investigator
Your job as investigator is to find more information about the topic from different sources and share the information with the group.  Look up information on: seals and seal hunting.