Story Summary: 

Where the Red Fern Grows is a story of loyalty and the "deepest kind of love" between Billy Colman and his beloved dogs. Billy wanted hunting dogs so much he referred to it as "dog-wanting disease." However, he was from a poor family without extra money to spend. Through his sheer determination and hard work, he can save enough money to get two pups, Little Ann and Old Dan. Together the trio become inseparable and become well known in the Ozark foothills for their exceptional "coon-hunting" skills. Their teamwork helps them win a local coon-hunting championship including a cash prize that later helps their destitute family. Unfortunately, the dog's remarkable hunting skills lead them into a dangerous encounter with a mountain lion. In the ultimate act of saving Billy's life, Old Dan suffers fatal wounds and Little Ann, lost without her companion later dies. Billy must then come to terms with the devastating loss of his loyal friends that he only begins to understand when he sees "the red fern grow."

Perfect for guided reading, literature circles, or a full novel study unit, this resource builds comprehension, vocabulary, critical thinking, and cross‑curricular connections.

Learning Expectations: The students will:

• develop an appreciation for the loyalty and love often demonstrated by an animal to its
• have an insight into the lifestyle of people living in the Ozarks in the early 1900's.
• have the opportunity to read an adventure story.
• develop and reinforce many new and previously learned reading and writing
• become aware of the values of hard work and its 

Introduction includes:

• Teacher Notes
  • Learning Expectations
  • Summary of the Story
  • Author Biography
  • Other Books Written by the Author
• Teacher Input Suggestions    

Chapter Discussion Questions

• These chapter discussion questions can be completed together as a whole‑class conversation or assigned for independent student work. Students will need a workbook or dedicated response pages to record their answers.
• Answer Key 

Novel Extension Activities 

Creative Writing Skills

These creative writing tasks extend students’ understanding of Where the Red Fern Grows while strengthening narrative, descriptive, and functional writing skills. Each activity connects directly to themes, events, or characters in the novel and encourages students to write in a variety of forms—including legends, descriptive paragraphs, classified ads, news reports, autobiographical narratives, and advice letters. Teachers may guide these activities through modeled writing, shared writing, or independent practice. Students will need a workbook or writing pages to draft, revise, and publish their responses.

Spelling Activities

These spelling activities reinforce vocabulary from Where the Red Fern Grows while strengthening phonics, word analysis, and written expression. Each chapter‑aligned list introduces meaningful words from the novel, followed by comprehension tasks, sentence writing, and creative prompts that help students apply spelling in context. Teachers may use these activities for weekly spelling practice, literacy centers, or independent work. Students will need a workbook or response pages to complete the exercises.

Word Study Activities

The word study section builds deeper vocabulary understanding through matching tasks, synonym and antonym practice, decoding activities, adjective work, and context‑based comprehension. Each activity connects directly to events and language in the novel, helping students expand their descriptive vocabulary and strengthen critical reading skills. These tasks can be used for small‑group instruction, literacy rotations, or independent practice, with student responses recorded in a workbook.

Art Activities

These art activities provide creative, hands‑on opportunities for students to visualize key scenes, themes, and symbols from the novel. Projects include scratch art, collage self‑portraits, papier‑mâché relief, mapmaking, and mobile creation. Each activity encourages artistic expression while reinforcing comprehension of the story’s setting, characters, and emotional moments. Teachers may use these as whole‑class projects or choice‑based art centers. Students will need art materials and a workspace to complete their creations.

Math Activities

The math activities integrate numeracy skills with themes from Where the Red Fern Grows, offering real‑world applications through budgeting, ratios, classification, and problem‑solving. Students explore general store purchases, wilderness supply planning, Venn diagrams, ratios, and fraction decoding. These tasks support cross‑curricular learning and can be used during math blocks, enrichment periods, or independent practice. Students will need a workbook or math journal to show their work.

Research Activities

These research tasks deepen students’ understanding of the novel’s historical, geographical, and scientific context. Students investigate the Ozarks, raccoons, mountain lions, forest ecosystems, dog breeds, and canine contests. Each activity builds inquiry skills, encourages the use of nonfiction sources, and strengthens connections between the novel and real‑world knowledge. Teachers may assign these as independent research, group projects, or extension activities. Students will need a workbook or research pages to record findings.  

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