Akers-Pecht 1

Dottie Akers-Pecht
Professor McKenna
EDIS 5710
1 October 2014
This reading guide is intended for a standard level 11th grade American literature class. The text,
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, has a Lexile score of 980L and a Raygor score of
approximately 7. The purpose of this reading guide is to initiate students thinking about
controversial literature, highlight important themes, and provide practice for students in
identifying instances of dialect and characterization techniques.
Source:
Twain, Mark. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.,
1999. Print.
Name __________________
Date ___________________
Getting Started with Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Chapter One Reading Guide
BEFORE READING
RECEPTION OF LITERATURE
1) What do you know about the controversy surrounding Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?
If you havent heard about it, name another book that has been banned or challenged and
tell why it is considered to be controversial.

2) Under what circumstances do you think books should be banned? What benefits exist to
banning a book? In contrast, what harm exists in doing so?

* FUN FACT: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the fourth most banned book in American
schools. Other frequently banned works include William Faulkners As I Lay Dying and F.
Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby, both of which we will read later in the semester.

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THEMES
Use the following scale to decide how strongly you agree or disagree with the following
statements. (For example, if you strongly disagree with a statement, write the corresponding
number 1 beside the question.)
After reading the first chapter of Huckleberry Finn, you will return to this section again and
decide whether the text has changed your mind about any of these themes.
1 Strongly Disagree _____ 2 Disagree _____ 3 Neutral _____ 4 Agree _____ 5 Strongly Agree
1) Literature should contain morals that readers can learn from and adopt in their own lives.
Before:
After:
2) Literature should reflect the truth and should not stretch it.
Before:
After:
3) Its important to learn about historical figures of the past because their stories relate to
our own lives.
Before:
After:
DURING READING
* You may skip the preface in the beginning of the novel, but be sure to read the very short
Notice and Explanatory sections prior to beginning chapter one. Mark Twains
Explanatory on the accents of his characters will be particularly useful in your completion of
the following section on dialect.
DIALECT
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn takes place in Missouri and Mark Twain uses dialect in order to
convey the accents in this region.
In the chart below, list some examples of dialect that you find while you read in the column on
the left. In the right column, provide a translation for what you think it means. Ive found a
couple for you already. Try to fill out the remaining rows on your own.
Example of Dialect
warnt (15)

Translation
Wasnt

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I dont take no stock in dead people (15)

* FUN FACT: When Mark Twain was four, his family moved to Hannibal, Missouri. This town
provided the inspiration for chapter ones fictional setting, St. Petersburg. Much of the dialect
Twain includes in Huckleberry Finn would have been very familiar to him growing up.
CHARACTERIZATION
Choose one of the characters in chapter one and fill out the following graphic organizer. In the
left column, write down an adjective or an attribute describing the character. In the right column,
give a quotation that shows how the character displays this trait.

Characters Name:
Attribute

Textual Evidence

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PLOT
Answer the following questions as you read chapter one of Huckleberry Finn. I have provided
page numbers to help you locate these parts of the text.
1) How did Huck Finn and his friend Tom Sawyer become rich? What does this tell you
about their friendship? (13)

2) What does Huck say that the widow Douglas is going to do with him? How do you think
Huck feels about her plans for him? (13) * Additionally, you can use the illustration on
page 14 to help you determine Hucks feelings for the widow Douglas.

3) What is the Biblical story that the widow Douglas reads to Huck? Is he interested in this
story? Why or why not? (14-15)

4) Where does Miss Watson warn Huck that he will go if he doesnt behave? Does Huck
take her warning seriously? (15-16) * Keep this question in mind for the coming chapters
as well; this theme will crop up again periodically as you read.

5) What do you predict will happen now that Tom Sawyer has arrived to sneak Huck out of
the house? (17)

AFTER READING
Great job! Youre done with the first chapter of Huckleberry Finn. Here are a couple of quick
exercises to help you reflect on what youve just read.

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THEMES
When you are finished with the first chapter of Huckleberry Finn, return to the Themes section in
the Before Reading activities. Rate these comments again using the same number scale as before.
Have any of your opinions changed after reading the first chapter? Why?

CHARACTERIZATION CREATIVE WRITING

Return to the graphic organizer you filled out in the During Reading activities where you listed
attributes about a character of your choice. Imagine that you are this character and write a brief
journal entry in his or her voice. What is a normal day for you like? What are you happy about or
worried about? Who do you interact with?