Frightful's Mountain, by Jean Craighead George, is the third book in the "Mountain" series which also includes My Side Of The Mountain and On The Far Side Of The Mountain.

The adventures in the book are told from the point of view of the main character, a peregrine falcon named Frightful.  Read to find out if Frightful will find, "...one mountain among thousands, one hemlock tree among millions, and one boy who called himself Sam Gribley."

 Read about Ms. George and her other books by clicking here.

Read our book reviews here.

 

Student Tasks ~

Before you begin the journey through this book you will set up a Literary Response Log.  Set all your papers up with a proper heading and as you would for Cornell Notes.

On page 1 of your Response Log ~ write your thoughts about these preview questions.
      What do I already know about Peregrine Falcons?
      What do I want to find out about Peregrine Falcons?
      How do I think this fiction book is going to help me learn about Peregrines?

On page 2 of your Response Log ~ take some notes about the author, Jean Craighead George.

GETTING INTO THE BOOK: 
First, it is always a good idea to research (and take notes on) the subject of the book ~ in this case Peregrine Falcons.  This will give you some background knowledge before reading.  Use the links below to find information on Peregrines.  Your notes will be pages 3, 4, ... of you Response Log.

Falcon Facts 
 More Falcon Facts
Peregrine Falcon Fact Sheet

Falcon Chicks
The Peregrine Falcon
Peregrine Biology
Peregrine Falcon
Fastest Bird in the Air
Peregrines of Morro Rock (CA)
Santa Cruz (CA) Peregrine Research
 

Next, discover the Catskill Mountains ~ the setting of Frightful's Mountain ~ yes, it is a real place!  (Your notes on the setting will be the pages following your falcon research - number accordingly.)
Catskill Center ~ look at The Region, The Photo Gallery, and take a Virtual hike or two Photo Gallery
History of the Catskills
Catskill Forest Preserve
Description of the Catskills

THROUGH THE BOOK:
Now, reserve a few pages for new vocabulary words / definitions you learn in the book.  This book is full of rich vocabulary such as: endowed, ravenously, cupola, agitated, deluge, eyases, brood, aerie...

Finally, as you read, you will comment on elements such as:  character development, setting, predictions, the writer's style, interesting passages that grab your attention, and any questions that the reading may spark ~ about the story's plot; about falcons in general; about Ms. George's writing ... what ever interests you.  Sometimes you will have an assigned response prompt, sometimes you will self-select your response.  Your papers will look like this.

While we are reading the book we will also take part in live book chats with students from Trinity Catholic Elementary School in Columbus, Ohio.

 

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With this season's predictions
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Falcon Watch 2004

Falcon Watch 2005

 

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© 2006 by Lynne Harvey
Rolling Hills Elementary
Poway Unified School District
San Diego, Ca.