102 pages • 3 hours read
Carl HiaasenA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
The ivory-billed woodpecker is a symbol that supports many of the ideas that Skink—No Surrender is trying to convey. Why would Hiaasen choose a bird that many believe to be extinct? What feelings and ideas might most readers associate with the ivory-billed woodpecker in this story? To formulate your response, consider these questions:
Teaching Suggestion: This prompt asks students to consider how several related aspects of the text all work together to suggest the complex meaning of the woodpecker. Because students often mistakenly believe that a symbol represents a single idea, it may be helpful to clarify in advance that successful symbols have multiple layers of meaning. There are many potential “correct” answers to each question in this prompt, and if you choose to have students respond in writing, students may benefit from an opportunity to share their ideas afterward.
By Carl Hiaasen