Woods Runner

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Chapters 1-4

Reading Check

1. Where does Samuel feel most comfortable around his home?

2. What does Isaac bring to Samuel’s home?

3. What is described as the only thing that comes easy for people of the frontier?

4. After finding the round meadow of lush grass, what does Samuel see in the woods?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why is it difficult for news and supplies to reach distant locations in the 18th century?

2. Which two armies are fighting in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts?

3. Why is Samuel concerned about the smoke he sees while wandering the forest?

4. What does Samuel discover when he returns to his settlement? What does he do as a result?

Paired Resource

News Travel in the 18th Century

• This article describes how slowly news traveled after the Declaration of Independence was signed.
• Why did news of the Declaration of Independence travel slowly? Why did information following the assassinations of Lincoln and Kennedy travel quickly?

Life on the Pennsylvania Frontier

• This article describes the hardships of winter on the Pennsylvania frontier and the cultural changes made by the people who settled on the frontier.
• Why were supplies needed to prepare for winter on the frontier in Pennsylvania? What cultures influenced the frontier in Pennsylvania? How is this article related to the novel’s theme of Civilization Versus Wilderness?

Chapters 5-8

Reading Check

1. According to the novel, at what ages did childhood end on the frontier?

2. Whom does Samuel believe may be traveling to the sides of the trail to help the British?

3. What items are the native men carrying when Samuel encounters them by the creek?

4. After seeing the native men by the creek, what does Samuel fight the urge to do?

5. Who attacks the British camp before Samuel has the chance to locate his parents?

6. What is Samuel struck by, causing him to black out?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How does Samuel’s training in the woods allow him to determine what happened while hunting in the forest? How is his knowledge a testament to his training in the woods?

2. According to Samuel, why might the crazy man have been left unharmed in the attack on a nearby village?

Paired Resource

Continental Army

• This article describes the Continental Army and the provisions, numbering, and disadvantages of facing Great Britain’s forces.
• How were colonial soldiers trained during the Revolutionary War? How many colonial soldiers fought in the war and how many died? Why do you think Washington described the defeat of the British army as near-miraculous? How might this article’s content connect to related to the novel’s theme The Difference Between Justified and Gratuitous Violence?

Chapters 9-12

Reading Check

1. During the Revolutionary War, what infection often resulted in amputation for soldiers?

2. Who saves Samuel after he suffers a head wound in battle?

3. Who does Coop blame for the violence of the war?

4. What does Samuel attempt to steal from Annie’s farm?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does the author describe the “American Spirit” as an advantage for the American soldiers?

2. Why were Samuel’s parents spared by the redcoats?

3. Why does Samuel have to look for Annie after his visit?

4. What about Annie’s condition and behavior worries Samuel after he finds her? How is Annie’s predicament related to the novel’s theme of The End of Childhood and Transition to Adulthood?

Paired Resource

“Messed Up Things That Happened During the American Revolution”

• This 12-minute video describes the brutality of the American Revolution on both sides. (Content Warning: Wartime violence and gruesome actions are mentioned; topics may not be suitable for all groups.)
• What are some of the hardships of revolutionary soldiers during the American Revolution? What hardships did the colonials face during the American Revolution? What does this video reveal about the possible circulation of misinformation and the role it played in the war? How is this information in the video related to the novel’s themes of The End of Childhood and Transition to Adulthood and The Difference Between Justified and Gratuitous Violence?

Chapters 13-16

Reading Check

1. Who does Abner tell Samuel and Annie to pretend to be in order to avoid being caught by the British?

2. What does Abner believe about King George’s mental state?

3. How does Abner plan to send a message to Philadelphia about the marching troops?

4. Whom does Abner ask to take Annie as a daughter if he and Samuel are killed?

5. Who does Samuel mistakenly encounter when he is in New York?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What makes Samuel proud to call Annie his sister?

2. Why does Abner offer to help Samuel rescue his parents?

3. According to Micah, where are the British keeping soldiers?

Paired Resource

King George III

• This 9-minute video provides a description of King George III and his actions throughout his reign.
• What was the meaning and purpose behind the phrase, “no taxation without representation?” What was found in King George’s hair samples that experts believe may have contributed to his mental health condition? How is this video documentary's content related to the novel’s theme of The Difference Between Justified and Gratuitous Violence?

Chapters 17-Epilogue

Reading Check

1. What caused the deaths of many colonial prisoners?

2. In what building is Samuel’s father being kept?

3. Who helps Samuel’s family when they encounter British soldiers in the woods?

4. Where does the family settle after Samuel’s parents are rescued?

5. What do Samuel’s parents do to help children who are orphaned by the war?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How do Samuel’s parents react to Annie?

2. After Samuel’s father thanks Matthew and Abner for rescuing him, what does Matthew encourage Samuel’s family to do?

3. How is the novel’s theme of Civilization Versus Wilderness developed through events in the Epilogue?

Recommended Next Reads

Soldier’s Heart: Being the Story of the Enlistment and Due Service of the Boy Charley Goddard in the First Minnesota Volunteers by Gary Paulsen

• This novel describes the journey of a young boy who joins the Civil War and the emotional consequences of his experiences.
• Shared topics include warfare, historical fiction, politics, and loss of innocence.
• Shared themes include The Difference Between Justified and Gratuitous Violence and The End of Childhood and Transition to Adulthood.
• Soldier’s Heart on SuperSummary

My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

• This novel is about a boy who must decide whether to ally himself with the British or the revolutionaries amid family disagreements on the Revolutionary War.
• Shared topics include family, the American Revolution, and politics.
• Shared themes include The Difference Between Justified and Gratuitous Violence and The End of Childhood and Transition to Adulthood.