Jack London published White Fang in 1906 as a companion piece to The Call of the Wild, telling the same Yukon Territory story in reverse. Where The Call of the Wild follows a domesticated dog returning to wildness, White Fang follows a wild wolf-dog learning to trust humanity. The novel rewards careful teaching across five major literary elements: point of view, word choice, characterization, conflict and plot structure, and theme. This unit plan organizes the novel into five readings with a key literary element assigned to each.
White Fang Reading Level and Grade Level
White Fang works best as a whole-class novel at grades 7 through 9, though advanced sixth graders and reluctant high school readers both find it accessible. The vocabulary runs challenging and London’s style is dense. This is not a book for developing readers without significant support. The structure also differs from most novels students encounter: London wrote it as a fictional biography rather than a conventional narrative, which makes it worth discussing explicitly before students begin reading.
White Fang Reading Level by the Numbers
- Page count: 250 (typical)
- Guided reading level: P
- Lexile measure: 900L
- DRA level: 38
- ATOS / Accelerated Reader level: 7.4
White Fang Unit Plan: Reading Schedule
The five readings below divide the novel into logical sections, each anchored to a key literary element. Assign readings on a weekly basis to give students flexibility and access to support between lessons.
| Reading | Chapters | Pages * | Key Element |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading 1 | Chapters 1–4 | Pages 1–46 | Point of view |
| Reading 2 | Chapters 5–9 | Pages 47–97 | Word choice |
| Reading 3 | Chapters 10–15 | Pages 97–152 | Characterization |
| Reading 4 | Chapters 16–20 | Pages 152–206 | Conflict and plot |
| Reading 5 | Chapters 21–25 | Pages 206–252 | Theme |
* Page numbers correspond to ISBN 978-0-439-23619-5 (Scholastic edition).
White Fang Unit Plan: Pre-Reading
Pre-reading preparation sets students up to engage with the novel’s setting, themes, and style before the reading begins. At minimum, introduce the Yukon Territory setting and the major theme subjects: the laws of nature, personal influences, the relationship between humans and animals, and survival. An anticipation guide or connected reading extends the preparation further.
White Fang Anticipation Guide
White Fang Anticipation Guide PDF
An anticipation guide raises thought-provoking questions before students open the novel, giving them a stake in the arguments before London begins making them. A good White Fang anticipation guide addresses the following theme subjects:
- The laws of nature and survival of the fittest
- Whether nurture or nature shapes personality and behavior
- The morality of violence among animals and among humans
- What it means to trust another living being
- Whether civilization improves or diminishes wild creatures
Connected Reading: “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
Jack London’s short story “To Build a Fire” makes an ideal pre-reading companion for White Fang. It prepares students for both the Yukon setting and London’s unsparing narrative style. The story’s central concern, the indifference of nature to human survival, runs throughout White Fang and gives students a point of reference before the novel begins. The death of the protagonist signals early that London does not soften his themes for readers who expect a comfortable ending.
White Fang Lesson Plans: Reading 1, Point of View (Chapters 1–4)
Discussion Questions: Chapters 1–4
- How do Bill and Henry differ from the man they are transporting?
- Describe the relationship between Bill and Henry.
- Do the wolves come across as admirable or despicable?
- How does the narrator feel about the events unfolding in these chapters?
- Why does the narrator remain impassive regarding Henry’s rescue?
- What message does the one-eyed wolf’s victory imply?
- Why does London open the novel with a story that goes nowhere in conventional narrative terms?
Key Element: Point of View
Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.6: Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader create such effects as suspense or humor.
Have students work in collaborative groups to identify who or what narrates the story. Students collect and analyze textual evidence that demonstrates the nature of the narration, then address the following questions: Who tells the story? What limits exist on this narrator’s knowledge? Why did London choose this point of view? What tone does this point of view create?
Lesson Closing
- How would the first episode differ if Henry narrated it?
- What effect does London’s chosen point of view have on the reader’s experience?
White Fang Lesson Plans: Reading 2, Word Choice (Chapters 5–9)
Discussion Questions: Chapters 5–9
- Why does One Eye bother to care for his cubs?
- Why does White Fang fixate so intensely on the wall of light? What does it represent?
- How would you describe White Fang’s personality at this point in the novel?
- Why does Kiche submit to human authority?
- What leads White Fang to conclude that the humans are gods?
Key Element: Word Choice
Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
Word choice drives tone, mood, and a sense of time and place throughout White Fang. London’s use of imagery and sensory language is especially notable in these chapters. Have students collect key evidence from this section of the text focused on word choice and share their selection and analysis with the class.
Key terms for word choice analysis:
- Figurative language (metaphors, similes, idioms, understatement)
- Connotations (the feelings and associations of words)
- Mood
- Tone (the attitude of the speaker toward a subject)
- Imagery and sensory language
- Sense of time and place (dialect, terminology, period references)
- Allusion
- Sound devices (alliteration, parallel construction, repetition)
Lesson Closing
- What overall mood does London’s word choice create in White Fang? Use specific textual examples.
- Demonstrate mastery of imagery by describing a person, place, or object using powerful sensory language. What feelings do the words create?
White Fang Lesson Plans: Reading 3, Characterization (Chapters 10–15)
Discussion Questions: Chapters 10–15
- Why do the strong feel compelled to harm the weak?
- Based on his behavior, how does Gray Beaver view dogs?
- Why does White Fang surrender his chance for freedom?
- Why can White Fang survive the famine when others cannot?
- Why do readers care about White Fang even though he is a ruthless killer?
Key Element: Characterization
Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.3: Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
Characterization refers to the methods an author uses to create a character in the mind of the reader. These methods include direct characterization as well as what the character says, thinks, and does, and how other characters respond to them.
Have students create a character map for White Fang. The map should highlight his cruel nature alongside the techniques London uses to make him the protagonist. Getting readers to root for a despicable creature is not easy. The map should make London’s strategy explicit. Students choose one key excerpt to share and analyze for the class.
Lesson Closing
- How does London use characterization to generate sympathy for a creature capable of such violence?
White Fang Lesson Plans: Reading 4, Conflict and Plot (Chapters 16–20)
Discussion Questions: Chapters 16–20
- What made Beauty Smith the person he became?
- What makes White Fang such an effective fighter?
- Why do some people find dog fights thrilling?
- How might White Fang’s life have unfolded if he had defeated the bulldog?
- At what point does White Fang truly come to trust Scott?
- Does White Fang follow a conventional narrative arc: exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution?
Key Element: Conflict and Plot
Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.5: Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style.
London structured White Fang more like a biography than a novel. The main conflict is White Fang’s struggle to find a place in the world. His circumstances make him ill-suited for life among humans and among wolves alike. The central internal conflict is his struggle to trust and care for Weedon Scott.
Have students work in groups to list all of the conflicts in White Fang, including internal and external, major and minor. Then ask them to identify the overarching conflict and the key internal conflict before explaining how London develops each.
Lesson Closing
- How does the structure of White Fang resemble a biography more than a conventional novel?
- How does London develop White Fang’s internal conflict?
- If the central story is White Fang learning to trust Scott, why does the novel include so many other episodes?
White Fang Lesson Plans: Reading 5, Theme (Chapters 21–25)
Discussion Questions: Chapters 21–25
- What difficult adjustments does White Fang face in his new life?
- Why does the family allow White Fang to live with them?
- What messages does London convey through the Jim Hall episode?
- How are the stories of Beauty Smith, Jim Hall, and White Fang similar?
- Does White Fang seem happy in his new life? Would he find more happiness in the wild?
- What do you think happens to White Fang after the novel ends?
Key Element: Theme
Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.2: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot.
Group presentations on theme:
- List all of the themes London develops in White Fang.
- Choose one theme and explain how London develops it across the novel. Include three pieces of textual evidence.
- Present findings to the class.
Lesson Closing
- After hearing the group presentations, which theme seems most central to London’s purpose? What evidence supports that claim?
White Fang Culminating Tasks
The culminating tasks below correspond to the five key literary elements of the unit. Assign one task as a final assessment or offer students a choice.
Creative Writing Options
- Point of view: Rewrite one episode of White Fang from a different point of view. Follow the narrative with a brief explanation of how the shift in perspective changes the telling.
- Word choice: Write an original narrative that focuses on powerful imagery and sensory language in the style of Jack London. Highlight the three examples of word choice with which you are most pleased.
- Structure: Write a new episode that fits into the overall structure of White Fang. The “lost chapter” should correspond to existing elements of character, setting, and conflict. Include a brief explanation of where the episode fits and why.
Essay Options
- Point of view: London chose an all-knowing outside narrator with the tone of an impassive observer. Explain how and why London uses this point of view in White Fang. Include textual evidence in the analysis.
- Theme (nurture vs. nature): What does London argue about how people and animals change through their experiences? Consider how Beauty Smith, White Fang, Weedon Scott, and others develop through the events of the novel. What role do natural instincts play?
- Theme (the laws of nature): What does London argue about how the world works? Use textual evidence to analyze how he develops this theme across the novel.
Presentation Options
- Theme: Choose one theme in White Fang and analyze its development for the class. Include textual evidence and explain how setting, character, and plot events shape the theme.
- Characterization: Choose one character other than White Fang and present on how London develops them. Distinguish between explicit characterization and what the character’s thoughts, statements, actions, and interactions with others imply. Character options: Gray Beaver, Jim Hall, Judge Scott, Weedon Scott, Kiche, One Eye, Beauty Smith, Matt.
Teaching White Fang
White Fang rewards teachers who take it seriously as a literary text rather than treating it as an easy read for reluctant readers. London packs the novel with craft. The point of view is deliberately unusual, the characterization of a wolf-dog as protagonist is a genuine technical achievement, and the themes carry real weight. Students who finish the novel with a solid grasp of how London constructed it will carry those analytical skills into every text they read next.
M. Towle is a veteran Language Arts and Social Studies teacher with fourteen years of classroom experience in urban schools in Los Angeles and Philadelphia. M. Towle holds an M.A. in Holocaust and Genocide Studies and is the founder of TeachNovels.com.