Skink—No Surrender

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:

• What does the reader learn about Malley and Richard because of this woodpecker?
• What does it mean that Richard is skeptical about whether Malley really saw one of these birds?
• Why would Hiaasen include a false sighting of this bird when Richard and Malley are trying to escape?
• What is happening in the novel when they finally spot an actual ivory-billed woodpecker?
• What does this bird convey about hope, persistence, and the value of nature?

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. This is an excellent opportunity to highlight the importance of evidence and logically constructed arguments, as even two students who strongly disagree with one another can both be “correct” as long as their claims can be supported effectively.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students with attentional or executive function issues may benefit from constructing graphic organizers that group the questions in this prompt into questions about character, questions about plot, and questions about associations the reader has with the woodpecker itself. Then, they can show how each of these aspects of the text suggests a “layer” of the symbol’s meaning. These students, as well as students with dyslexia and other difficulties processing text, may need guidance about how to understand what this question is asking. You might point out that the first sentence in the prompt simply introduces the topic and that the final question in the series is the “big” connection that the other questions are designed to help them comprehend. If you have students respond to this prompt in writing, students who struggle with written expression or who are English Language Learners might be allowed to simply fill in and submit a graphic organizer filled in with brief, keyword answers.