Outfoxed

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In Outfoxed, the natural world is almost a character itself. After reading, have students discuss the role nature plays in the book and how the characters connect to it. Then get them thinking about their own connections to the environment by having them keep a nature journal.

Keeping a nature journal is a great way to get students outdoors to explore and record their observations and reflections about the natural world. Talk with students about how scientists and naturalists keep field notes and journals of their observations and experiments and how writers keep journals of their observations and feelings about people and places. Journaling gives them the opportunity to use drawing and writing together to document their discoveries, pose questions, note their ideas, and learn to see and hear more.

Challenge students to become “nature detectives” by investigating an outdoor space and using their journals to record the clues they uncover. Have students look for clues about the plants and animals that live there, record what they notice, and track how the space changes over time. After several visits, ask students to review their notes and look for patterns. What living things appear again and again? What changes over time? What evidence did they find about how plants and animals interact? Have students use their observations to create a “case file” about their outdoor space, including the clues they collected and what they learned.

After completing their case files, have students present their findings to the class. Then have them work together to identify at least one way their school or community could help protect the plants and animals they observed and develop a plan to put their idea into action.

Questions for Discussion or Reflective Writing

• Why are Skye and Ivy so determined to find the person who hurt Kitkat, even after adults tell them to stop? What would you have done if you were in their situation?  When do you think it’s important to speak up or take action, and when is it important to listen to adults?
• Do you think Skye and Ivy would have become friends if they had not been brought together by Kitkat and the search for the poacher? Why or why not? How does working together help them become friends? How do you make new friends?
• How does sharing an Indigenous identity help Skye and Ivy feel connected? How do they appreciate and value the differences between their Nations, languages, stories, and experiences?
• How do the things Skye and Ivy know about animals and nature help them to solve the mystery? Why is caring for and understanding the natural world important to them? How do you feel about the plants and animals in your own community?
• What does family mean to Skye? What makes someone feel like part of a family? What helps Ivy adjust to the idea of being in a new family? Have you ever had to get used to a big change? Who or what helped you through it?
• What led Mr. Hobbs to trap foxes? How are Skye and Ivy both angry about and understanding of his situation? How does the community react?

Related Resources

Outfoxed Book Guide from Scholastic

How to Bring Nature Journaling into Your Classroom from National Geographic Learning

Introduction to the Nature Journal from Smithsonian Learning Lab

How to Teach Nature Journaling: Resources for Educators from Wild Wonder Foundation