Novel Study Unit For:
Dar and the Spear-Thrower
(a novel by Marjorie Cowley)
BOOK 1; Student’s Version (L001)

This 150-page student exercise book, Book 1, is the first of a two-book set based on Marjorie Cowley’s wonderful novel, Dar and the Spear-Thrower, which is about a Cro-Magnon boy living 15,000 years ago in southeastern France. If you already have used or plan to use our pre-civilization history books, which are for sale in the history section of our online store, you will find this novel study to be a nice integration to them.

Book 1 serves as a comprehensive novel analysis exercise book. It’s designed to teach the student how to read carefully, think logically, and analyze a novel in terms of plot, characterization, conflicts, subthemes, plot-theme, and overall theme.

After reading each chapter, the student must answer several plot and characterization questions, which are to be used later to prepare plot and characterization summaries. Then the student is given a list of abstract subthemes that can be abstracted from the concretes, such as courage, friendship, jealousy, superstition, etc., and then asked to write down the specific concretes. Such exercises train the student to “travel” up and down the hierarchy of knowledge—from concretes to abstractions and from abstractions to concretes. (The same subthemes are used by the student in Book 2 to make logical connections to the student’s existing knowledge and context.)

Sometime after the literature period, but preferably the same day, the student is required to prepare plot summaries, which are thinking and writing exercises. The chapter’s plot will first be condensed into a paragraph that captures the essence of the plot for that chapter. Then this paragraph will be further condensed into a single sentence. Such an exercise will train the student in the crucial skill of condensing information in terms of essentials.

After the last chapter the student will begin analyzing the novel as a whole, using the student’s answers to the chapter-by-chapter questions. The first exercise is to further condense the plot into stages in order to eventually arrive at the plot-theme. Additional exercises include: 1) summarizing the main characters, 2) identifying main conflicts and subthemes, 3) identifying and evaluating the author’s main implicit messages, and 4) identifying the novel’s overall theme.

Upon completion of this exercise book, the student will be more proficient at analyzing future novels (as well as plays and movies). Furthermore, the student’s ability to think conceptually will be enhanced. To use this book the student must have a copy of the novel, which must be purchased separately, such as from Amazon. (Click me for a direct link.)

Although this book is intended for grades 5-6, the material will be suitable for higher grades, especially if the student has not been properly challenged at school. If you already purchased our novel study book for Boy of the Painted Cave (Click me for a direct link), then we recommend doing this novel before Boy of the Painted Cave. Glenn's students enjoyed both novels immensely.

Our second book, Book 2, is also based on Marjorie Cowley’s novel and contains numerous exercises to significantly improve the student’s vocabulary, grammar, writing, and thinking skills. Together, the two exercise books allow the student to maximize the benefit attainable from a single good novel. (Click me for BOOK 2.)

If you purchase this exercise book (i.e., student’s version), then we highly recommended that you also purchase at least one copy of the teacher’s version which contains all the answers to the exercises. (See below.)