One of the best ways to introduce the novel to students is to have role-play activities related to its characters. For example, it could be through an interview with the characters played by the students. The interviewer should make sure the questions reveal their personality and significance in the story. The students could also introduce the characters through a PowerPoint presentation. Encourage them to be creative. They could incorporate clip art images, pictures, and descriptive texts.
Creating a visual image of the scenes and settings occurring in the story can be another activity that can help students remember the lessons in "Captains Courageous." Students can create a drawing, diorama or a simple painting of their favorite scene from the story and explain what took place in it. They can also make a series of five to 10 drawings that depict the major events in the novel and narrate.
Story plots typically have several aspects: conflict, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution. Asking students to identify these specific aspects can help them be more critical in reading the novel. The teacher can also make this a classroom activity where each aspect is analyzed and categorized by the students. The whole class can discuss where the story begins and set the story in motion.
Drawing inference is one of the keys in understanding a novel and its author. Based on the book, students could draw inferences about the author. Suggest reading synopsis of other books by Rudyard Kipling to have a wider understanding of the author’s genre. The teacher can use a guessing game, pull the students’ ideas together, then compare the created profile with a researched biography.
Pick interesting or unfamiliar words and have the students research their meanings. Form several groups, and have them do role-plays. Make sure they use the selected words in their conversations. Games could also reinforce vocabulary. A crossword puzzle, a Jeopardy-style quiz or a matching game can also be exciting.