​     Gary Paulsen is the author of many critically acclaimed books for young readers, including three Newbery Honor books. Paulsen is a versatile writer who always brings adventure and survival into his stories, and writes characters that form special relationship with nature, as Samuel Smith does in Woods Runner. Gary Paulsen has also published fiction and nonfiction for adults, as well as picture books illustrated by his wife, the painter Ruth Wright Paulsen. The Paulsens live in Alaska, in New Mexico, and on the Pacific Ocean. 

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Activity One

Take a look at the painting “Washington Crossing the Delaware” at www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/11417 Read how Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, the artist, uses prospective, light, color, form, motion, and proportion in the work. Which of these elements is the most obvious? Is there an element that is subtle? How is symbolism used in art? Write a brief paper about the symbolism in Leutze’s work.

Activity Two


Make an ABC book about Woods Runner.  Make a page for each letter of the alphabet and explain a part of the book that started with that letter. See the example below to give you some ideas. Your pages can be no larger than 8 1/2 x 11 and there can be more than one letter on each page. You can also create a book on the computer is you'd like. One program to use would be PowerPoint.

Activity Three

You can chose to make a board game.  Requirements for this project are:  the game has to involve question cards related to parts of the book, it has to have written directions, it needs to be colorful, and they have to be able to explain it to others on the battle day so they could play the game.

 In the sample game above, the players had to travel through the woods to try to rescue Samuel's parents.  Along the way they had to answer questions to avoid being captured by the British, the Hessians, or being delayed by weather, illness or other events.