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After two winters of cold and darkness, Doctor Kane made up his mind to leave the ship fast in the ice. He wanted to get to a place in Greenland where there were people living. Then he might find some way of getting home again.

The men started out, drawing the boats on sleds. Whenever they came to open water, they put the boats into the water, and took the sleds in the boats. When they came to the ice again, they had to draw out their boats, and carry them on the sleds. At first, they could travel only about a mile a day.

It was a hard journey. Some of the men were ill. These had to be drawn on the sleds by the rest. They had not enough food. At one time, they rested three days in a kind of cave. Here they found many birds' eggs. These made very good food for them. At another place, they stayed a week. They stayed just to eat the eggs of the wild birds.

After they left this place, they were hungry. The men grew thinner and thinner. It seemed that they must die for want of food. But one day they saw a large seal. He was floating on a piece of ice. The hungry men thought, "What a fine dinner he would make for us!" If they could get the seal, they would not die of hunger.

Every one of the poor fellows trembled for fear the seal would wake up. A man named Petersen took a gun, and got ready to shoot. The men rowed the boat toward the seal. They rowed slowly and quietly. But the seal waked up. He raised his head. The men thought that he would jump off into the water. Then they might all die for want of food.

Doctor Kane made a motion to Petersen. That was to tell him to shoot quickly. But Petersen did not shoot. He was so much afraid that the seal would get away, that he could not shoot. The seal now raised himself a little more. He was getting ready to jump into the water. Just then Petersen fired. The seal fell dead on the ice.

The men were wild with joy. They rowed the boats with all their might. When they got to the seal, they dragged it farther away from the water. They were so happy, that they danced on the ice. Some of them laughed. Some were so glad, that they cried. Then they took their knives and began to cut up the seal. They had no fire on the ice, and they were too hungry to think of lighting one. So they ate the meat of the seal without waiting to cook it.

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Directions

Study the lesson for one week.

Over the week:

  • Read the story multiple times.
  • Review the synopsis.
  • Study the vocabulary words.
  • Learn the concepts.
  • Complete the enrichment activities.
  • Study the review questions.

Synopsis

After two long winters, Doctor Kane and his men decided to abandon his ship and set out for Greenland by sled and small boat. When on ice, the sleds carried the boats. When on water, the boats carried the sleds. Some of the men were sick and had to be moved by boat and sled. During the journey, Doctor Kane and his men did not have enough to eat and were in danger of starving. They saw a seal sleeping on a floating piece of ice. The men rowed quietly toward the seal. The seal woke, but before it could swim away, the men shot it. They were not going starve! The men laughed and danced with joy. They cut up the seal and were so hungry they ate the meat raw.

Vocabulary

Seal: A fish-eating mammal with a streamlined body and flippers.
Starve: A person or animal suffering severely or dying of hunger.

Concepts

After two winters stuck in the ice, Doctor Kane had to decide whether to stay with the ship or to attempt to sled and boat to Greenland.

When people make decisions, they often weigh the benefits (good things) and drawbacks (bad things) that will happen once their choice is made.

  1. In the story, what were the good things about staying with the ship?
  2. What were the bad things about staying with the ship?
  3. What were the good things about trying for Greenland?
  4. What were the bad things about trying for Greenland?

If you were Doctor Kane, would you have stayed with the ship or tried for Greenland?

Enrichment

Activity 1: Narrate the Story

  • After reading or listening to the story, narrate the story events aloud using your own words.

Activity 2: Color the Story   

  • Click the crayon above, and complete page 47 of 'History Coloring Pages for First Grade.'

Activity 3: Map the Story

  • Greenland is a massive, mainly ice-covered island that stretches north from the Atlantic Ocean up to the Arctic Ocean.
  • See below where Greenland is on the Earth.
  • Find where you live on the map.
  • Do you live near Greenland?

Activity 4: Study the Story Picture

Study the story picture and find the following:

  • Man Holding a Gun
  • Doctor Kane (standing in the front of the closest boat)
  • Paddles
  • Floating Ice
  • Icicles

Review

Question 1

Why did Doctor Kane abandon his ship in the ice?
1 / 4

Answer 1

After two winters, Doctor Kane realized the ship was stuck. The ice would not melt enough to free the boat in the summer.
1 / 4

Question 2

Why did Doctor Kane and his men bring boats and sleds on their journey to Greenland?
2 / 4

Answer 2

Doctor Kane and his men needed boats to cross water and sleds to cross ice.
2 / 4

Question 3

What kinds of things did Doctor Kane and his men find to eat in the icy north?
3 / 4

Answer 3

Doctor Kane and his men ate wild bird eggs and a seal.
3 / 4

Question 4

Why didn't Doctor Kane and his men cook the seal before eating it?
4 / 4

Answer 4

Doctor Kane and his men were too hungry to wait to light a fire.
4 / 4

  1. Why did Doctor Kane abandon his ship in the ice? After two winters, Doctor Kane realized the ship was stuck. The ice would not melt enough to free the boat in the summer.
  2. Why did Doctor Kane and his men bring boats and sleds on their journey to Greenland? Doctor Kane and his men needed boats to cross water and sleds to cross ice.
  3. What kinds of things did Doctor Kane and his men find to eat in the icy north? Doctor Kane and his men ate wild bird eggs and a seal.
  4. Why didn't Doctor Kane and his men cook the seal before eating it? Doctor Kane and his men were too hungry to wait to light a fire.

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