Outdoor survival brings reading to life for Dresden sixth graders

They may never find themselves alone in the Canadian wilderness, but Dresden Elementary sixth graders are ready to meet the challenges head on.

Students recently took part in the school’s annual “Outdoor Winter Survival” event which teaches important skills for life in the outdoors.

“I love this,” said sixth grader Tobin McGlassion. “I enjoy it because one of my favorite things to do is to go outside.”

Students spent an afternoon at a series of stations to experience survival techniques based on the book Brian’s Winter by Gary Paulsen, which the sixth graders recently read. The stations included activities as identifying animal tracks, snowshoeing, fire, scaling fish and compass reading.

Brian’s Winter is the second part of the Newberry award-winning novel Hatchet about a 13-year-old alone in the wilderness after a plane crash. The students also read Jason’s Gold by Will Hobbs, about a 15-year-old prospector in Alaska.

“This is the hook,” said teacher Theresa Whitenight, who helped organize the units with Dresden sixth-grade teachers. “It gives them something to look forward to at the end of this unit.”

Whitenight and her husband are 4-H leaders who conduct Dresden’s 4-H Outdoor Adventure Challenge Club, an after-school program that focuses on encouraging children to be active outdoors while building positive character traits and learning teamwork and cooperation.

The Challenge Club has more than 80 current fifth and sixth grade members, as well as some returning Dresden students now in junior high and high school. Club members recently experienced skiing and snowboarding at Shanty Creek Resort, and indoor rock climbing at Planet Rock in Ann Arbor.