My Father's Dragon · Garden Heights Academy

Part 2

for My Father's Dragon · Part 2 · Chapters 3–4

a novel by Ruth Stiles Gannett

30 min5 Parts

This workbook is built on a solid pedagogical foundation, effectively integrating content and language learning based on the CLIL framework (Content and Language Integrated Learning), elevated by our unique 5th C — Connection — and an integrated Standardized Test section that weaves every SAT & TOEFL question type right into the novel, so learners build real test skills easily, naturally, and with fun.

What Happens in Part 2

Elmer crosses to Wild Island and finds the river where the dragon is kept.

The tangerine islandElmer reaches Tangerina, where tangerine trees grow everywhere. He eats tangerines to keep up his strength.

Across the black rocksTo reach Wild Island he must cross a chain of dangerous black rocks in the dark, using his flashlight and compass to find the way.

Into the jungleSafely across, Elmer explores the thick, steamy jungle and finds the wide river where the wild animals keep the baby dragon.

Wits, not strengthThe island is crawling with fierce, proud creatures. Elmer sees he must use his wits to reach the dragon without being eaten.

What We Will Learn

Focus	What It Means
Geography	Islands, oceans, and finding your way
Setting	The wild jungle of Wild Island
Suspense	The growing danger around Elmer

Chapter Summary

Chapter	Key Events
Ch.3	Elmer reaches Tangerina, then crosses a chain of dark rocks to Wild Island using his flashlight and compass
Ch.4	Elmer explores the jungle, eats tangerines for strength, and finds the river where the dragon is kept

💭 Before You Read · Warm-Up (not scored)

There are no wrong answers here — just think, guess, and talk:

Elmer must cross a chain of slippery black rocks in the dark, using only a flashlight and a compass. What would be the scariest part of a crossing like that?
The jungle is ‘hot, thick, and steamy.’ How does a story’s setting change the way danger feels?
Predict: the island is full of fierce animals. Since Elmer is small, how do you think he’ll get past creatures far bigger than himself?

Copyright Notice

This is an independent study guide created by Garden Heights Academy to support reading comprehension and literary analysis. It contains original analysis questions and does not reproduce any text from the novel. My Father's Dragon is a work by Ruth Stiles Gannett. This guide is not affiliated with, authorized by, or endorsed by the author or any associated rights holders. Students should read the original book, available from libraries and booksellers.

Part 1

Vocabulary

Study 10 key words from Chapters 3–4, then answer each question.

🌴Knowledge Bank · Inside a Rainforest

Geography · RainforestsWild Island is buried under hot, dripping jungle — what scientists call a tropical rainforest. Forests like this grow near the equator, the warm middle band of the Earth, where rain falls on almost every day of the year. The tallest trees spread their leaves into a green roof called the canopy, so little sunlight ever reaches the ground, and the floor below stays dim, damp, and muddy. Vines hang in tangles, insects hum without stopping, and unseen animals call from the branches overhead. More kinds of living thing crowd together here than anywhere else on land, and nothing else on our planet is so busy or so green as a tropical rainforest.

Rounded treetops of a tropical forest crowding together across a hillside, with cloud and mist drifting through them and more forested ridges fading away behind — Photograph of a tropical forest seen from above the treetops, with cloud sitting in it. This is the canopy the *Knowledge Bank* names — the green roof made where the tallest trees spread their leaves into each other. Look at how little space is left between the crowns: that is why so little sunlight gets through. The floor the *Knowledge Bank* calls dim, damp and muddy is underneath all of this, and no photograph taken from up here can show it. This is a real rainforest, but not Wild Island, which is invented.
Tropical forest canopy in cloud. Source: Wikimedia Commons, file "Forêt tropical.jpg", CC0.

islandn.Ch.3

Land with water all around it

“Wild Island sat far out at sea.”

compassn.Ch.3

A tool that points north to guide you

“Elmer used a compass in the dark.”

junglen.Ch.4

A hot, thick forest

“The jungle was steamy and tangled.”

explorev.Ch.4

To travel around to discover a place

“Elmer began to explore the island.”

dangerousadj.Ch.3

Likely to cause harm

“The black rocks were dangerous to cross.”

fierceadj.Ch.4

Wild, strong, and frightening

“The animals were fierce and proud.”

currentn.Ch.4

Water moving in one direction

“The river had a strong current.”

steamyadj.Ch.4

Hot and damp

“The jungle air was steamy.”

directionn.Ch.3

The way something faces or moves

“The compass showed the right direction.”

nibblev.Ch.4

To eat in small bites

“Elmer would nibble tangerines for energy.”

ⓘ The vocabulary words in this list are selected to help you understand and complete this workbook. Some may not appear verbatim in the original novel.

🧠Knowledge Bank question

1According to the Knowledge Bank, why does the rainforest floor stay dim and damp?Ch.3

2True or False: A “compass” is a tool that points north to help guide you.Ch.3

3A hot, thick forest is a ___.Ch.4

4True or False: Something “dangerous” is safe and harmless.Ch.3

5Fill in each blank with the correct word.Ch.3–4

Word choices:islandcompassjunglecurrent- some words will not be used

Elmer used a to cross to the , then explored its thick .

6True or False: To “explore” means to travel around and discover a place.Ch.4

7The wild animals are described as wild and frightening, or ___.Ch.4

8True or False: A river’s “current” is water moving in one direction.Ch.4

9Fill in the blanks with the correct words.Ch.4

Word choices:explorefiercesteamynibble- some words will not be used

Elmer would tangerines while the animals roamed nearby.

10The way something faces or moves is its ___.Ch.3

Part 2

Comprehension

How well do you understand Chapters 3–4?

🏝Knowledge Bank · Islands and Their Animals

Science · Island LifeAn island is a piece of land with water reaching all the way around it. That ring of water works like a wall: land animals cannot simply stroll across to an island, and they cannot stroll away either. Over enormous stretches of time, the creatures stranded there change until they exist nowhere else on Earth. Giant tortoises live wild only in the Galapagos, and every lemur in the world comes from Madagascar. Scientists prize such places because each is a small world running by its own rules. Being cut off by the sea is exactly why an island can hold a crowd of beasts so wonderfully strange.

🧠Knowledge Bank question

1According to the Knowledge Bank, why do some animals live on only one island?Ch.3

2How does Elmer cross from Tangerina to Wild Island?Ch.3

3What does Elmer use to find his way in the dark?Ch.3

4True or False: Elmer eats tangerines to keep up his strength.Ch.4

5Write the numbers 1–5 in the boxes to show the correct order across Part 2. Number 1 = what happens first.Ch.3–4

Elmer explores the steamy jungle of Wild Island.
He eats tangerines to keep up his strength.
Elmer arrives at the island of Tangerina.
He crosses a chain of dark rocks using his flashlight and compass.
He finds the river where the dragon is kept.

6True or False: Wild Island is calm and empty, with no animals around.Ch.4

7What is the jungle of Wild Island like?Ch.4

8What important place does Elmer find in the jungle?Ch.4

9True or False: Elmer realizes he must use his wits to get past the animals.Ch.4

10Fill in the blanks to complete the sentence.Ch.3–4

Word choices:compasstangerinesriverjungle- some words will not be used

Elmer ate and used a to cross to the island.

Part 3

Literary Elements

Understanding HOW and WHY Ruth Stiles Gannett creates certain feelings across Chapters 3–4.

🌌Knowledge Bank · Building Suspense Through Setting

Literary Craft · Setting and MoodA setting is more than a place for characters to stand; a skilled writer uses it to steer what the reader feels. The dark, dripping forest here makes us uneasy long before a single animal appears. That tight, edge-of-the-seat feeling has a name: suspense. Ruth Stiles Gannett fills her island with tangled vines, sudden noises, and deep shadow, so that danger seems to be waiting behind every trunk. Swap those details for sunshine and birdsong and the very same jungle would read like a holiday. Choosing details on purpose — sound, light, weather — is how an author builds mood.

📚 Literary Devices in This Part · definitions & examples

The setting of dark rocks and steamy jungle creates a dangerous, exciting mood.

Suspense is tension about what will happen; the fierce animals make us fear for Elmer.

Imagery is description that paints a picture — the hot, tangled jungle we can almost feel.

The questions below are mixed — not grouped by device. Decide which device each one is about.

🧠Knowledge Bank question

1According to the Knowledge Bank, how does the author make the jungle feel dangerous?Ch.3–4

2The setting is the time and place where a story happens.Ch.3–4

3Fill in each blank with the correct word.Ch.3–4

Word choices:settingsuspenseimagerygoal- some words will not be used

The dark rocks and hot jungle are the story’s

The tension over what the animals will do is .

4The tension that makes us fear for Elmer among fierce animals is —Ch.3–4

5Suspense means the reader already knows exactly how everything ends.Ch.3–4

6Fill in each blank with the correct word.Ch.3–4

Word choices:imagerysettingsuspensemood- some words will not be used

Descriptions of the hot, tangled jungle we can almost feel are

The dark rocks form a dangerous .

7‘The hot, tangled jungle pressed close and dripping’ is an example of —Ch.3–4

8How does the dangerous setting most affect the story’s mood?Ch.3–4

9Fill in each blank with the correct word.Ch.3–4

Word choices:suspenseimagerysettingplot- some words will not be used

Rich description that paints the steamy jungle is

The fear over Elmer’s fate is .

10Why does the author pile on vivid jungle description?Ch.3–4

Part 4

Think Deeper

Four deeper challenges — no single-word recall. Read, weigh the evidence, and reason it through.

🧭Knowledge Bank · Finding North Without a Map

Navigation · CompassesOut at sea, or deep under trees, every direction can look identical, so travelers carry a tool. A compass holds a small magnetic needle that always swings around to point north, because the whole Earth behaves like an enormous magnet. Once north is settled, south, east, and west follow, and a traveler can hold a straight line instead of wandering in a slow circle. Sailors and explorers have trusted compasses for hundreds of years, and hikers still tuck one into a pocket today. When the ground ahead is unfamiliar, knowing your direction is what keeps a bold plan from ending up hopelessly lost.

Visual AidThe needle always finds north

Diagram for the Knowledge Bank on compasses. The circle stands for any compass face, not one particular instrument, and the drawing leaves out the pivot and the housing that make a real one work. It does not claim a compass tells you where you are, only which way you are facing. Notice the order in the two boxes. North has to be settled first, because every other direction is measured from it.

Standard compass rose as described in introductory navigation. Drawn for Garden Heights Academy.

1Claim: “Elmer relies on careful preparation to reach Wild Island safely.” — choose the two details that best prove it.Claim & Evidence

2Shows Elmer’s careful preparation, or just a detail of the setting? Tap each item to sort it — tap again to switch sides. You can keep tapping to change your answer.Sort into two

◄ Careful preparationJust a detail ►

3Match each cause to its result. For each cause, pick its result.Cause & Effect

Elmer must cross in the dark→

The path is hard to find→

The black rocks are dangerous→

He reaches Wild Island→

🧠Knowledge Bank question

4Fill both blanks to complete the reasoning.Build the Argument

The Knowledge Bank explains that a compass helps a traveler because , which shows that .

Part 5

Standardized Test

Key Details & Inference — SAT & TOEFL-style practice

Life Inside a Tropical Rainforest

A tropical rainforest — a hot, dripping jungle — is one of the busiest places on Earth. Most rainforests grow near the equator, the imaginary line around the middle of the planet, where the sun is strong all year. Warm air and almost daily rain keep the forest humid, so the air feels thick and steamy even in the shade. So many plants grow that they form layers: tall trees make a leafy roof called the canopy, and far below, the forest floor stays dim and damp. This green world is home to more kinds of animal than anywhere else; scientists believe over half of all land species live in rainforests. Many are hard to spot, because the thick leaves and dim light help creatures conceal themselves. To a small traveler who sets out to explore it, a rainforest can feel like a maze — beautiful, alive, and full of hidden eyes.

Original passage written for Garden Heights — not a quotation from the novel.

1Where do most rainforests grow?TOEFL · Factual Information

2In the passage, “jungle” most nearly means ___.SAT · Words in Context

3In the passage, “explore” most nearly means ___.SAT · Words in Context

4The leafy roof of tall trees is called the —TOEFL · Factual Information

5A “canopy” is —SAT · Words in Context

6About how many land species does the passage say live in rainforests?TOEFL · Factual Information

7The passage most strongly suggests that animals are hard to spot in a rainforest because —SAT · Inference

8According to the passage, the leafy roof of a rainforest is called the —TOEFL · Factual Information

9Why might a rainforest feel like a maze to a small traveler?SAT · Inference

10Prose Summary (TOEFL). Rainforests are hot, layered, and home to more kinds of life than anywhere else. This TOEFL task lists six sentences; choose the THREE that best capture the passage’s main ideas. The other three do not belong — they state minor details or ideas the passage does not present.TOEFL · Prose Summary

Part 6 · Optional

Creative Writing

A bonus challenge to practice your English. Take your time and have fun with it.

About This Section

This writing task is optional and is not part of your auto-graded score. The feedback below checks only the basics — length, spelling, and grammar — not whether your ideas are right or wrong. It is meant for classroom discussion and creative practice, so feel free to use your imagination!

Writing Task — Part 2 “Exploring a New Place”

Elmer explores a wild, steamy jungle far from home. Describe a place you would love to explore — real or imaginary. What would you see, hear, and feel there? Write at least 40 words.

You can start with: “The place I would most love to explore is…”

0 / 40 words minimum

🗣 Teach It · Just for Fun (optional)

No right or wrong — close the screen and tell someone nearby what happened in this part. Can’t find anyone? Tell yourself out loud. The moment you teach it, you truly understand it.

Part 2 Complete!

You finished Chapters 3–4 of My Father's Dragon.

Here are your auto-graded results:

-

points out of 100

Teach it to someone

The best last step is to teach it. In your own words, explain what happened — retell a favorite scene, teach a character’s big choice, or sum up the main idea for a parent, friend, or classmate. When you can teach it clearly, you truly own it.

Move on to Part 3 →

Independent study guide by Garden Heights Academy. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the author or any rights holders. Contains original analysis only; no text from the novel is reproduced.