The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Project Ideas

Grade Levels: 9 - 12

1. In many ways, Jim assumes the role of a father to Huck. Working with a partner, find examples of this. Share your findings with the members of your group.
   
   
2. Select a favorite scene of the book and, with classmates assuming the necessary roles, act it out reading the dialogue. This will give you a feel for the flow of the dialects that were common during the time of the novel.
   
   
3. Research Mark Twain (Samuel L. Clemens). Write a biographical sketch and share it with the members of your group.
   
   
4. Read Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Write a book review of it, comparing it to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Curriculum Connections

1. Research slavery and write a report about it. In your report answer the following questions: Which were the slave states? Which were the free states? How was it determined that a new state would be free or slave? What reasons did slave states give for justifying their need for slaves? How was slavery one of the issues that led to the Civil War? (Social Studies)
   
   
2. Research the dialects of American English and write a short report. What are the major dialects? How do dialects arise? (Social Studies)
   
   
3. Make a model of the raft Huck and Jim used to float down the Mississippi River. (Art)
   
   
4. Using an atlas or other reference, locate the Mississippi River. How long is it? What states does it border? Research the Mississippi of the 1830s (about the time the novel takes place) and compare how the river was used then to the way it is used today. Make an oral presentation of your findings to your group or class. (Social Studies)