Shiloh

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What is a moral dilemma? Why might moral dilemmas be difficult to address? What factors might contribute to making good choices in such instances?

Teaching Suggestion: Marty, the novel’s protagonist, discovers a cowering dog in the woods while he is hunting. He believes the dog has been abused and his father confirms the dog belongs to an abusive man, Judd Travers. Marty faces a moral dilemma as he attempts to decide whether he should find a way to keep the dog away from Judd or if he is obligated to give Judd his dog back. Students might begin by discussing moral dilemmas generally, and then brainstorm examples of moral dilemmas or name 2-3 from literature, history, or current events. The first link may be helpful in defining a moral dilemma.

• This 4-minute video explains what an ethical dilemma is.
• This classroom discussion idea offers an example of an age-appropriate ethical dilemma students might consider.
• For older students, The Trolley Problem may serve as a potential connected discussion activity and help to introduce the theme of Moral Ambiguity.
• This 2-minute video explores The Trolley Problem, a philosophical debate used to describe moral dilemmas. This teacher-facing resource is an article that is helpful in illustrating how to lead a productive debate on the Trolley Problem for elementary and middle-school students.

Short Activity

Use the questions to discuss moral dilemmas and to what degree you agree with the questions.

• Is it all right to lie to protect someone or save a life?
• Is it wrong to keep a secret from your parents for an important cause?
• Is there ever a good reason to take something that doesn’t belong to you?
• What would you do if you knew of an animal that was being abused?
• Should neighbors respect the privacy of others no matter what?

Teaching Suggestion: Marty faces a moral dilemma when he discovers Shiloh is being abused by his neighbor, Judd Travers. Marty’s dad believes they should mind their own business, but Marty—being attached to the dog—works to purchase Shiloh from Judd and hides Shiloh when the dog runs away from Judd. Marty’s moral dilemma is further complicated because he must lie to his parents to keep the dog safe. These questions introduce some of the moral dilemmas in the novel.

One way this activity can be completed is by taping a line on the floor with agree on one end and strongly disagree on the other end. Pose the questions in the form of a statement such as, “It is okay to lie to protect someone.” Students can position themselves on the line as strongly agree, strongly disagree, or somewhere in the middle. Alternatively, if space is restricted or movement is otherwise challenging for your class, you might have students give a thumbs up for agree, thumbs down for disagree, or a sideways thumb to show they are in between.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students who require an additional challenge may find it beneficial to explore the connection between moral dilemmas and the perspective or values associated with those dilemmas. Students can then create a blank chart to graph Marty’s dilemmas and the values Marty has that are associated with those dilemmas. This chart may be useful as the students reflect on the text to explain Marty’s character growth.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

Consider a time when you experienced a moral dilemma or witnessed an ethical problem in a book or on television. What was the moral dilemma? Why was it difficult to make a decision in this instance? What factors contributed to the final decision made by you or the character? What was the consequence of the decision?

Teaching Suggestion: Marty’s decision to hide Shiloh from his family and friends has consequences when a German Shepherd infiltrates the makeshift cage he made for Shiloh. The truth of what Marty has done surfaces because of the incident, and Judd and Marty’s family realize his deceit. After addressing the prompt, students might extend their discussions on moral dilemmas to include consequences for decisions.