Woodsong: Chapters 3–4

by Gary Paulsen
The author invites the young reader into the grueling experience of training for and running the Alaskan Iditarod dogsled race. It is a study in preparation, training, perseverance, learning from hardship and failure, teamwork, commitment, humility, and how to finish.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–2, Chapters 3–4, Chapters 5–6, Chapters 7–Day 1, Chapters Day 2–Days 16 and 17
15 words 124 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. clarity
    the quality of being transparent or clear
    But it changes beauty as well. Things are steeped in a new clarity, a clear focus.
  2. alleviate
    make easier
    To alleviate the boredom we give the dogs large beef bones to chew and play with.
  3. contention
    the act of competing as for profit or a prize
    They get a new bone every other day or so. These bones are the center of much contention—we call them Bone Wars.
  4. compassion
    a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering
    I had seen dogs with compassion for each other and their young, and with anger and joy and hate and love but this humor went into me more than the other things.
  5. chagrin
    strong feelings of embarrassment
    There was some self-pity creeping in, and not a little chagrin at being stupid enough to just let them run when I didn’t know the country.
  6. melancholy
    characterized by or causing or expressing sadness
    There is a happy song they sing when the moon is full on the snow and they are fed and there is a rain song, which is melancholy—they don’t like rain very much—and there is a song they sing when you have been with them in the kennel and start to walk away, a come-back-and-don’t-go-away sad song.
  7. petrified
    struck with fear and unable to move
    A doe. Fairly large—more than a year old—standing rigid, staring at me straight on in the face across the fire. She was absolutely petrified with terror.
  8. endangered
    in imminent threat of extinction
    Unlike timber wolves, brush wolves are not endangered...
  9. scavenge
    feed on carrion or refuse
    We once had an eagle live over the kennel for more than a week, scavenging from the dogs, and a crazy group of ravens has pretty much taken over the puppy pen.
  10. familiarity
    usualness by virtue of being well known
    We have evolved an uneasy peace with them but there is the problem of familiarity.
  11. novelty
    originality by virtue of being new and surprising
    The first time you see a bear in the kennel it is a novelty, but when the same ones are there day after day, you wind up naming some of them (old Notch-Ear, Billy-Jo, etc.)
  12. truce
    a state of peace agreed to between opponents
    The goats never really believed in the truce.
  13. forage
    collect or look around for, as food
    And nothing draws bears like burning food. It must be that they have learned to understand human dumps—where they spend a great deal of time foraging.
  14. coherent
    capable of thinking in a clear and consistent manner
    Looking back on it I don’t remember having one coherent thought when it was happening.
  15. rummage
    search haphazardly
    He was still there, rummaging through the trash.
Created on Sat Dec 20 21:28:33 EST 2025 (updated Tue Feb 03 10:41:35 EST 2026)

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