Sherri Wolles

Walk Two Moons
by
Sharon Creech

Unit Goal: Students will gain an understanding of Native American culture and how a person’s culture affects the way they live their life and view the world. The students will read Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech as a class and do various activities, including worksheets, cooperative learning projects, poetry, drama, listening and speaking activities highlighting the core curriculum areas of reading, math, social studies, and science. This unit plan is scheduled for ten days, with additional extended classroom experiences available out side of that ten days.

Unit Objectives:
Students will be able to:
· identify aspects of the Native American culture and White American culture by doing a compare and contrast paper
· list information, words or clues according to the categories listed to help them remember details from their reading
· pick out courageous acts done by the characters in the book, and list these courageous acts in a chart with the name of the person, the courageous act, and the chapter in which it happened
· track Sal’s journey from Ohio to Idaho on a United States map in an interactive bulletin board. They will also create symbols for this map and figure the miles she has traveled
· use creative thinking processes and prior knowledge to figure out what is meant by the mystery messages in the story. They will write they interpretation of the message on the sheet in their portfolio
· create their own badge of courage for one character in the story
· collect items that remind them of someone special
· use drawing to create pictures that can be two different things, depending on that person’s perception
· write a cinquain about their favorite main character
· use problem solving to create a hypothetical situation and to respond to that situation
· put them selves in the shoes of one of the characters from the story, write how that person would feel or what they would do, and decorate the moccasins according to that character
· put them selves in the shoes of one of the characters from the story, write how that person would feel or what they would do, and decorate the moccasins according to that character
· write a letter to Sal from Mrs. Cadaver explaining how she knew her parents. This letter will be from their recollections from the reading.

Strategies Taught:
· Brainstorming
· summarization
· reading journals

Display Table/Learning Center:
Next to the bulletin board (used on week one, day three), there will be a book tree sitting on the table. Various books will be available for the students to look at and read. The books are from the book list. If a computer is available, one of the following web sites could be up for the students to browse through. There will also be a courage chart hung up after day two of week one. We will be adding to the courage chart as we read through the book. Students will be encouraged to visit the display table/learning center when free time allows it.

Web Sites:
This is just a very brief listing of possible web sites for the students to look at. I am planning on giving them computer time to search for other topics of interest to them.
http://vp4.netgate.net/~jsd/Compacts.html
http://hanksville.phast.umass.edu/misc/NAresources.html
http://www.si.edu/activity/exhibits/examind.htm
http://www.state.sd.us/state/executive/tourism/sioux/mileston.htm
http://www.specent.com/~duster/volc2.html
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/natauth.htm
http://web.maxwell.syr.edu/nativeweb/natlit/indpoem.html
http://web.maxwell.syr.edu/nativeweb/natlit/indstory.html
http://www.lib.uconn.edu/NativeTech/

Software:
500 Nations
The Ending Question

List of Books:
When Thunders Spoke. by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve (Lakota)
Where Did You Get Your Moccasins? by Bernelda Wheeler (Metis)
Waterlily by Ella Carr Deloria (Lakota)
The White Line by Daniel David Moses (Delaware)
The Witch of Goingsnake by Robert Conley (Cherokee)
For an Amerindian Autohistory by George E. Sioui (Huron)
Full Moon on the Reservation by Gloria Bird (Spokane)
Seneca Myths and Folk Tales by Arthur Parker (Seneca)
The Chichi Hoohoo Bogeyman by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve (Lakota)
Native American Plant Stories by Joseph Bruchac (Abenaki)
Tales of the Bark Lodges by Bertrand N.O. Walker/Heh-Toh (Wyandot)
Rabbit by Don L. Birchfield (Choctaw/Chickasaw)
Grandmother Spider Brings the Sun by Geri Keams (Navajo)

Each student will be given a Walk Two Moons set of papers, which includes a reading journal, worksheets and activities that the students will do over the course of the unit. They will keep all the journal pages and worksheets together, so that at the end of the unit, they can hand it in as their portfolio. The teacher will evaluate the portfolio and assign grades. A sample rubric is included with each portfolio, the teacher will go over this with the students the first day the portfolio is handed out. This will give the students an opportunity to ask any questions and allows them to know what is expected of them throughout this unit. In addition to the student portfolio, the students will be assessed on cooperative learning groups, class presentations, and writing assignments. Each day we will discuss the reading they were assigned, and periodically I will check their reading journals. They are to write in their journals after every chapter. In their journals, they are to reflect on what they read about, things they thought were interesting, and/or words or phrases to help them remember what they read.

Week One, Day One:
Introduction to the unit and book: Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech. 1 Day

Objective: Students will be able to identify aspects of the Native American culture and White American culture by doing a compare and contrast paper.

Materials: One copy of Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech for each student
Chalkboard or dry erase board
chalk or markers
Walk Two Moons student portfolio

Pre-lesson: Explain to the students that we are going to be reading Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech as a class. Tell them that this book is about a 13 year-old’s trek across the country to find her mom. The person in this story is Native American. Ask the students to tell you what it means to be a Native American. Record responses on the board.
Lesson: Ask the students what is culture? Record some of their responses on the board. Next have the students brainstorm what makes the Native Americans a culture. What makes White Americans a culture? Have the students expand their ideas or explain themselves. It is very important to highlight that everyone is different, we appreciate their differences, yet we are all still Americans and share that culture. Walk Two Moons student portfolio will be handed out at this time. The portfolio includes reading journal pages, reproducible worksheets from the April/May 1997 MAILBOX INTERMEDIATE, courage chart, mystery messages, character cinquains, and "What If..." worksheets.

Post-lesson: Have the students write a short (1 page) essay on what their culture means to them and how do they show their culture to others and pass it on ( for example, by traditions, rituals, clothing, etc.). They can use the sheet in their journal to record some ideas and then they will need to write a compare and contrast their culture with the Native American culture. If the person is Native American, have them write about their culture as compared to the white culture. Hand out the books to the students. Assignment is to read the first three chapters and write reflections in their journal.

Day Two:
Listen and List (Adapted from The Education Center, Inc., THE MAILBOX INTERMEDIATE April/May 1997.) Recurring Activity Throughout Unit

Objective: The students will be able to list information, words or clues according to the categories listed to help them remember details from their reading.

Materials:
worksheet "Listen and List" (pg. 45, MAILBOX INTERMEDIATE April/May ’97)
pen or pencils

Pre-lesson: Tell the students that we are going to be writing down information about the characters and plots from the book on our "Listen and List" worksheet. The students are to turn to this sheet in their journal.
Lesson: We will do an example in class on the ways that Sal and Phoebe are alike. Ask for student responses from their reading. Instruct them that they can go back through the reading if they need to review, Also remind them that the information needs to be written down as it is presented in the book. Give the students about 5-10 minutes to work on this individually. After that time, have the students get into groups of three to four members to compare what they put down for each of the areas on the worksheet. Again give them about 5 minutes to compare and then have them share their responses with the rest of the class. Go around the room to check for understanding and to keep all the groups on task.
Post-lesson: Remind the students that they need to be doing this as they are reading the rest of the book. Again ask for any questions. Clarify the main points that they brought up about the chapters they have read so far. This is a recurring activity, should be done every two days.

Courage (Adapted from The Education Center, Inc., THE MAILBOX INTERMEDIATE April/May 1997) Recurring Activity Throughout Unit

Objective: Students will be able to pick out courageous acts done by the characters in the book, and list these courageous acts in a chart with the name of the person, the courageous act, and the chapter in which it happened.



Materials:
Poster board or bulletin board
markers
"Courage Chart" worksheet

Pre-lesson: Ask the students what they think is a courageous act? Have them brainstorm possible courageous acts they have seen on TV, they have done themselves, or they have seen done. Record their responses on the board. Tell them they are going to be picking out courageous acts done by characters in our book. Then they are going to list them in the chart worksheet and also on the poster board chart in the learning center.
Lesson: Go over the main points of the chapters read so fear and see if they can pick out any courageous acts. When they think they have a courageous act, have them tell the rest of the class what it was and why they thought it was a courageous act. Have the other students give feedback as to whether they agree or disagree. The student can then put their courageous act on the poster board chart and their worksheet.
Post-lesson: Again tell the students that this is something they will be doing throughout the reading of this book. They are to write on their worksheet chart and then every two days, we will take 10-15 minutes to go over their charts and add to the poster board.
Assignment is to read chapters 4-7, write reflections and add to their worksheets.

Day Three
On the Road Again (Adapted from The Education Center, Inc. THE MAILBOX INTERMEDIATE April/May 1997) Recurring Activity Throughout Unit

Objective: Students will be able to track Sal’s journey from Ohio to Idaho on a United States map in an interactive bulletin board. They will also create symbols for this map and figure the miles she has traveled.

Materials:
Bulletin board
map of the United States
Opaque projector
construction paper
yarn
push pins

Pre-lesson: Tell the students that we will be tracking Sal’s journey from Ohio to Idaho on the bulletin board in our learning center. We will be marking each city that she visits or goes through, we will be marking landmarks, and we will also be figuring how many miles she travels.



Lesson: Tell the students that they need to create symbols for their map. Different symbols are needed for cities, landmarks, places of interest, etc. They also need to make a map legend for the bulletin board. It would be good to have the students get into groups and assign each group a different task, for example, one group create the symbol for cities, one group create the symbol for landmarks, one group make up the mile scale for our map, one group make the legend for the map incorporating the other groups symbols and mile scale. They should be instructed to research other maps and resources to find examples they could use for their map. After the map is completed, have the students place a push pin in the city where Sal started her journey. A push pin will be placed at every city they stop at or go through. Each day the students will take yarn and connect them push pins to show the route Sal took.
Post-lesson: The students could also research each famous landmark that Sal visits, they could estimate how many miles the whole trip was or how many miles they went each day. This activity is recurring, and each day the first 10 minutes will be dedicated to plotting the city and landmark that Sal visited. Assignment is to read chapters 7-9.

Day Four
Mystery Messages (Adapted from The Education Center, Inc., THE MAILBOX INTERMEDIATE APRIL/MAY 1997) Recurring Activity Throughout Unit

Objective: Students will use creative thinking processes and prior knowledge to figure out what is meant by the mystery messages in the story. They will write they interpretation of the message on the sheet in their portfolio.

Materials:
"Mystery Messages" worksheet

Pre-lesson: Write the first mystery message that Sal and Phoebe receive on the board. Have the students write it down in their portfolio. Ask the students to think about this message.
Lesson: Next tell them that you would like them to write down their interpretation of that sentence on their worksheet. After the students are done writing, have them verbally tell you what they think it means. Clarify correct interpretations and write them on the board. Make sure everyone writes the correct meaning on their sheet.
Post-lesson: The students will need to write down the mystery messages each time they appear in the reading. After they have it written down, they should write what they think it means. After the last mystery message appears, have the students get into groups and share their perceptions with the other group members. How did they arrive at their interpretation? Assignment is to read chapter 9-15.

Day Five
Badge of Courage (Adapted from The Education Center, Inc., THE MAILBOX INTERMEDIATE APRIL/MAY 1997) 1 Day

Objective: Students will create their own badge of courage for one character in the story.

Materials:
Courage Chart
colored paper
markers
glitter
sequins
glue
scissors

Pre-lesson: Tell students that they are going to create a badge of courage. They are to think of one of the characters in the story that they feel is the most courageous.
Lesson: The students are create a badge of courage for one character. They are to include the character’s name on the badge and include a few sentences explaining why they think this character deserves this badge. Each student will share their badge with the rest of the class and then they will be displayed around the room.
Post-lesson: The teacher could hand out her own badges to the students for their great work, cooperation, or for anything they have done. Remind the students to keep writing in their portfolios. Assignment for tomorrow is to read chapters 16-30, write up reflections, and add to their worksheets.

Week Two, Day One
Forget-Me-Not boxes (Adapted from The Education Center, Inc., THE MAILBOX INTERMEDIATE APRIL/MAY 1997) 1-2 Days

Objective: Students will collect items that remind them of someone special.

Materials:
"Forget-Me-Not" worksheet (pg. 46 MAILBOX INTERMEDIATE April/May ’97)
shoe boxes or other boxes
student collected things

Pre-lesson: Tell students that they are going to create their own forget-me-not boxes for someone that is special to them.
Lesson: The students are to use the worksheet to help them plan what they want to put into their box. They are to bring in their own shoe boxes or other box and decorate it. They will put the items inside the box. When they are through with decorating and arranging the items, they will share their forget-me-not box with the rest of the class.
Post-lesson: Ask the students to think of items they could put into a box to give to someone, so that when that person looks into the book, they will think of you.



Day Two
Character Cinquains (Adapted from The Education Center, Inc., THE MAILBOX INTERMEDIATE APRIL/MAY 1997) 1 Day

Objective: Students will be able to write a cinquain about their favorite main character.

Materials:
Character Cinquain sheet from portfolio
pen or pencil
markers

Pre-lesson: Explain to the students how each person can interpret things differently, such as with the mystery messages or in the story when Mr. Birkway uses poetry to show his students the different interpretations. Tell them that they are going to be creating a poem, a cinquain about their favorite main character.
Lesson: Explain to the students that a cinquain is a five line poem that describes a person, in this case, our favorite main character. In a cinquain, the first line should contain the character’s name; the second line, two adjectives; the third line three verbs ending in -ing; the fourth line, the student’s opinion of the character; and the fifth line, the character’s title or position. The student is to illustrate their character on their sheet of paper and then write a cinquain about that character. Each student will read their cinquain to the class. After everyone has read their cinquains, have a class discussion on the different interpretations of the characters.
Post-lesson: Explain to the students that poetry is another way to express themselves.

Double Take (Adapted from The Education Center, Inc., THE MAILBOX INTERMEDIATE APRIL/MAY 1997) 2 Days

Objective: Students will be able to use drawing to create pictures that can be two different things, depending on that person’s perception.

Materials:
Round Trip by Ann Jonas (Greenwillow Books, 1983)
drawing paper
colors
markers
pens or pencils
a perception picture (ex. Vase/faces)

Pre-lesson: Show the students the vase/faces picture that was talked about in the book. Have them tell you what they see. Point out the different perceptions that people have.


Lesson: Tell the students that we are going to be talking about perception. Perception is the way you see something. Next, read Round Trip by Ann Jonas. Read it once; then flip it over and read it again. Student will experience a different perspective of the same book. Talk about their perceptions. Then have them create their own picture that can be viewed in more than one way. Display the pictures around the room or in a bulletin board.
Post-lesson: Remind students that just because someone perceives something differently than they do, does not necessarily mean that one of you is wrong. Assignment is to read chapters 31-33.

Day Three
Have the students share their perception pictures with the rest of the class. This is also a good day to remind student that the portfolio is due in two days. Make sure they have the worksheets completed, etc. Refer them to the rubric. Also, go over some of their recurring activities - listens and list, courage, mystery messages, bulletin board.

Day Four
What If... (Adapted from The Education Center, Inc., THE MAILBOX INTERMEDIATE APRIL/MAY 1997) 1 Day

Objective: Students will be able to use problem solving to create a hypothetical situation and to respond to that situation.

Materials:
"What If..." worksheet from portfolio
pen or pencils
recipe cards
bag/pail or hat to draw cards from

Pre-lesson: Tell the students to think about how their life would be different if certain things had never happened or other things had happened. Explain to them that we are going to play a game called "What If...".
Lesson: Hand out an index card to each student. Explain that they are to write out a "What if..." question on that card. For example, "What if kids under 16 were allowed to drive?" or "What if a fifth grader became president?" Tell them not to write their names on the cards. Put all the cards into the bag/pail and one at a time they will come up and draw a card out of the bag. They are to read the question out loud and respond to it in front of the class. The teacher should do one as an example.
Post-lesson: This is a great activity to get kids to think on their feet. Assignment is to read chapters 41-44, finish up their reading journal reflections, also add to their courage chart, and listen and list.




Day Five
Moccasin Walkers (Adapted from The Education Center, Inc., THE MAILBOX INTERMEDIATE APRIL/MAY 1997) 1 Day

Objective: Students will be able to put them selves in the shoes of one of the characters from the story, write how that person would feel or what they would do, and decorate the moccasins according to that character.

Materials:
moccasin pattern (pg. 47, THE MAILBOX INTERMEDIATE April/May 1997)
markers
sequins
beads
glue
scissors
tag board or old file folders
pen or pencil

Pre-lesson: While discussing the last couple of chapters, bring out the fact that Sal and her grandfather pretend to walk in other people’s moccasins. Explain to them that they are going to be doing the same thing. Have them think about what it would be like to walk in the moccasins of two characters from the story.
Lesson: Hand out two copies of the moccasin pattern to each student. Have them cut out the patterns and glue them to tag board or old file folders. Cut out the pattern again after it has dried. Explain to the students that each side of the pattern is for a different character. They are to write the character’s name in and what they would do. After they have finished with that, they are to decorate the moccasins based on the personality of the character. We will then fold them along the dotted line and display them in our learning center or around the room.
Post-Lesson: Explain to the students how important it is to see other people’s side of situations or life. There is always two sides to every story.

Confession (Adapted from The Education Center, Inc., THE MAILBOX INTERMEDIATE APRIL/MAY 1997) 2-3 days

Objective: Students will be able to write a letter to Sal from Mrs. Cadaver explaining how she knew her parents. This letter will be from their recollections from the reading.

Materials:
paper
pen or pencil
computer (for final copy)

Pre-lesson: After talking about chapter 43, have students reflect back to when Sal knew very little about Mrs. Cadaver. Hold a class discussion about Sal’s refusal to talk with her father about the woman.
Lesson: Tell the students that they are going to be writing a letter to Sal from Mrs. Cadaver. In the letter they are to explain how Mrs. Cadaver came to know Sal’s parents. This will be the students rough draft. After they are done with their rough draft, reread chapter 14 and 30 to refresh their memories about her hobbies and interests. The students will then create their own stationery that reflects Mrs. Cadaver’s personality. They will type their final draft of the letter on the computer and then place this letter on their stationery. They will read their letter to the rest of the class, and explain the design they used for their stationery. (If you have the software and access to computers, the class could generate their stationery through the computer, instead of writing or drawing it.)
Post-lesson: Talk to the students about a person’s personality. What makes up a personality? What is their personality? The teacher could give examples of famous peoples’ personalities or their own personality.

** On day five of week two, the students will turn in their student portfolio. By this time, they will have several observations by the teacher and completed their cooperative learning projects "Listen and List" and "Courage Chart". They will also get a grade for their letter from Mrs. Cadaver to Sal.

Extended Classroom Experiences:
The class could take a field trip to one of the Points of Interest of The Great Sioux Nation. The location would have to depend on the location of the school. If in South Dakota, check out http://www.state.sd.us/state/executive/tourism/sioux/snmap.htm for a list of museums, state parks, etc. Their are also many powwows, wacipis, and other Native American events scheduled throughout the state. Visiting one of these events would be a benefit to any one. Or check out a local tribe to see if they have speaker who would visit your school, or a group that would do an assembly for the whole school. Within this unit, there is not specific science lessons. However, when studying Native Americans a science unit on astronomy would help the class to understand the Native American culture. Lakota Star Knowledge, Sunpath in the Stars is an excellent Internet resource. I also found a Lakota Dakota Comprehensive Bibliography on the Internet for additional resources.