Chapter One

Chapter One

Small Wolf
by Nathaniel Benchley, pictures by Joan Sandin

Summary: On Small Wolf's solo hunting trip, he sees white people for the first time. Small Wolf returns with his father to investigate. They are warned off at gunpoint and told that the white settlers own the land. Small Wolf and his tribe move upriver to avoid conflict.
GRL J

Objectives: Compare and contrast. Practice sequencing. Study vocabulary.

Pre-Reading

Activity 1
Read the title and the author's and illustrator's names. Discuss the cover illustration, including the Dutch flag, windmill and the expression on the boy's face. Talk about the time and place in which the story is set. Create a timeline by drawing a straight line on mural paper. On one end write "1600's" and enter "Native Americans encounter Dutch settlers on Manhattan Island." Explain that a timeline shows when events happened in history and, by putting events in order, tells a story about history. Save this timeline and add to it for each historical story read.

Activity 2
Introduce new vocabulary words. Begin by writing "Indian" on the board. Write "Native American" next to "Indian." Explain that when Christopher Columbus landed in America, he thought he was in India. Tell the students that they will learn more about Native Americans by reading Small Wolf. Put these words on the board:

>

hunt
canoe
island
Manhattan
shelter
medicine man
Canarsee
crops
goods

>

Let students know that the meanings will become clearer as they read the words in context.

During reading

Activity 3
Read the summary on the back cover aloud. Listen to or read the story to find out why Small Wolf's family must search for a new home.

Activity 4
Read to page 15. Discuss Small Wolf. What kind of life did he have? What did he want for himself? Read through page 19 and discuss his fears. Turn to page 22. What did he see? Why was this so strange to him? Read the rest of the story uninterrupted.

Activity 5
Read the Author's Note on page 64. Discuss why this genre is called historical fiction.

After reading

Activity 6
Compare and contrast the "Indians" and the "white man." Go back to the story for details. Include beliefs, way of life, clothing, etc.

Activity 7
Have students close their eyes and visualize the story as a movie. What images come to mind? Have readers retell the story on the Story Map worksheet found at the back of the Teacher's Guide.

Activity 8
Ask readers what new information they learned. Did this information change readers' thoughts? What is the author's opinion of the subject? Ask students to explain how they can tell.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from "I Can Read Classroom in a Box Level 3" by Various. Copyright (C) 2007 by Various. Excerpted by permission. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.