Page 68 - ELA_CA_HighSchool_Sampler_Flipbook

ACTIVITY 1.13
continued
Setting a Purpose for Reading
• As you read “An Indian Father’s Plea” by Robert Lake, mark the text and write the elements of argumentation in the My Notes section of your text.
• Circle unknown words and phrases. Try to determine the meaning of the words by using context clues, word parts, or a dictionary.
My Notes
Plea
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A member of the Seneca and Cherokee Indian tribes, Robert Lake is an associate professor at Gonzaga University’s School of Education in Spokane, Washington. His tribal name is Medicine Grizzlybear.
Essay
An Indian Father’s
by Robert Lake (Medicine Grizzlybear)
Wind-Wolf knows the names and migration patterns of more than 40 birds. He knows there are 13 tail feathers on a perfectly balanced eagle. What he needs is a teacher who knows his
full measure.
Dear teacher, I would like to introduce you
to my son, Wind-Wolf. He is probably what you
would consider a typical Indian kid. He was born and raised on the reservation. He has black hair, dark brown eyes, and an olive complexion. And like so many Indian children his age, he is shy and quiet in the classroom. He is 5 years old, in kindergarten, and I can’t understand why you have already labeled him a “slow learner.”
At the age of 5, he has already been through quite an education compared with his peers in Western society. As his first introduction into this world, he was bonded to his mother and to the Mother Earth in a traditional native childbirth ceremony. And he has been continuously cared for by his mother, father, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and extended tribal family since this ceremony.
From his mother’s warm and loving arms, Wind-Wolf was placed in a secure and specially designed Indian baby basket. His father and the medicine elders conducted another ceremony with him that served to bond him with the essence of his genetic father, the Great Spirit, the Grandfather Sun, and the Grandmother Moon. This was all done in order to introduce him properly into the new and natural world, not the world of artificiality, and to protect his sensitive and delicate soul. It is our people’s way of showing the newborn respect, ensuring that he starts his life on the path of spirituality.
reservation: an area of land Native Americans manage and live in, under their own tribal government
ACTIVITY 1.13 continued
5 Read the Setting a Purpose for Reading section with your students. Help them understand that they will encounter the elements of argumentation in their reading. Ask students to call out the five basic elements of an argument before they begin the text.
6 FIRST READ: Based on the complexity of the passage and your knowledge of your students, you may choose to conduct the first reading in a variety of ways:
• independent reading • paired reading
• small group reading • read aloud
Text Complexity Overall: Complex
Lexile: 1290L
Qualitative: Moderate Difficulty Task: High (Evaluate)
7 As students are reading, monitor their progress. Be sure they are engaged with the text and annotating the elements of argumentation. Evaluate whether the selected reading mode is effective.
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Unit 1 • Cultural Conversations 89
10/2/15 10:51 PM
Unit 1 • Cultural Conversations 89
© 2017 College Board. All rights reserved.
© 2017 College Board. All rights reserved.