Ohio Resource Center > Record > Making Connections to Myth and Folktale: The Many Ways to Rainy Mountain


ORC Resource Number #3370

Making Connections to Myth and Folktale: The Many Ways to Rainy Mountain

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=281

PROFESSIONAL COMMENTARY
In The Way to Rainy Mountain, N. Scott Momaday links the survival of his people to their ability to remember, preserve, and pass on stories. In The Way to Rainy Mountain, N. Scott Momaday links the survival of his people to their ability to remember, preserve, and pass on stories. Taking the idea one step further, Momaday models necessary personal involvement in the stories. After reading and discussing the novel, students respond by connecting the themes from the text to their own lives. In this assignment, students write three-voice narratives following Momaday's model. This multi-day lesson provides detailed procedures, which will require some revision to meet specific instructional needs. (author/ncl)

OHIO STANDARDS

English Language Arts Standards

Reading Applications: Literary Text Standard

Benchmarks (8 - 10)

A.	Analyze interactions between characters in literary text and how the interactions affect the plot.
B.	Explain and analyze how the context of setting and the author's choice of point of view impact a literary text.
E.	Analyze the use of a genre to express a theme or topic.

Benchmarks (11 - 12)

A.	Analyze and evaluate the five elements (e.g., plot, character, setting, point of view and theme) in literary text.
B.	Explain ways characters confront similar situations and conflict.

Grade Level Indicators (Grade 9)

1.	Identify and explain an author's use of direct and indirect characterization, and ways in which characters reveal traits about themselves, including dialect, dramatic monologues and soliloquies.
4.	Evaluate the point of view used in a literary text.
6.	Analyze how an author's choice of genre affects the expression of a theme or topic.

Grade Level Indicators (Grade 10)

1.	Compare and contrast an author's use of direct and indirect characterization, and ways in which characters reveal traits about themselves, including dialect, dramatic monologues and soliloquies.
5.	Analyze how an author's choice of genre affects the expression of a theme or topic.
8.	Analyze the author's use of point of view, mood and tone.

Grade Level Indicators (Grade 11)

1.	Compare and contrast motivations and reactions of literary characters confronting similar conflicts (e.g., individual vs. nature, freedom vs. responsibility, individual vs. society), using specific examples of characters' thoughts, words and actions.
3.	Explain how voice and narrator affect the characterization, plot and credibility.
4.	Evaluate the author's use of point of view in a literary text.
5.	Analyze variations of universal themes in literary texts.

Grade Level Indicators (Grade 12)

1.	Compare and contrast motivations and reactions of literary characters confronting similar conflicts (e.g., individual vs. nature, freedom vs. responsibility, individual vs. society), using specific examples of characters' thoughts, words and actions.
3.	Explain how voice and narrator affect the characterization, plot and credibility.
4.	Evaluate an author's use of point of view in a literary text.
5.	Analyze variations of universal themes in literary texts.
7.	Compare and contrast varying characteristics of American, British, world and multi-cultural literature.

Writing Process Standard

Benchmarks (8 - 10)

A.	Formulate writing ideas and identify a topic appropriate to the purpose and audience.
B.	Determine the usefulness of organizers and apply appropriate pre-writing tasks.
C.	Use revision strategies to improve the style, variety of sentence structure, clarity of the controlling idea, logic, effectiveness of word choice and transitions between paragraphs, passages or ideas.

Benchmarks (11 - 12)

A.	Formulate writing ideas, and identify a topic appropriate to the purpose and audience.
C.	Use a variety of strategies to revise content, organization and style, and to improve word choice, sentence variety, clarity and consistency of writing.

Grade Level Indicators (Grade 9)

2.	Determine the usefulness of and apply appropriate pre-writing tasks (e.g., background reading, interviews or surveys).
4.	Determine a purpose and audience and plan strategies (e.g., adapting focus, content structure and point of view) to address purpose and audience.
5.	Use organizational strategies (e.g., notes and outlines) to plan writing.
6.	Organize writing to create a coherent whole with an effective and engaging introduction, body and conclusion, and a closing sentence that summarizes, extends or elaborates on points or ideas in the writing.

Grade Level Indicators (Grade 10)

2.	Determine the usefulness of and apply appropriate pre-writing tasks (e.g., background reading, interviews or surveys).
4.	Determine a purpose and audience and plan strategies (e.g., adapting focus, content structure, and point of view) to address purpose and audience.
5.	Use organizational strategies (e.g., notes, outlines) to plan writing.
6.	Organize writing to create a coherent whole with an effective and engaging introduction, body and conclusion, and a closing sentence that summarizes, extends or elaborates on points or ideas in the writing.

Grade Level Indicators (Grade 11)

2.	Determine the usefulness of and apply appropriate pre-writing tasks (e.g., background reading, interviews or surveys).
4.	Determine a purpose and audience and plan strategies (e.g., adapting formality of style, including explanations or definitions as appropriate to audience needs) to address purpose and audience.
6.	Organize writing to create a coherent whole with an effective and engaging introduction, body and conclusion, and a closing sentence that summarizes, extends or elaborates on points or ideas in the writing.

Grade Level Indicators (Grade 12)

2.	Determine the usefulness of and apply appropriate pre-writing tasks (e.g., background reading, interviews or surveys).
4.	Determine a purpose and audience and plan strategies (e.g., adapting formality of style, including explanations or definitions as appropriate to audience needs) to address purpose and audience.
6.	Organize writing to create a coherent whole with an effective and engaging introduction, body and conclusion and a closing sentence that summarizes, extends or elaborates on points or ideas in the writing.

Writing Applications Standard

Benchmarks (8 - 10)

A.	Compose narratives that establish a specific setting, plot and a consistent point of view, and develop characters by using sensory details and concrete language.
B.	Write responses to literature that extend beyond the summary and support references to the text, other works, other authors or to personal knowledge.

Benchmarks (11 - 12)

A.	Compose reflective writings that balance reflections by using specific personal experiences to draw conclusions about life.

Grade Level Indicators (Grade 9)

1.	Write narratives that: a. sustain reader interest by pacing action and developing an engaging plot (e.g., tension and suspense); b. use a range of strategies and literary devices including figurative language and specific narration; and, c. include an organized, well developed structure.
2.	Write responses to literature that organize an insightful interpretation around several clear ideas, premises or images and support judgments with specific references to the original text, to other texts, authors and to prior knowledge.

Grade Level Indicators (Grade 10)

1.	Write narratives that: a. sustain reader interest by pacing action and developing an engaging plot (e.g., tension and suspense); b. use a range of strategies and literary devices including figurative language and specific narration; and c. include an organized, well-developed structure.
2.	Write responses to literature that organize an insightful interpretation around several clear ideas, premises or images and support judgments with specific references to the original text, to other texts, authors and to prior knowledge.

Grade Level Indicators (Grade 11)

1.	Write reflective compositions that: a. use personal experiences as a basis for reflection on some aspect of life; b. draw abstract comparisons between specific incidents and abstract concepts; c. maintain a balance between describing incidents and relating them to more general, abstract ideas that illustrate personal beliefs; and d. move from specific examples to generalizations about life.

Grade Level Indicators (Grade 12)

1.	Write reflective compositions that: a. use personal experiences as a basis for reflection on some aspect of life; b. draw abstract comparisons between specific incidents and abstract concepts; c. maintain a balance between describing incidents and relating them to more general, abstract ideas that illustrate personal beliefs; and d. move from specific examples to generalizations about life.

NATIONAL STANDARDS

Standards for the English Language Arts

Range of materials and purposes for reading

Reading strategies, language use, and conventions

Write, speak, and visually represent to create text

Research and inquiry

Purposes for using spoken, written, and visual language

RESOURCE TYPE

Instructional Resource

PRACTICE LEVEL

Promising Practice

STANDARDS ALIGNMENT

Grades 9 - 12

TOPICS

English Language Arts --
Reading;
Strategies - Literary Texts;
Literary Response;
Writing;
Writing Applications;
Writing Process;
Literature;
American Literature

OHIOWINS TOPICS

Literature;
Writing Applications;
Response to Literature;
Writing Process;
American Literature

FOUND IN

AdLIT
OhioWINS

KEYWORDS

multicultural literature;
American Indian literature;
N. Scott Momaday;
autobiographical novel;
The Way to Rainy Mountain;
folktales;
three-voice narrative;
theme;
literary analysis

Author: Patricia Schulze
Publisher: IRA/NCTE