Coyote and Badger: Desert Hunters of the Southwest

In the classroom/library:

Goal: To utilize literature in a classroom to help initiate a prompt for a writing and art activity.

Objectives:
Students will locate Chaco Canyon on a New Mexico map.
Students will learn and review vocabulary that is unfamiliar.
Students will hear Coyote and Badger.
Students will compose a story of their own to expand on the ending of the book.
Students will create an illustration about their story.

Questions: In what ways can people help each other? What is the purpose of this story?

Core Curriculum (TUSD)

Writing (W-F2) (C)
Spell high frequency words correctly, punctuate endings of sentences, capitalize sentence beginnings and proper nouns, and write legibly
(W-F3) (I,O,F)
Write a narrative including an established beginning, middle, and end. Use the writing process to develop a story using correct spelling, punctuation, and capitalization as well as including an established beginning, middle, and end.

Listening and Speaking (WPI-F)
Listen effectively and respond orally within a group. Use questions to elicit listening and speaking from the children.

Social Studies
Recognize patterns that may be seen in the animal kingdom. (Coyote and badger work together to help each other find food.)
Understand the agriculture and scenery in a desert.

Procedure
1. Make connection to the story by using a map to show where the setting of the story is located.
2. What are some things one might see in the desert? Read author's notes about what inspired him to write the story.
3. Read: Coyote and Badger: Desert Hunters of the Southwest by Bruce Hiscock Ask students to listen and look at the illustrations of the story.
4. Have the students return to their seats and then explain the activity they will be doing. Explain to them that they will write a story about what might have happened to the coyote or badger after they went their separate ways. Then tell them that after constructing their story they will draw a picture that symbolizes their story.
5. The teacher will then read an example of a story.
6. The students will then write their own stories while the teacher goes around the class to assist the children with any questions they have.
7. After they are finished, the teacher will tell the students how well they did and that they just performed an activity that made them authors.

Resources: Coyote and Badger by Bruce Hiscock

Supplies: New Mexico map, writing paper, crayons, pencils ,example of a story

About the Book | Book Review | Children's Voices | Lesson Plan | About the Reviewer