Prairie Dog Pioneer 1

Discussion Director
Prairie Dog Pioneers by Jo and Josephine Harper
Level 4

Lesson 1

Author's Prologue
Pages 8-22

Instructions

1. Write a question for each of the following question types.

Problem/Solution
Character Goal
MCEOG question
Compare/Contrast (using what we know about Mae Dean and Papa)
Author's Purpose (using facts and information from Author's Prologue)

2. Include page and paragraph to prove each question.

Problem/Solution
Explain Mr. Mathis' reason for taking Mae Dean from the wagon onto his horse. In what way does Mr. Mathis' action take care of the problem.

Mr. Mathis takes Mae Dean from the wagon to his horse so that Mae Dean is protected while the wagon goes up the caprock. Mr. Mathis is concerned for Mae Dean's well being and steps in to protect her (pg. 16, para. 6). By taking Mae Dean from the wagon, Mr. Mathis is making sure she will be safe in case the wagon were to break or get stuck while going up the caprock. Mae Dean is also scared and Mr. Mathis senses she would be more comfortable going up the caprock on horseback instead of in the wagon.

Character Goal
What is Dean Ashworth's (Papa) goal in this section?

Mr. Ashworth's goal is to move his family to the land he recently claimed on the Texas Panhandle by putting up a windmill (pg. 8, para. 5 and information from the Author's Prologue). Mr. Ashworth is determined to move his family at all costs regardless of the hardships that might be encountered along the way.

MCEOG - Multiple Choice End-of-Grade question
Which of the following best describes Mae Dean's emotions about moving.
A. eager
B. angry
C. uncaring
D. melancholy (pg. 10, para. 2 and last paragraph; pg. 16, last paragraph; pg. 20, last paragraph;
pg. 22, para. 2)

Answer: D

Compare/Contrast
Compare and contrast Mae Dean and Mr. Ashworth (Papa) in this section. Give at least three (3) examples for each character. Explain your examples of how these two men are the same and how they are different in this passage. Be sure to include specific page and paragraph numbers to prove your examples.

Mr. Ashworth (Papa) Mae Dean

Author's Purpose
Using the information in the Author's Prologue, write a short paragraph about the author's purpose for writing Prairie Dog Pioneers. Use specific examples for the text to support your reasons.

The Authors' purpose for writing this book is to inform the reader of the hardships and difficulties that many early pioneers faced while moving west. Furthermore, the story is about the author's great-grandmother's family and their move to the Texas Panhandle in the late 1870s.

Passage Picker
Prairie Dog Pioneers by Jo and Josephine Harper
Level 4

Lesson 1

Author's Prologue
pages 8-22

Instructions

1. Pick four passages from the section you read today.
2. After picking the passage, do the Passage Picker job for each passage.
3. You need one passage for each of the following reasons.

simile
cause/effect
problem
solution
scary/frightening

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Passage One - Simile
1. pg. 20; para. 2
2. "Clouds hung....the distance."
3. This passage is a simile that describes the clouds hanging in the sky.
4. What are the clouds being compared to? They are being compared to mountains.
5. The Author's purpose is to describe the setting of the story after the rains cleared.

Passage Two - Scary/Frightening
1. pg. 16; para. 1-4
2. "Through the....do this?"
3. This passage is scary and frightening for Mae Dean because she is not sure the wagon will make it safely up the caprock.
4. Why does Pap want to get to the top of the caprock that night? He is afraid the rains will flood before morning and he wants the family safe.
5. The Author's purpose is to describe to the reader the way Mae Dean is feeling.

Passage Three - Solution
1. pg. 16, 4th from last paragraph
2. "Suddenly, Mae Dean....done that."
3. This passage is the solution to the problem of making sure that Mae Dean is safe while the wagons are going up the caprock. Mr. Mathis takes Mae Dean from the wagon and puts her under his slicker until they reach the top of the caprock.
4. Why does Mr. Mathis take Mae Dean from the wagon? Mr. Mathis wants to make sure Mae Dean is safe, just incase something happens to the wagon on the way up.
5. The Author's purpose in this passage is to inform the reader of how narrowly focused Papa is on moving the family at all costs.

Word Wizard
Prairie Dog Pioneers by Jo and Josephine Harper
Level 4

Instructions

1. Find four of the following words in the passage we read for class today.
2. Do the Word Wizard job for each word.

vast; Author's Prologue
persistent; Author's Prologue
caprock; p. 12, para. 3
slicker; p. 16, 4th from last para.
lurch; p. 18, last line

_______________________________________

1. persistent
2. "Rather, they [Comanche and buffalos] swept across it, persistent and transient as the wind."
3. continuing to exist and move forward in spite of harsh weather conditions and difficult climate conditions
4. adjective
5. Why did the Comanche and buffalos move persistently across the plains? They were determined to survive despite the drought and shortage of food.
6. word card

1. slicker
2. "She was under Mr. Mathis' slicker."
3. a waterproof or water-resistant coat that protected Mae Dean from the rain
4. noun
5. What is another word for slicker? Clue: It ends in the letter "r." Answer: Raincoat
6. Make a word card.

Character Sketcher
Prairie Dog Pioneers by Jo and Josephine Harper
Level 4

Instructions

Your job is to make a Character Map of Mae Dean based on the information in this section. You need to find:

3 character traits, example and proof including page and paragraph
one of the Mae Dean's goals for this section
one of Mae Dean's problems in the section
the solution to Mae Dean's problem or a predicted solution if the solution hasn't been decided

Finally, you will illustrate Mae Dean.

_________________________________

Character Traits

unhappy - she doesn't want to play and longs to sit in her swing and be at home - pg. 22; para. 2
scared - as she climbs the caprock under Mr. Mathis' slicker - pg. 16, last line
furious - with Pap for making them move and leave behind their friends and family - pg. 10, para. 3 and the last paragraph

Character Goal

to remain at home, but moving is inevitable so she wants everyone to be happy including herself

Problem:

Pap makes the family move west away from what is comfortable. Mae Dean doesn't want to move west.

Solution:

Mae Dean goes west only out of respect for her father. Because she moved doesn't mean she'll be happy.

Character Map
(For this map, I choose to scan a picture of Mae Dean from the book that illustrates her emotions from this section. Students would also be able to do this with the proper equipment. However, drawing the character by hand is always an option.)

Summarizer
Prairie Dog Pioneers by Jo and Josephine Harper
Level 4

Instructions

Your job is to give a brief 2-3 minute summary of today's reading. In your summary include the key points or main highlights of the reading for today. Your group members are counting on you to refresh their memory about this section.

_________________________

Summary:
In today's section of Prairie Dog Pioneers, Papa tells the family they are going to be moving west to the Texas Panhandle. Mae Dean is not excited about the move because she likes where she lives in Estelline. Mama is strong and doesn't let Papa know that she's not happy about moving either. The family packs up everything in the wagons and they start out. Right before dark they come upon a caprock. Papa is determined to make it to the top before dark, but Mr. Mathis, who is traveling with them doesn't think it is safe. Papa goes on and Mr. Mathis rescues Mae Dean from the wagon and takes her safely to the top of the caprock. Mae Dean is very angry at Papa for making her leave Estelline. As a result, she doesn't want to eat, play with the other children or be near Papa. Despite Mae Dean's anger the weather is better and the family has hope of the remainder of the journey being easier.

Key Points:
1. Papa tells the family he's leaving and has claimed land with a windmill.
2. Mae Dean doesn't want to leave.
3. The storm comes up as they reach the caprock.
4. Mr. Mathis takes Mae Dean to the top of the caprock.
5. Papa and the wagons arrive at the top of the caprock safely.
6. The weather looks more promising and the rains have stopped.
7. Mae Dean still isn't pleased with Papa and refuses to play with the others.