section1

Soft Rain

Fourth Grade (on grade level)
Section 1 (pages 1-23)

Summary

    Soft Rain is a young member of the Tsalagi (Cherokee) Indian tribe. She lives a happy life in North Carolina, with her younger brother, Hawk Boy, Grandmother, Father, and Mother. She attends the Tsalagi school where they learn to speak and read the white man’s words. Soft Rain is an excellent student and is quite proficient in the white man’s language. Her world begins tumbling down around her when her teacher reads a letter from the Superintendent of Cherokee Removal, which states that they must, “remove to the lands set apart for them in the West,” (page 5). Her teacher leaves before they are forced to move, so the school is closed. Soft Rain is determined to continue reading and decides to teach Hawk Boy and her cousin, Green Fern, as she learns new words.
    Soft Rain fears that they will have to leave their home because of the Superintendent’s letter. Her father assures her that they will not leave, as they have too much to do already in cultivating their land for planting. Soft Rain begins to help with the planting and anxiously awaits the Green Corn Festival.
    After a long morning of working on the land, Soft Rain and Mother return home only to be forced from their home by Big Boots and other soldiers. Grandmother, Father, and Hawk Boy are left behind. They join many others and walk for days, until they reach the Stockade. Here they are kept in pens like animals. Many people die, including Green Fern. Soon they are traveling again. Their shoes and bodies wear thin as they continue the journey West. They cross many mountains and rivers and endure cold, wet nights. Along the way, they meet a young chief who tells them that the Indians are now in charge.
    Soft Rain constantly searches for Father and Hawk Boy. They are finally reunited towards the end of their journey. Father has become a leader. He hunts for the people and helps care for them. Soft Rain and Hawk Boy receive help from two young white children. They give them food and clothes that they have out grown. This helps them survive the harsh conditions they must endure. Soft Rain falls ill towards the end of the journey. She awakes to find that her Uncle Swimming Bear has joined them. The two families make plans to build their homes near each other when they reach their new home.

Discussion Director
The discussion director’s job is to develop questions for the group members to discuss about this section of the book. The focus is on important ideas and issues in this section and designing questions that address them.

1 Cause and Effect
1 Point of View
2 MCEOG
1 Opinion

Cause and Effect
1. Name two events that happen in this section (effect), and then discuss why (cause) each one happens.
(1. Soft Rain and the other Tsalagi children are not able to go to the school anymore (effect). The Superintendent of Cherokee Removal sent a letter to the teacher, which said, "The Cherokees must. . . remove to the land set apart for them in the west." The teacher decides to move away before they would be forced to leave, so she would no longer be able to teach them at school (cause). (page 5) 2. Green Fern would not be able to meet with Soft Rain anymore to read and write words and hear stories (effect). Green Fern's parents, Aunt Kee and Uncle Swimming Bear, did not want Green Fern to learn the white man's language and alphabet or go to school (cause). (page 16))

Point of View
2. From whose point of view is this story told?
    A. Soft Rain's
    B. Hawk Boy's
    C. Old Roving Man
    D. Grandmother
(A. Soft Rain's)

Opinion
3. Do you think Soft Rain and her people will have to move West? Why?
(Yes. The book is about the Trail of Tears, the Cherokee's long and harsh Westward journey, that the Cherokee's were forced, by soldiers, to embark upon. So, they must have to move eventually.)

MCEOG
4. All of the following describe Hawk Boy except for which one?
     A. anxious to learn to read
     B. willing to help father
     C. playful
     D. unkind
(D. unkind)

MCEOG
5. According to this section, which is the biggest potential problem for Soft Rain and her family?
     A. The teacher is leaving and there will be no more school.
     B. They may be forced to move West.
     C. Getting the fields plowed and the selu planted
     D. Grandmother's blindness
(B. They may be forced to move West)

Passage Picker
The Passage Picker's job is to select significant passages from the selections being read; determine why those passages are important; call other group member's attention to the passage; and lead a discussion about the passage.
   Steps:
        1.    Pick out a passage you would like to share.
        2.    Write down the page and paragraph number.
        3.    Write down the first two words and the last two words of your passage.
        4.    Write down the reason you chose the passage, and explain why!
        5.    Ask a question about your passage, and give an answer.
        6.    Write down the Author’s Purpose: To Describe, To Entertain, To Inform, or To Persuade.

1. Passage One- Informative
2. Page 5, paragraph 2
3. "It is . . . the West."
4. This passage is informative. It introduces the main problem that the Tsalagi People will face. The passage is interesting as it is presented in the form of a letter. It foreshadows what will eventually happen in the story.
5. What state do Soft Rain and her people live in?
(North Carolina)
6. Author's Purpose: To inform

1. Passage Two- Descriptive
2. Page 9, paragraph 1
3. "Her mother. . . is safe."
4. This passage presents a contradiction. Mother suggests that people being forced to move from Georgia should go to North Carolina, a safe place. This statement contradicts what the letter says.
5. Who does Mother refer to as Real People?
(She means the native people who first settled and lived on the land. The people who were the real owners of the land.)
6. Author's Purpose: To describe

1. Passage Three-Descriptive
2. Page 10, paragraph 7
3. "Soft Rain. . . she promised."
4. I chose this passage because it describes the close relationship Soft Rain has with her Grandmother. It reminds me of the way my family can tell that there is something bothering me, even though I do not say anything about it.
5. If Grandmother is blind, how does she "see" that Soft Rain is crying?
(When people lose one of their senses, the other senses are heightened. Grandmother knows Soft Rain very well. She may have been able to hear the sadness in her voice or a little sniffle.)
6. Author's Purpose: To describe

1. Passage Four- Entertaining
2. Page 23, paragraph 3
3. "Soft Rain. . . the hole.
4. This passage is humorous and has just enough imagery to help me visualize Hawk Boy dropping the kernels in the holes without bending over.
5. Why would Hawk Boy try to drop the kernels in the holes without bending over?
(The job of planting seeds is very mindless, repetitive, and monotonous. Hawk Boy was just trying to make it a little more fun and challenging.)
6. Author's Purpose: To entertain

Word Wizard
The Word Wizard's job is to search the section being read for words that are key to understanding what is happening in the story; note the page and sentence where it can be found; check the dictionary meaning of the word; lead a discussion about the meaning and intent of the word from context and what the word contributes to the importance of the passage.
Steps:
    1. Write down the word.
    2. Copy the sentence from the book in which the word appears.
    3. Look up the word in the dictionary.
    4. Using the context clues from the sentence and the dictionary definition, write in your own words the
        definition of the word.
    5. Write the correct part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, or adverb).
    6. Write a question and the answer about the word that would help you teach the word to your group,
        refer back to the text, or write a sentence using the Word Wizard word.
    7. Make your Word Wizard card. Be sure to include in big print, your word and the page and paragraph
        number. On the other side of the card should be a picture, the word, and the definition of the word.

1. Cultivating, Page 18, paragraph 1
2. "We're busy cultivating our land."
3-4. cultivating- getting the land ready to grow crops by plowing soil, planting seeds, pulling weeds and other necessary care
5. verb
6. Soft Rain and her family were cultivating the land for what kind of crop?
(Selu-corn, and beans)
7.

1. Chided, Page 1, paragraph 2
2. "There is no time for your story this morning," Mother chided.
3-4. chided- to reproach or blame
5. verb
6. The teacher chided the student for not doing her homework.
7.

1. Stammered, Page 4, paragraph 4
2. "Your reading is excellent. . . as usual," the teacher stammered.
3-4. stammer-to stutter or try to speak
5. verb, noun
6. What caused the teacher to stammer when she complimented Little John and Soft Rain's reading?
(She had a hard time speaking because she was crying. She was very upset about the letter and having to move away.)
7.

1. Waded, Page 20, paragraph 4
2. Soft Rain waded in cautiously.
3-4. waded- to slowly and carefully walk in water or snow or mud; to get through something with difficulty
5. verb
6. Amy slowly waded into the water because it was murky and she could not see the bottom of the lake.
7.

Character Sketcher
The Character Sketcher's job is to develop a character map of major characters in the section of text being read.
Steps:
1. Pick out a character that interests you. Choose three words to describe this character.
2. For each trait, you will give proof (an example) from the book (write down page and paragraph).
3. Write out the character's goal, problem, and solution (page and paragraph).
4. Last, you will draw a picture of your character.

Soft Rain

Investigator
The Investigator's job is to examine other sources (newspaper, web, encyclopedia, content texts, etc.) that have connections to the book being read and share that information with the group.

Who is Sequoyah?
Sequoyah (1770-1843?) was a leader of the Native American people. He is known for his creation of the Cherokee alphabet, which he developed to preserve the Cherokee culture. He began the writing system in 1809 and completed the 80 character alphabet in 1821. The alphabet represented all of the syllables in the Cherokee language. This provided a way for the Cherokee people to write true and factual accounts of their lives.
Sequoyah's name can be spelled Sequoya, Sikwayi, or Sequoia. His English name is George Guess. He is thought to be the son of an English trader, and a part-Cherokee woman. He was born in Tennessee, and then he lived in Cherokee County, Georgia. Here he was a trader and silversmith. He was also a soldier in the United States Army during the Creek War between the years 1813-1814.
California named the Sequoia tree and the Sequoia National Park after him.

"Sequoya." Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2000. <http://encarta.msn.com> Microsoft Corporation, 1997-2000.