The Unbreakable Code
by:  Sara Hoagland Hunter
illustrations:  Julia Miner
Section 1 p.1-13
    The story begins with John, a young Navajo boy, sitting in his favorite hiding place throwing pebbles.  His mother has remarried and he has to move to Minnesota against his will.  He is up there trying to hide when his Grandfather approaches on horseback.  John expresses his dislike for having to move and the grandfather tells him that everything will be ok because he has an "unbreakable code."  Grandfather begins to tell of how the Navajo language saved his life in World War II.  Grandfather's story begins with him as a five year old boy that was forcced to attend a government school where they cut his hair and forced the students to speak English.  When Grandfather was in tenth grade the US marines were looking for Navajo's to join the marines for a secret mission. Grandfather joined the marines and went through boot camp then all the Navajo's were bused to a different camp where they were locked up in a room and using the navajo language to make a code that the Japanese would not be able to break.  The troops were sent into battle with radios.  One night in battle Grandfather was mistaken for a spy and was almost killed untill another soilder saved him.  The Japanese were never able to break the code and resulted in the invasion of Iwo Jima and winning the war. As grandfather finished his story he gave his grandson, John, his wallet to remember his grandfather, people, and language that he should be proud of.

Character Sketcher
Your job today as character sketcher is to create and illustrate a character map of a character.  You are to use at least three words that describe grandfather.  For each word, or character trait, you will prove or give an example from the text.  You will also identify the character goals, problem and solution (or possible solution) for that section of reading.  Finally, you will make a visual illustration of your character.
 
Grandfather
Character Traits:
Proud (p. 3, par. 4) Grandfather is proud of his Navajo heritage and language sternly corrects his grandson for saying he was going to forget his native language.
Rebellious (p. 4, par. 1) Grandfather as a  young boy was punished for speaking Navajo and was punished quite often for not obeying the rules of his school.
Frightened (p. 5, par. 2) After joining the army grandfather was scared when faced with the unknown of military life and secret mission.
Resilient (p. 6, par. 1)  During boot camp the Navajo platoon found no problem hiking through the desert, and hauling heavy machinery.

Goal: To help his grandson feel better about moving.
Problem: John doesn't understand the importance of his heritage
Solution: Grandfather tells a story of how his heritage aided Americans in World War II

Passage Picker
Today your job is to find 4 passages in the text that are significant and/or descriptive and lead the group into discussion through questioning and stating the author's purpose for the passage. Follow the steps below:
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 Authors Purpose:  To Describe, To Entertain, To Inform, or To Persuade.
Look for passages that are: Descriptive Informative and Entertaining

1- Passage #1
2- p. 3, par. 1
3- "Grandfather's soft...ever seen."
4- I choose this passage because it is good physical description as well as an implicit description of his presence.
5- Q:  What dose this passage tell you about John's view of his grandfather?
     A:  The presence of Grandfather makes John feel comfortable, and views his grandfather as a friend.
6- To Describe

1- Passage #2
2- p. 4, par. 1
3- "They gave...never forget."
4- Shows that Grandfather was a bit rebellious and proud because he would rather be punished than forget his native language.
5- Q:  If you went to school another country that spoke a different language and when you would speak your native language they make you suck on soap do you think that you would still speak your native language?
     A:  I think that putting soap in a person's mouth is not a good way of getting them to want to learn a new language because it does not help the student it only hurts them.  I think if it was me I would get so stressed with trying not to speak my native language that I would not speak at all.
6- To inform

1- Passage #3
2- p. 4, par. 4
3- "Just before...I enlisted"
4- It is a beautiful simile of how grandfather felt when he knew he was going to leave the government school.
5- Q:  Why do you think that the author used a "wild horse with a lasso finally off his neck" to describe grandfather?
     A:  The horse is relevant to grandfather and his life.  A horse is an animal that he would have been around to see.  It would not fit in the story if grandfather had referred to a camel or some animal that is not used in the United States.  The passage also describes grandfather feeling of leaving the school and being free.
6- To describe

1- Passage #4
2- p. 7, par. 3
3- "When the...the country."
4- To show how the government's view of the Navajo language changed when it helps Americans in war.
5- Q: Why is Grandfather laughing when he finds out that they are going to use Navajo language as a code for war?
     A: Because when he was a child he was punished for using Navajo and now is is going to save the country.
6- To entertain

Word Wizard
Your job today is to find 4 words that are essential to the meaning of the story, or other unknown words.  Follow these steps when recording your words:
1- Word  page and paragraph #
2- Sentence used in text.
3- Definition
4- Part of Speech
5- Your own sentence using the word.

With 2 of these four words you will put on a note card:
On the Front:
Word
(page # and paragraph # in corner)
On the Back:
Define
Part of speech
The sentence the with word from the text
Your own sentence using the word
Illustrate the word.
 
1- bleat p1, par 2
2- "The faint bleat of a mountain goat echoed off the canyon walls."
3-  to make the sound of a goat, sheep, or calf.
4-  verb
5-  As I was walking through the farm I heard the bleats of goats and sheep.

1- ceremonies p 12, par 1
2- "I just stayed on the deck of the ship thinking about the ceremonies they were doing for me at home."
3-  an act or set of acts done in a particular way to celebrate a special occasion.
4-  noun
5-  They are having a ceremony to honor my visit.
 
1- code p 3, par 2
2- "You have an unbreakable code."
3-  a set of signals for sending messages.  A system of secret writing in which words, letters, or figures are given special meanings.
4-  noun
5-  My sister and I speak in a secret code so no one else will understand.
1- corridor p 7, par. 3
2- "They locked us in a classroom at the end of a long, narrow corridor."
3-  A long hall or passage way in a building with rooms opening onto it.
4-  noun
5- Edward go stand in the corridor and wait for me.
 
 

Discussion Director
Your job today is to generate 5 meaningful questions and answers that will motivate group discussion.  You will want to use different types of questions like: Fact & Opinion, Multiple Choice End of Grade, Problem/Solution, Sequence, Prediction, Cause & Effect.  Good Questions begin with: Who, What, When, Where, Why, How, Tell, and Describe.
Each question must have a page# and paragragh# of where the answer can be found in the text.
1. Q: Why did the US Government think that the Navajo language would be good for code?
    A: Because it was not a written language so the Japanese would not be able to decode a language with no alphabet.
(p. 6, par. 1)

2. Q: Why did grandfather "not want to touch" his family with stories of fighting in the war?
    A: Because grandfather is not proud that he had to fight, he doesn't seem to be the kind of man that would be proud of hurting or killing people. (p. 4, par. 2)

3. Q: What does the author mean by using "blood red" as a decryption of the creek during the battle?
    A: That so many people died that their blood was running through the creek really making it red as blood. (p.13 par. 3)

4. Native Americans were not allowed to fight in War for the United States.
    TRUE/FALSE
        A:False
5. Navajo's are good with radios and that is why the government wanted them in the military.
    FACT/OPINION
        A:Opinion

Travel Tracer
Your job is to create a map of the travels that Grandfather made.