Competency
Goal 2 The learner will explore and
analyze information from a variety of sources.
2.01 Explore
informational materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by:
·
reviewing the
characteristics of informational works.
·
restating
and summarizing information.
·
determining
the importance of information.
·
making
connections to related topics/information. M
·
monitoring
comprehension
·
drawing
inferences
·
generating
questions.
Materials
Needed: story/BOOK previously read by the entire class
Time
required: Approximately 25-30 minutes.
Script: In “Raven’s Dream”, a young boy goes
through a rite of passage, similar to a bar or bat mitzvah. Can any of you
recall a particular rite of passage experience in your life, such as becoming a
big brother or sister, or maybe becoming a teenager?
The tone of “Raven’s Dream” is slightly
nostalgic, reflective, and inspirational. Why do you think the author sets the
tone of the story the way he did? How does that relate to the “rite of passage”
theme?
We have been studying various literary terms, so you know that
foreshadowing is basically
the writer's way of hinting to the reader what will happen before it happens --
without really saying what will happen.. In the second paragraph of the story, there are
a series of questions, such as “Why is it raining? Why is it
so cold? Why am I so sore? Where am I?” What does this method of foreshadowing
lend to the story? Why do you think the author used questions as a method of
foreshadowing instead of just laying out the scene to us through description?
Another literary term we have been studying is
catharsis, which is essentially the purging or purification of emotions
through some form of art. Do you think that Raven's
experience in the rock shelter had a cathartic
Now,
read “Shippy”, by Toby Bright. Consider why the author chose to “tone” the
story the way he did. Do you think the catharsis in the story was personally
felt by the author or directed for the audience to feel?
Raven's Dream
Raven kept on dancing. He had been dancing for
hours. But now it was dark and he was scared. His fire threw frightening
shadows on rock wall behind him. He was weak from hunger, having taken only a
few sips of water since he arrived earlier that day. His voice was so tired
that he could barely utter the words of his chant. He was sure that something
was out there in the woods. It was watching him. It terrified him. What was it?
Something rustled in the trees! Oh no! He heard a sharp "crack" and
as he turned to face the sound his knees buckled and he fell unconscious to the
ground.
Why is it raining? Why is it so cold? Why am I
so hungry? Why am I so sore? Where am I? The thoughts crept from a sleepy haze,
and then rushed like so many fish into a stream of consciousness. Still, he was
tired and confused. Raven sat up as his surroundings slowly came into focus.
Why am I alone? Where are my parents and younger siblings? Where am I? Then he
woke up.
Raven was sitting in a rock shelter near the top
of a small creek valley a few miles away from his parent's village. Following
directions given by his grandfather, he had hiked there the previous morning,
bringing along only his fire-making kit, a paint-making kit, and a small skin
bag that his mother had filled with water. He checked himself over and found,
to his great relief, that he was just fine. He felt a bit embarrassed that he
was so frightened the night before, but he figured that other boys who went
through the same ordeal probably were just as scared as he had been. He placed
a few dry sticks on the coals of his fire and gently blew them into a flame.
That was better!
As he watched a gentle morning rain raise the
small creek below, Raven thoughtfully reconstructed the events of the previous
night, as his father and grandfather had instructed him. He remembered how
weary he had become from hours of strenuous dancing and chanting combined with
the effects of food deprivation. Clearly his physical state had affected his
mind and elevated his sense of fright, and then he must have fainted. Next came the dream! Now he remembered: a spotted animal — maybe
it was a panther but he wasn't really sure — spoke to him about how he could
always depend on certain animals and humans to help him, and Raven would know
which those were when he learned how to see where all creatures stood on the
Path of Life. Raven was sure that this was the message the spotted panther gave
him, and he was equally sure that he was going to have to think about it for
quite a while, perhaps for many years, before he completely understood the
message.
Sure now that he hadn't forgotten any important
part of his experience, Raven reached over and picked up the pieces of his
paint-making kit that lay next to the fire. He placed a small piece of a soft,
red rock in a stone mortar and used a stone pestle to grind it into a powder.
He then mixed the powder with blood and animal fat to make a thick, sticky red
paint. Dipping his finger into the paint, he outlined the shape of an animal
pelt on the rear wall of the shelter near the handprint that he had made the
previous day, shortly before he began his dancing. He filled the pelt with
spots and traced a curving line to represent the Path of Life. This helped to
sharpen his thoughts about the dream, and he contemplated adding some figures
along the line to represent the helper animals and people, but he couldn't
think of a good way to do this so he disposed of the remaining paint and
cleaned up the remains of his camp. Maybe he would return some day to finish
the diagram, when he had a better understanding of his dream and its message
for his life.
Raven started for home. He felt a bit older now, and a little wiser as well.
Discussion Questions