Students will use the text Trickster for the reading component of the unit. They will focus on stories that involve the natural world like “Coyote & the Pebbles,” “The Bear that Stole the Chinook,” “Mai and the Cliff Dwelling Birds,” “When Coyote Decided to Marry,” “Moshup’s Bridge,” and “Espun and Grandfather.” What I have noted while reading Trickster is that the stories in the book tend to fall into two categories: (1) ones that solely deal with lessons learned from trickster creatures and (2) ones that explain why some natural element came to be the way it is. Students have an opportunity to explore the Trickster archetype in lesson three. Nearly all stories present a trickster character.
For the second type of stories, below is a brief description of how the natural world plays a significant element in the chosen story:
(1) Coyote & the Pebbles by Dayton Edmonds: Set at the beginning of time, the night animals in this story seek out the help of the Great Mystery, their creator,24 in order to light the night skies. The Great Mystery sends them down to the river to fetch pebbles so that they can use the pebbles to draw pictures of themselves in the stars. Coyote, who was late to the party, learns from the Raven about their assignment. Arrogant, Coyote believes he will create the best picture. After collecting the pebbles, Coyote looks for the perfect place to create his portrait when he trips and spills the pebbles everywhere, destroying everyone’s art in the process. The Great Mystery informs the other creatures that they must accept this as they cannot go backwards. In terms of a nature teaching point, this is the origin of the stars. In terms of social emotional learning. The lesson is learning to accept what has already happened. (Pages 21-34)
Additional Resources: Dayton Edmond’s biography. Encyclopedia entry on Great Mystery.
(2) Moshup’s Bridge by Jonathan Perry: Set on the island of Noepe, now known as Martha’s Vineyard, in an area known as Aquinnah, this is the story of Moshup, a man who lives on the cliffs is known for his ability to hunt whales, which fed his people. A trickster is explained to be the reason that a land bridge was left incomplete. When Moshup wanted to build a bridge to connect the islands, Cheepee, a trickster figure, challenged Moshup to build the bridge in one night with completion needing to be achieved by the first crow calling out. Moshup made good progress so Cheepee sent the largest crab to attack Moshup. When attacked, Moshup took the crab, throwing it, creating a new island, Nomans Island. Not one to lose, Cheepee next takes a crow and steals fire from a nearby village and tricks the crow into thinking the crow had missed the dawn, causing the crow to cry out. In terms of a nature teaching point, this is the origin of an unfinished land bridge. In terms of social emotional learning, both characters, Cheepee and Moshup, demonstrate that one should never give up. (Pages 87-94)
Additional Resources: Jonathan Perry biography. Maps of Martha’s Vineyard.
(3) When Coyote Decided to Marry by Eirik Thorsgard: Set near the Columbia River in Washington. This story focuses on a lonely Coyote who seeks to settle down after travelling alone for many years. The Coyote tracks down his old friend, a village chief, to help him in his task. After the villagers build Coyote a home, he also expresses his desire for a bride. Women travelled from all over to meet Coyote. When a Native princess is offered the opportunity by her mother, the princess declines but keeps to herself the reason is due to her secret relationship with another man. When the girl’s father catches them, the father sends off the man and tells his daughter to forget about this relationship. When the princess is brought to the Coyote, the Coyote immediately recognizes that she is in love with someone else. As a result, the entire family is turned into rocks that can be found at the Columbia Gorge. In terms of a nature teaching point, this discusses the formation of a specific rock formation. In terms of a thematic or social-emotional teaching point, it offers a discussion of honesty as well as gender roles. (Pages 165 – 176)
Additional Resources: Eirik Thorsgard university biography.
(4) The Bear Who Stole the Chinook by Jack Gladstone: During a harsh winter, a village was starving because of the lack of resources. Owl, Magpie, Coyote, and Weasel, along with an orphaned boy, meet to discuss the dilemma. Magpie reveals that Bear has taken the Chinook. After traveling, the group located the bear. First, Owl tried to sneak in, but Bear hit him in the eye with a stick. Then, Weasel entered and nearly got the bag with the Chinook, but Bear woke and roared Weasel away. Later, the group smoked out Bear while Coyote snuck in and took the bag. Once out of the cave, the Chinook, a warm wind,25 was released into the atmosphere. When Bear was unable to catch the Chinook, he returned to his cave to sulk. In terms of a nature teaching point, this explores the reason behind the changing of the seasons and the hibernation of bears. For a social-emotional or thematic teaching point, the idea of cooperation versus individualism. (Pages 201-209)
Additional Resources: Jack Gladstone’s biography. Chinook description page. Jack Gladstone performing.
(5) Espun and Grandfather by John Bear Mitchell: Set in the forest, Espun, a curious raccoon, travels in search of a new and interesting place. When Espun spots someone on the mountain, his arrogance causes him to go after the man on the mountain. When Espun discovers it is only a rock in the shape of a person, he laughs until the boulder starts speaking to him. Upon learning that the boulder, called Grandfather by Espun, doesn’t travel, Espun becomes determined to push Grandfather so they can travel together. After getting Grandfather rolling down the mountain, Espun ends up trapped underneath the rock. After spending a day trapped, an ant arrives and Espun convinces the ant to help him by offering the ant friendship. The ant gathered his fellow ants and together they worked to get Espun out. Finally free, Espun realizes he is now flat with short legs and broke his promise to be friends with the ants. In terms of a nature teaching point, this story provides a rationale for why raccoons bodies are shaped the way they are. In terms of social-emotional or thematic teaching point, the idea of team work is brought up repeatedly and Espun breaking his promise is something that could be explored further. (Pages 219-230)
Additional Resources: John Bear Mitchell biography.
(6) Mai and the Cliff Dwelling Birds by Sunny Dooley: Set in a cliffy area, Mai, a coyote, goes about in search of the perfect location after having travelled all over. After spotting cliff dwelling birds, Mai tracks down a single bird and expresses his desire to learn to fly. The bird agreed only after Mai lied that he had permission to learn how to fly. Initially, Mai fell down a lot, but, eventually, he was able to fly using his tail. To make sure he could sustain flight, the birds stuck dried weeds into Mai’s fur. To their surprise, Mai was able to fly much better with his fake wings. When Mai fell hard, the birds decided to trick Mai further by putting their own feathers on him. In the air, Mai encountered the blue jays who convinced him to take his eyes out and throw them around. When Mai lost them, the blue jays gave him pine resin to put in his eyes leaving Mai embarrassed. In terms of a nature teaching point, this story involves the explanation of why coyotes have yellow eyes. In terms of social-emotional or thematic teaching point, the deception of the birds and of Mai would be worth exploring. (Pages 231-238)
Additional Resources: Sunny Dooley’s biography.
In terms of the writing elements of the units, these stories would be used as model texts for the student writers as they create their own stories. Initially, students will rewrite one or two of these stories in pairs or small groups set in a more modern setting or explore a similar theme involving a different element of nature as described in lesson three.