Joseph Bruchac
Lesson plans and teaching resources

Lesson Plans for Specific Works
Biography and Background The First Strawberries
The Bear Boy The Heart of a Chief
Between Earth and Sky Hidden Roots
Bowman's Store: A Journey to Myself Jim Thorpe's Bright Path
A Boy Called Slow The Journal of Jesse Smoke
Children of the Longhouse Pushing up the Sky
"Chipmunk and Bear" Skeleton Man
Circle of Thanks The Story of the Milky Way
Code Talker The Strongest One
Crazy Horse's Vision Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back
Wolf Mark

Biography and Background

Author Interview
Text of an interview with Joseph Bruchac.

A Chat with Joseph Bruchac
Transcript of author interview with emphasis on poetry.

Joseph Bruchac
The author's official site.

Joseph Bruchac
The author tells about his life.

Joseph Bruchac
The author's page at Wikipedia: biography and a bibliography.

The Bear Boy

The Bear Boy Reading Warm-Up
Printable handout with emphasis on vocabulary. Access requires Adobe Reader or compatible application.

The Bear Boy Self Test
At this interactive site students can check their comprehension with 4 self-scoring questions.

Between Earth and Sky

Between Earth and Sky
Students use critical thinking skills to distinguish between stereotypical and realistic portrayals of American Indians. This lesson plan also uses Brother Eagle, Sister Sky by Susan Jeffers.

Bowman's Store: A Journey to Myself

Bowman's Store: A Journey to Myself by Joseph Bruchac
This teacher's guide includes background information, prereading questions, a graphic organizer for vocabulary, discussion questions, writing activities, and interdisciplinary connections.

A Boy Called Slow

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Children of the Longhouse

Children of the Longhouse
This book report form requires Adobe Reader or compatible application for access.

"Chipmunk and Bear"

"Chipmunk and Bear"
Slide presentation with story, comprehension questions, and scoring guide.

Circle of Thanks

Lesson Five: Mother Earth
This plan incorporates Bruchac's Circle of Thanks in a unit on beliefs and cultural practices of American Indians, especially as compared with those of Europeans. This 10-page document requires Adobe Reader for access.

Code Talker

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Crazy Horse's Vision

Crazy Horse's Vision by Joseph Bruchac
This teacher's guide includes background information, prereading questions, vocabulary words and discussion questions, ideas for literature circles and writing, and interdisciplinary activities.

The First Strawberries

The First Strawberries
Pre- and post-reading activities; pre- and post-reading discussion questions. Adobe Reader required for access; 2 pages.

The Heart of a Chief

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Hidden Roots

Hidden Roots
Summary, media connections, related web sites and titles, and 3 teaching ideas.

Hidden Roots
Book talk.

Jim Thorpe's Bright Path

Jim Thorpe's Bright Path
This teacher's guide includes background information, prereading questions, a graphic organizer for vocabulary, discussion questions, writing activities, and interdisciplinary connections.

The Journal of Jesse Smoke

The Trail of Tears
This social studies lesson includes reading passages from The Journal of Jesse Smoke . It is designed for 5th graders.

Pushing Up the Sky

Pushing Up the Sky
An introduction to vocabulary words, including prefixes and alphabetical order. Access requires MS-Powerpoint or compatible application.

Skeleton Man

Skeleton Man
Summary, book talk, and 7 discussion questions.

The Story of the Milky Way

Thematic Unit Based on Multicultural Children's Literature
This series of lessons focuses on the relationship between children and grandparents. Lesson #3 uses The Story of the Milky Way .

The Strongest One

The Strongest One
Students note details as they read. Includes text-dependent questions, vocabulary words, a culminating task, and additional learning activities. Word processor required for access.

Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back

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Wolf Mark

Wolf Mark
This Teacher's Guide includes 11 discussion questions and a writing activity.

Wolf Mark
In this author interview Bruchac discusses the impact of legend, Abenaki culture, humor, and espionage on the novel.