Before Reading
KWL (Know – Want to Know – Learned): What makes a story a “tall tale”? What tall tales have you heard? Have you ever seen a totem pole? Who do you think makes them, and why?
Personal Applications: Discuss, write, or draw about these questions: Besides writing them down, what other ways do people tell and remember stories? Can you remember a time when you had to cooperate to get something done?
While Reading
Predictions: What do you think the totem animals will do after they’ve had to stay still for so long? Why wouldn’t they want to get stuck in the Land of In-between and Never-there? How can they solve the problem of everyone wanting to be on top?
Language: Make a list of sensory images and strong verbs used in the story.
Setting: On a map of Alaska, find the region where totem poles are made
After Reading
Revisit the Pre-reading Activities: Besides the fact that the totem pole is tall, what else makes this a “tall story”? What did you learn about why totem poles are made?
Language: Write a story or draw a picture using at least three of the sensory images and strong verbs from the book.
Predictions: Tell or write a story about what might have happened if the totem animals hadn’t listened to the raven.
Interdisciplinary Connections
Social Studies: Learn about the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian Indians. Why do they live? How do their clan systems work? Why do they carve totem poles? What other customs do they have?
•Art: Use clay to make your own totem pole. Tell or write the story that is told by the pole.
•Science: The people who carve totems live in the temperate rainforest, where cedar trees grow. Why is cedar good for carving totem poles?
