Sing Down The Moon - Literary Discussion Guide

sing down the moon - literary discussion guide sing down the moon by scott o'dell literary discussion guide 1. characters bright morning white deer running bird tall boy bm's parents bm's siblingsold bear bm's dog nehana long knives the spaniards old apache womanrosita senora woodcutter mando little rainbow lr's babies 2. conflict person vs. self (inner conflicts of feelings & thoughts) person vs. person (protagonist vs. antagonist) person vs. society (larger organizations/belief systems of society) person vs. nature (battling the elements of nature) 3. themes/symbols describe the use of historical fiction -- in this case the 1863-65 history of the navaho indians. is it effectively portrayed? analyze the clothing, housing, lifestyle, etc. define the themes concerning native american culture, nature, women's roles, and racism (extermination of a race?). analyze the use of native american culture/ritual. compare it to the white and spanish american culture of the time. define and research mesa, utes, navaho, fort sumner, bosque redondo. compare and contrast the weapons of the navaho and those of the long knives and spaniards. how does the difference in weapons foreshadow the future of the native americans? what do the sheep symbolize? what do tall boy's injuries symbolize or foreshadow? what does the kin-nadl-dah (womanhood ceremony) symbolize? 4. pre-reading/post-reading activities

social sciences: mythology & native cultures, women's roles, ritual, etc. science: tribal life, tall boy's injuries, etc. geography: fort sumner, bosque redondo, etc. classroom projects: art, vocabulary, creative writing, etc.