The Birchbark House Internet Activity
Based on the novel The Birchbark House
by Louise Erdrich
Directions: Bookmark this web page. Use the links to go to a site
to find the answer.
You'll need to do some digging on the sites. Use the
Bookmark to return to this page. Printer
Friendly version
1. The book is written in sections by season. Write an Anishinaabe
name for a moon for each season.
Select names that match something
mentioned in the story.
2. Nokomis and Omakayas harvest the bark
of a birch tree for their new home.
Write three facts about how native
people have used birch trees.
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3. Omakayas finds a treat. Some heartberries
are growing next to the path. She thinks of sharing them with her
sister. She ends up sharing them with two bear cubs, instead.
Many
creatures enjoy eating the leaves and fruits of the heartberry.
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4. There are 8 species of bears in the world. Review these bear
facts.
Which kind of bear do you think Omakayas met?
5. Deydey rewards Omakayas with a gift of the barrel of his old gun.
He thinks it will make a good tool for scraping skins.
Here are photographs
of Anishinabeg / Ojibwe tools.
Pick one and write a description of it.
6. Wild rice is an important food for the Anishinaabe. Compare your height to that of the wild rice reeds.
Height of wild rice reeds in feet. (use the tallest number) _____________________
Your height in feet. __________________________________
What is the difference?
7. Andeg, the crow, was a friend to Omakayas. In the story he cries,
"Gaygo, Pinch!"
Do you think the author had Andeg doing things
that a crow could really do?
Read
the facts and decide. If you cannot decide based on these facts, here are more facts about common crows.
8. The Anishinaabe
lived in North America for thousands of years before the invasion of the
Europeans.
Write 5 interesting facts about them.
9. Angeline learns the letters so she can read the treaties to prevent
the government from cheating her people.
Did the US Government use
treaties to cheat the native people of North American? How?
10. Ms. Erdrich's childhood helped prepare her to write this story. Explain.
11. Listen to the song of the white-throated sparrow.
Extras:
Wild rice gathering Which job would you choose to do? Why?
Calculation:
Omakayas' family works together to do maple sugaring. Read Walking
Bear's description of the process.
Deydey plans to trade syrup for
other supplies. He needs five gallons of syrup to get the items he wants.
How many gallons of maple tree sap are needed?
Legends:
Read the Ojibway Legend: Winabojo and the Birch Tree.
Read this tale of the Dreamcatcher.
Write a legend about Omakayas and the bears.
More Writing activities:
Write a biography of one of the characters. Use the resources at Biography Maker
Write a condolence letter to Omakayas. Advice on writing a condolence letter
Compare & contrast A Traditional Ojibway Wigwam with your home - Worksheet
Make a vocabulary puzzle based on the book.
Make a Story Timeline - ReadWriteThink - Timeline generator
Think about characters - Make a set of Character Trading Cards. - Planning sheet
Read one of these nonfiction books about Ojibway children. The Sacred Harvest: Ojibway Wild Rice Gathering by Gordon Regguinti, Shannon: An Ojibway Dancer by Sandra King or Ininatig's Gift of Sugar: Traditional Native Sugarmaking by Laura Waterman Wittstock. What is it like to be an Ojibway child today?
Old Tallow was a great hunter. She must have used animal’s tracks to find them.
Learn about animal tracks.
"Never let fear take your mind away. Always think." Deydey
Journey onward:
| * Pow
Wow dances Which dance would be of special interest to Omakayas? |
* There are many Anishinabe words in the story. Use the chart, at the bottom of the page, to help you say them well. |
| * Make a character trait word cloud | * Explore the many kinds of moccasins of the native people of North America |
| * Do this about your life letter to Omakayas activity. | * Make your own makazins project |
| * Maple, Sugarbush and the Anishinabe Activity | * Enjoy this poem by Longfellow where he describes Hiawatha's Childhood |
| * Lots of photos of a birch bark wigwam | * Put on The Hidden One play |
| * The Three Fires | * Native American clothing |
| * Text based Inquiry Unit for The Birchbark House | * Outstanding Native Americans |
Created 2005 Cindy O'Hora Educators may print a hunt, exactly as it appears, for use in a classroom setting. FAQ Posted 7/10/2005 utd 11/22
Save a tree use a Digital Answer Format - Highlight the text. Copy it. Paste it in a word processing document. Save the document in your folder. Answer on the word processing document in a contrasting color (not yellow) or font (avoid fancy ones like 
, 
). Save regularly as you work. Submit the assignment via an electronic class drop box or email attachment. Proof your responses. It is funny how speling errors and typeos sneak in to the bets work. 
MYO Printed answer sheet.
Or perhaps you have the resources to record verbal answers. If you do, be sure to first read / record the question. Then record the answer immediately after it.
Aligned to Pennsylvania Academic Standards. Aligned to Common Core English Language Arts standards