Carving the Pole From Totem Pole By Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith Photographs by Lawrence Migdale.

Carving the Pole

From Totem PoleBy Diane Hoyt-GoldsmithPhotographs by Lawrence

Migdale

Objectives:• This week you will:

– practice recognizing homographs– practice recognizing /k/ spelled c.– practice recognizing base words with the suffixes –tion

and –sion.– practice recognizing the schwa sound.– use vocabulary strategies such as context clues,

apposition and word structure.– use the comprehension strategies Monitoring and

Clarifying, Summarizing, Making Connections, and Visualizing.

– use the comprehension skill Classify and Categorize.– develop and understanding of cultural vocabulary

related to the Native American culture.– write a realistic story.– understand and use capitals and underlining in

greetings/closings of letters, direct quotes, and titles of media and written work.

Word Knowledge

watch stick light log live• These words can have more than

one meaning. – Can someone use the word watch in a

sentence?– Because they can have more than one

meaning, these words are called homographs—Words that are spelled the same but have different meanings.• Let’s continue to discuss the meanings of

the words in line 1.

Word Knowledgeinvite invitation edit

edition complete completion

• These words have either the –tion or –sion endings. – Sometimes when we add

-tion or –sion, a letter or letters of the original word are dropped (the e in complete) or changed (invite/invitation)

• How does the meaning and part of speech change when we add the –tion and –sion endings?

Word Knowledge

carve coast curves• These words all have the /k/ sound

spelled c. – Why does the c in these words have a

hard /k/ sound?• It is followed by the vowels a, o, or u.

Word Knowledge

reserve reservation explode explosion

• These words have either the –tion or –sion endings. – How does the meaning, part of speech,

and spelling of the original word change when the suffixes are added?

Word Knowledge

totem important legend system listen

• These words all have the schwa sound in the unstressed syllable.– The schwa sound is an unidentifiable

vowel sound. Their spellings must be memorized.

• They are also from our selection.

Word Knowledge

I live in a small town called Kingston in Washington State.

Ever since I was little, I have watched him take a piece of wood and carve a creature from it.

My father is carving a totem pole for the Klallam Indians who live on the Port Gamble Reservation near our home. – Can you find the homographs?

• live– Can you identify any words that begin with /k/ spelled

c?• carve, creature

– Can you find any words with the suffix –sion or –tion?• reservation

Word Knowledge

It is important to listen when someone explains how a system works.– Can you identify words with the schwa

sound?– Which vowel is making the schwa sound?

• important (a)• listen (e)• someone (o)• system (e)

Build BackgroundActivate Prior Knowledge

• Has anyone ever read “Carving the Pole”?

• What is an expository text? Is it the same as a nonfiction text?

• Has anyone ever seen a real totem pole?

• How do totem poles relate to storytelling?

Build BackgroundBackground Information

• Not all stories are passed down through books or printed materials.

• Totem poles are objects that are especially important in certain Native American cultures, particularly in the northwestern United States and parts of Canada.

• Since most Native American cultures did not have written language, totem poles were a way to record important historical events.

Preview and Prepare

• Let’s read aloud: the title, the author, and the illustrator.

• Now, let’s browse the first page or two of the story. – Who are the main characters?– Look at the illustrations. What do you notice?

• Now let’s look at the focus questions:– If you were not able to write a story using

words, how would you go about telling your story?

– What methods could you use to make your stories memorable?

• Look for clues, problems or wonderings in the story.

Student ObservationStudent Observation

CluesClues Problems Problems WonderingsWonderings

pictures of the carving process reservation totem poles pictures of the carving process reservation totem poles and storytelling?and storytelling?

Carving the Pole

symbol totem reservation

legends generation

The eagle is the symbol and the totem of the Eagle Clan, which is our family group within our tribe.

My parents planted a tree when they moved into this house as a symbol of their new life together.

symbolsomething that represents

something else

Kwakiutl symbol of

harmony with nature.


The totem for Wynona’s family is the bear.

toteman animal, plant, or object

that is a symbol of a family or tribe.

My father is carving a totem pole for the Klallam Indians who live on the Port Gamble Reservation near our home.

David returns every summer to the reservation he grew up on to tutor children who live there now.

reservationland set aside by the government

for a specific purpose

I will have animals and figures carved on it, important characters from Klallam myths and legends.

In Niagara Falls, several legends exist about the story of the Maid in the Mist.

legendsstories passed down that are not entirely true

He tells me that it is a system for passing on legends and stories from one generation to another for people who have no written language.

Parents hope that each new generation learns from the mistakes of past generations.

generationone step in the line of descent

from a common ancestor

Reading Recommendations

• Tomorrow we will begin reading “Carving the Pole”.

• While we read we will:– Monitor and clarify difficult words, ideas, or

passages to help me better understand what I am reading.

– Make connections between what we are reading and what we already know. This will help us better understand what we read.

– Summarize what we are reading to make sure we are understanding.

– Visualize what we are reading to make a mental picture in our heads.

Investigation

• Investigating Concepts Beyond the Text– Work with your groups to complete

Inquiry Journal, page 119, on “How Stories are Passed On”.

– When you finish, you may continue working on your group projects.

Word Analysis

• Spelling—The schwa soundtotem important legend system

listen– Let’s take our spelling pretest.

• Vocabulary Skill Wordsreservation totem myths tribe

symbol

English Language Conventions

• Mechanics: Capitalization and Underlining– Let’s look at Language Arts Handbook pages 272, 275,

276, and 277 for the rules of capitalization and setting off titles.

• Always capitalize the first word in a sentence, people’s names and initials, and proper nouns.

• Titles are like names. Can someone give me the title of your favorite book? Let’s write the titles correctly with capital letters and underlining.

– Notice I underline the titles of the books when I am writing by hand. You also use underlining when you are using a typewriter. However. when you are typing on a computer, you use italics.

• Let’s work on Comprehension and Language Arts Skills Workbook pages 144-145 for more practice with capital letters and underlining.

Writing Process Strategies

• Getting Ideas: Realistic Story– Let’s look at our Language Arts

Handbook pages 126-129 to learn about realistic stories.• I am going to use the idea of carving a totem

pole to write a realistic story. My main character will be Martin. I will have Martin decide what he would put on a totem pole for his family.

• Let’s make a list of ideas on the board…What could you write a realistic story about?

Formal Assessment

• This is the rubric I will use to grade your realistic story:– Total Point Value: 10

• Sentence elaboration or expansion has been used. (2 points)

• The beginning, middle, and end all tell about the same story. (2 points)

• Dialogue is used. (3 points)• Spelling is correct. (2 points)

Developing Oral Languagewatch stick light log liveinvite invitation edit edition complete

completioncarve coast curvesreserve reservation explode explosiontotem important legend system listen

Can someone choose a line from line 2 and use it in a sentence? Then call on someone to use the other form of the word in a different sentence.

I need a volunteer to choose a word and use it in a sentence. Erase the word, and pick someone else to choose another word. We will continue until we have used all of the words.

“Carving the Pole”First Read

• Comprehension Strategies:– Monitoring and Clarifying– Summarizing– Making Connections– Visualizing

Discussing Strategy Use

• What connections did you make between the reading and what you already know?

• How did you clarify confusing passages?

• Where did you pause to summarize?• What did you visualize as you were

reading?

Discussing the Selection

• Let’s use Handing Off to answer the following questions:– What are totem poles?– Why are totem poles important?– How are totem poles made?– How do David and his father feel about

totem poles?

Investigation

• Would anyone like to add anything to our concept board?

• Would anyone like to add to our question board?

Word Analysis

• Spelling—The schwa soundeleven

• You must memorize the spellings of words with the schwa sound

elevin elevan elevon elevun• By writing the word, you can see that none

of the above spellings looks right, even though each vowel can be used to spell the schwa sound.

Word Analysis

• Vocabulary—Cultural Words– What does the word “totem” relate to?

• Native American culture, carved wood– Let’s look at the context clues on page 146 to help us

learn the meaning of the word “totem”.• symbol, eagle, tribe

– Without the Northwest Coast Indian culture, the word “totem” would not be in our vocabulary.

– Can someone please find the word “totem” in the dictionary?

• an animal, plant, or thing carved as a symbol of a family.– Now, we will complete Spelling and Vocabulary Skills

Workbook page 114-115 for more practice with words that relate to the Native American culture.


• Mechanics: Capitalization and Underlining– Let’s review our Language Arts Handbook on

capitalizing and underlining (272, 275-277).– Which words in the following sentences should be

capitalized and which words should be underlined?• the los angeles times is delivered each day.

– The Los Angeles Times is delivered each day.• ishi is a famous book about the last member of a Native

American tribe. – Ishi is a famous book about the last member of a Native

American tribe.• i still like to watch sesame street sometimes.

– I still like to watch Sesame Street sometimes.• how do the characters in peter pan fly across the stage?

– How do the characters in Peter Pan fly across the stage?• the dentist has national geographic and highlights to read

in her office.– The dentist has National Geographic and Highlights to read in

her office.


• Let’s look at our list of ideas from yesterday.• Now, we will look at Writer’s Workbook

page 94 on prewriting for a realistic story.• We will fill out the story map (transparency

8) together using my idea from yesterday about Martin.

• Fill out the audience and purpose on page 94 of your Writer’s Workbook. Then complete your own story map on Writer’s Workbook page 95 to help your organize your thoughts.

Word Knowledge Reviewwatch stick light log live

– homographsinvite invitation edit edition complete completion

– suffix –tion and -sioncarve coast curves

– /k/ spelled creserve reservation explode explosion

– suffix –tion and -siontotem important legend system listen

– schwa sound• I live in a small town called Kingston in Washington State.• Ever since I was little, I have watched him take a piece of wood

and carve a creature from it.• My father is carving a totem pole for the Klallam Indians who live

on the Port Gamble Reservation near our home. • It is important to listen when someone explains how a system

works.

Carving the Pole


legends generation




something else

Kwakiutl symbol of

















“Carving the Pole”Second Read

• Comprehension Skill:– Classify and Categorize

• As we read the story a second time, let’s fill in the chart.

Animals on a totem pole

Steps in making a totem pole

Native American Traditions

Tools for making a totem pole

Purpose of a totem pole.

Checking Comprehension

• Why is this selection called “Carving the Pole”?– This story explains what a totem pole is and also explains

the steps involved in carving one.

• How do you think David, who tells about carving the totem pole feels about the work that he and his father created?– He has great pride in his work and realizes the importance

of passing on Native American legends in this way.

• Why do you think artists are still creating totem poles today, even though there are now ways of preserving Native American stories and legends in books.– There is also a need to preserve Native American stories

and legends in the way they were originally passed on.

Investigation

• Continue working with your groups on your investigation projects.

Word Analysis

• Spelling—The schwa sound– Let’s complete Spelling and Vocabulary Skills Workbook

page 117 to learn strategies for spelling words with the schwa sound.

• Vocabulary—Cultural Wordssymbol

– Can someone find the word “symbol” in “Carving the Pole”?

– What does “symbol” mean?• something that represents something or someone else.

– How does “symbol” relate to “totem”?• A totem is a type of symbol

– What is the symbol for the “family group” in the story?• The eagle

– How do symbol, totem, and eagle relate to one another?• The eagle is the symbol within the family’s totem.


• Mechanics: Capitalization and Underlining– Let’s review capitalization and underlining

using Comprehension and Language Arts Skills Workbook pages 144-145.

– Now I will tell you a short story about my favorite book that was recently turned into a movie. I would like you to write down exactly what I say (like dictation). Make sure you use capital letters and underlining when needed.


• Writer’s Craft– Sentence Elaboration

• The boy sat on the park bench.– Let’s imagine that the boy is upset. He has a cast on his

leg. There are a lot of children laughing and playing in the park.

– How could we elaborate on the original sentence to show all of these things?

» The young boy, who had broken his leg yesterday, sat on the park bench, sadly watching his friends play.

– Sometimes we need to use elaboration to give our reader a better mental picture of what is going on in our story.

– Let’s complete Comprehension and Language Arts Skills Workbook pages 146-147 for more practice with sentence elaboration.


• Let’s read Writer’s Workbook page 95 on drafting a realistic story.

• Using your graphic organizer from yesterday, begin writing a rough draft of your realistic story.









works.

Carving the Pole


legends generation




something else

Kwakiutl symbol of

















Meet the Author

• With your partner, please read the top half of page 154 to learn more about the author of “Carving the Pole”, Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith. – Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith loves to travel to new places and

make new friendships when she is researching a book. How do you think this helps her writing?

• By getting to know new people, Hoyt-Goldsmith can offer even more details about each area she visits; she will have more information to draw on in order to create exciting fictional characters.

– Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith says “I love writing nonfiction because I enjoy learning about the world we live in.” Why is this important to readers?

• If someone loves to learn, they are going to want to share their information with other people.

Meet the Illustrator

• With your partner, please read the bottom half of page 154 to learn more about the illustrator of “Carving the Pole”, Lawrence Migdale.– Lawrence Migdale said he began taking pictures

because it was a great excuse to get to know the different people he was encountering. How is this similar to Dian Hoyt-Goldsmith’s attitude?

• They both enjoy getting to know new people, especially people from different cultures. They form new friendships and also get useful material to work with in their professions.

Selection VocabularyPlace the letter that is by the definition next to the word it is defining.

1. _____ coastline a. something made by hand

2. _____ common b. a group of persons or clans with one common language and living under a leader r chief

3. _____ generation c. where the ocean and land meet

4. _____ handmade d. securely 5. _____ reservation e. a tall pole carved from a single log with a design showing several totems stacked one upon the other 6. _____ safely f. average

7. _____ totem pole g. a character or person who delights in playing tricks on other and is skilled at doing so8. _____ tribe h. period of time from the birth of a set of parents to the birth of their children usually

considered to be about 30 years 9. _____ trickster i. land set aside by the government for a special purpose

View Fine Art• Look at the images on page 156 of

your anthology. • Share your thoughts and reactions

with your group.• Anasazi means “basket maker” and

refers to the extinct Native American clans that once inhabited the Four Corners area of the Southwest, where New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and Arizona meet. They developed basket-making techniques and lived in elaborate cliff dwellings and multistoried adobe buildings, such as Mesa Verde in Colorado. It is believed that Apache and Navajo raids and intertribal warfare destroyed the Anasazi.

• The petroglyphs were carved onto the rock’s surface using a technique of chipping or pecking. Tools such as axes, chisels, and hammers were used to create the various figures and geometric designs. Sometimes these designs were polished and lines were etched for details. Over time, a patina has been created by the sun, leaving some areas of the rock’s surface almost black.

Literary Elements

• Expository Texts– What are some of the characteristics of

expository texts?• nonfiction• give facts about a person, place, thing, or event• sometimes called informational texts• use features such as subheadings and boldfaced type

to organize and emphasize important terms– Let’s make a list of some different kinds of

expository texts and their features.– Now, with your group, I want you to look

through “Carving the Pole, and identify which features the author used to present information to the reader.

Supporting the Investigation

• Conducting an Internet Search– When searching for information on the Internet, you must

first select a search engine. You need to pick a search engine that will help you locate age-appropriate materials.

– Next, you should select key words that are most likely to lead you to useful information. For example, to look up ancient cultures that lived in California, you can select the keywords ancient, cultures, and California. Sometimes, you will need to try different words to get the information you want.

– You also need to decide how to combine the terms to get the kind of information you are looking for. To do this you can use logical operators, or special key words or characters that tell the search engines how to use the key words. The most common ones are and, or, and quotation marks.

• Let’s do Inquiry Journal pages 120-121 for more practice with internet searches.

Word Analysis

• Spelling—The schwa sound– The visualization strategy can help you

learn to look for correctly spelled words with the schwa sound, and recognize misspellings.

– Please complete Spelling and Vocabulary Skills Workbook page 117 for more practice with words with the schwa sound.

Word Analysis

• Vocabularymyths (page 146, “Carving the Pole”)

• legends, stories, fables, and tales are all similar to the word myths.

• What context clues can help you learn the meaning of myths?

• Look in the dictionary to find the definition of myths.

– a story that tells about heroes

• What is the difference between myths, legends and fables?


• Listening, Speaking, Viewing– Viewing: Analyzing Ideas

• There are a variety of ideas that exist in the media. Some come from newspapers, radio, television, and movies.

• Some ideas provide information to explain, some ideas are opinions meant to persuade, and some ideas are for entertainment.

• It is important to recognize the differences among these kinds of ideas, and the purpose behind them.

– news stories should contain straight facts to inform– ads and editorials contain opinions or personal

points of view.


• Revising: A realistic story– Let’s read Writer’s Workbook, page 96, on

revising a realistic story.– Remember:

• The characters, events, or details need to seem real. • Details need to be in sequence.• Don’t use too much or too little sentence elaboration.• Make sure your beginning, middle, and end go

together.• The dialogue in your story should sound like a natural

conversation your characters are having.

– Use the checklist on page 96 of your Writer’s Workbook to revise your realistic story.

Day 5…General Review









works.

Carving the Pole


legends generation




something else
















Vocabulary Review

Can you match each word with a picture?generation

legends

totemsymbol

reservation

English Language Conventions Review

• Capital letters are used in titles of books, movies, television shows, and magazines.

• These titles are also underlined or italicized (if using a computer).– Add capitals and underlining where needed.

• the los angeles times is delivered each day.• ishi is a famous book about the last member of a

Native American tribe.• i still like to watch sesame street sometimes.• how do the characters in peter pan fly across the

stage?• the dentist has national geographic and highlights to

read in her office.

Listening

• Now, we will listen to “Carving the Pole” on CD…

Assessment

• Selection Assessment– “Carving the Pole”—Unit 5 Assessment, p. 14-16

• Vocabulary Assessment – Unit 5 Assessment, p. 17

• Spelling Assessment– The schwa sound—Unit 5 Assessment,

p. 37


• Cursive Letters G and S– G G G G G G G G G G G G

G G – S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S

S – Greenland– South America– claws– teeth – charms


• Let’s read page 97 in our Writer’s Workbook, on editing/proofreading and publishing.

• Now, let’s review Transparency 27 on grammar

• Use the checklist on page 97 of your Writer’s Workbook to edit and proofread your realistic story.

• Copy your story neatly on a clean piece of paper and draw an illustration.

Formal Assessment

• This is the rubric I will use to grade your realistic story:– Total Point Value: 10

• Sentence elaboration or expansion has been used. (2 points)

• The beginning, middle, and end all tell about the same story. (2 points)

• Dialogue is used. (3 points)• Spelling is correct. (2 points)

Carving the Pole From Totem Pole By Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith Photographs by Lawrence Migdale.

Documents

reservation slide

word knowledge watch

base words

word watch

schwa sound

word structure

sound spelled

original word change