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.