How Coyote Stole Fire

ELA: myths

Social Studies: Native American culture

Social-Emotional Learning: social awareness (empathy); relationship skills (teamwork); responsible decision-making (analyzing situations, identifying problems, solving problems)

 genre, text features, fluency, vocabulary, key details, problem and solution, character, characters’ motivation, plot, inference, cause and effect, analyzing, text to self, explanatory writing

Set a Purpose for Reading/Build Knowledge  (10 minutes)

• Look at page 10 with the class. Point out the labels “Play” and “Read-aloud myth.” Explain that myths are stories told long ago in different cultures around the world. Many of these stories include talking animals and magical events. Some myths, like this one, tell a story that explains how something came to be.

• This play is adapted from a Native American myth that tells the origin stories of how humans learned to use fire, and why certain animals look the way they do today. Explain that in this play, animals will act like people.  

• Share that Coyote is an important character for several Native American tribes. Stories about Coyote usually focus on his intelligence and cleverness.

• Ask students to think about what life might have been like for people before they learned to use fire.

• Point to the illustrations on pages 10-11. Ask students to describe what they see. Ask what the illustrations show Coyote looking at. Explain that the yellow flame-like creatures are Fire Beings, mythical characters that control fire. 

• Call on volunteers to read aloud the Think and Read box on page 11 and the Think and Write box on page 14. Ask your students to keep these prompts in mind as they read the play.

Introduce Vocabulary (15 minutes)

• While the play does not include definitions of vocabulary words with the text, a Vocabulary Skill Builder (available in your Resources tab) online previews five challenging words. You may also play our Vocabulary Slideshow where images help students with comprehension.

• Vocabulary words: teepees, crept, glowing, swallowed, feast

Bridging Decoding and Comprehension

• Storyworks 3 plays provide a perfect opportunity for students to build fluency.

• Remind students that the stage directions in parentheses tell a reader or actor how to say a line or perform an action in the play. Direct students to page 11. Point to the words to himself in column 3. Read the dialogue aloud with appropriate expressions or actions. You might turn to the side or speak in a hushed voice. Ask students to repeat after you.

• Before reading: Point out the Characters box on page 10. Remind students that this is a list of all the characters in the play. How many Storytellers are there? How many Fire Beings are there? 

• First Read: Assign parts and read the play as a class. (If you’re meeting in a virtual classroom, have students write the name of the character they’re portraying on a piece of paper to tape or pin to their shirts—or help them change their display name to their character name. This will make it easier for everyone to follow along.)

• Second Read: Project, distribute, or assign the Close-Reading Questions (available in your Resources tab). Discuss them as a class, rereading lines or scenes as necessary.

• Pair each student with a partner to discuss the Critical-Thinking Questions. Then ask pairs to share their answers with the class. 

Close-Reading Questions (30 minutes)

1. Read Scene 1. What problem do the humans face? (key details/identifying a problem) The weather is growing cold, and the humans have no way of staying warm.

2. How does Coyote react to the humans’ problem? What does his reaction show you about his character? (character) Coyote feels sorry for the humans and wants to help them. This shows that Coyote is caring.

3. Read Scene 2. Why do the Fire Beings want to keep fire away from the humans? (characters’ motivation) They fear that humans will become as strong as they are if the humans have fire.

4.  Read Scene 3. How do you think Frog and Squirrel feel about Coyote’s plan? (inference) They are scared of the Fire Beings and worried that the plan is dangerous.

5. Read Scene 4.  What happens to make Coyote realize it’s his chance to steal the fire? (cause and effect) One of the Fire Beings goes to wake up her sister, leaving no one to watch over the fire.

6. Read Scene 5. According to the play, why are the tips of coyotes’ tails white and squirrels’ tails curly—and why don’t frogs have tails? (cause and effect) The tips of coyotes’ tails are white because a Fire Being’s hot touch burned the hairs on Coyote’s tail. Squirrels’ tails are curly because the bit of fire Squirrel was carrying was so hot her tail curled up. Frogs don’t have tails because a Fire Being grabbed Frog’s tail and pulled it off.

7. Read Scene 6. What does Coyote know about fire that the Fire Beings do not? (plot) Coyote knows how to get fire from Wood.

8. What do the humans do to thank the animals that helped them? (key details) They use the fire to cook a great feast for everyone.

Critical-Thinking Question (10 minutes)

1. Describe the relationship between the humans and the animals in the play. (analyzing) The animals and the humans have a good relationship. The animals want to help the humans survive, even though Squirrel doesn’t like that humans eat acorns. Coyote, Squirrel, and Frog risk their lives to help humans get fire. The humans then use that fire to feed and celebrate all the animals.
2. Coyote helps the humans after he notices they have a problem. Describe a time you noticed someone having a problem. Were you able to help them? Why or why not? (text to self) Answers will vary.

Featured Skill: Genre

• Distribute the Understanding Myths Skill Builder (available in your Resources tab) and have students complete it in class or for homework.  

• Ask students to write a response to the prompt in the Think and Write box at the end of the play.

• Have students read the related nonfiction text “The Discovery of Fire” to learn about the history of human fire making.

• Gather a small group in your remote classroom for a virtual play reading. Share the play on your screen and assign parts. (Students might read more than one part, depending on the size of the group.) Then read the play aloud together. Encourage students to be expressive as they read! Repeat with other groups until all students have had a chance to participate.
  

• Our new Choice Board (available in your Resources tab) is perfect for remote learning. It offers nine varied activities for students to choose from. Students can do one activity or as many as they like, working at their own pace. Because most students are getting a huge amount of screen time now, all of the activities on the Choice Board can be done away from a computer.