How Glooskap Outwits the Ice Giants; and other tales of the Maritime Indians Book

Genre: Legend
Grades:4-6
How Chipmunk got tiny feet is a compilation of seven different Native American Legends that explain how different animals got their features. I will share only a few of the legends with you. The first legend, "How Coyote Got Yellow Eyes", tells the story of a blind coyote who received the gift of pine-gum eyes from mother earth. Rather than appreciating his gift, the coyote spent all of his time harassing other animals. His behavior made mother earth very mad at the coyote so she used the sun to melt his eyes. The coyotes pine-gum eyes then melted into yellow sap and that is why coyote's have yellow eyes.

The next legend, "How Horse Got Fast" tells the story of a light hearted, heavy footed horse who dreamed of flying like an eagle. His dream never seemed like it would come true until Mother Earth sent him a caterpillar named "Wind Dancer" With the help of the "Wind Dancer" the horse had magic flint placed in each of his feet. From that point on, the horse could dance, leap, jump, and run very fast.

Finally, the legend, "How Chipmunk Got Tiny Feet", tells the story of a working chipmunk who was stealing corn from his monster master's garden. When the monster discovered what the chipmunk was doing, he was very angry. One day Mother Earth visited chipmunk and told him that he must confess his sins to the monster. When chipmunk confessed to the monster he put a spell on him that shrunk his entire body. Finally, after much pleading, the monster changed the chipmunk's body back to normal size. The catch was that the monster left the chipmunk's feet small so that he would remember never to steal again.

Activities:
1.Each student will draw a cartoon of their favorite legend from the book.
2.The student's will be divided into seven groups; each group will select a legend. The student's will then each construct a map of each legend's setting. The student's will then present their maps to the rest of the class.