Summer of the Bear Teaching Guide

8/14/2019 Summer of the Bear Teaching Guide

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History for Ages Eleven to

The Award-WinningSummer of the Bear

The Summer of the Bear targets the

8th-grade social studies curri-culum,

but is appropriate for ages 11-15, for

either social studies or reading arts.

Teachers and parents will find that

Summer makes the history come

alive for their children. It is a story

about modern teenagers, and the

choices they face, while retracing the

steps of their Euro-American and

Native American forefathers. The book makes an excellent read-aloud for

sixth- graders and an exciting read for any teen who loves adventure and

mystery. Summer of the Bear, the first volume in a series of historical fictions

for young,received the Michigan State History Award for Literature for

Children and Young Adults in 2007.

How to Teach This Book to your Child

If you are wondering how to present this book to your child so that she learns

the facts she needs to know, it may help you have her put the following

questions to the text. All of the historical facts are indexed in the back of the

book. Remember, every child is going to wonder: why do we have to read this?What does it teach us? Why did the author write it? How do we know what the

author meant by what she wrote? (Hint: the characters, images, symbols,

extra-textual references, etc., are all at the service of the authors purpose).


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Purposes of the Book: Every book is written for a reason, and, as obvious as

that may seem, your child needs to learn to recognize the purpose for which

the book was written. Only then can she understand how every detail of the

book points toward the authors goals. This is also a great way to prepare herto write her own papers and books, be they fiction or nonfiction. Purpose is the

most important organizational principle in writing.

The first purpose ofSummer of the Bear is to teach readers about the

histories, economies, and customs of the both the Indians and the Canadian

fur traders, the voyageurs, the coureurs de bois, the commis, and the big

American fur trading companies.

The boys in the story sing the

voyageurs songs while they are

paddling up the Pigeon River.

Authentic music appears in the text.

The reader learns a certain amount of

French, which is translated in the

text, and, again, at the back of the

book. The reader also learns about

Native American history, especially

Ojibwe history, from pre-contact

times to the present. Along with this,

he acquires a number ofAnishinaa-

bemowin (Ojibwe language) terms.

Seeking to fulfill his core democratic value of liberty, the hero

discovers the responsibilities that go hand-in-hand with freedom. The core

democratic values are of paramount importance for the eighth-grade

curriculum.


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Jean-Baptiste and Kevin discuss the difference between traditional or

survival economies (like that of the Anishinabeg) and command economies

(the European economy, which was geared to profit). (Pp.45-46)

The teens in the story become involved with an Ojibwe bearwalker. Inprocessing what happens to them, the boys discuss the California missions,

the Esselen Indians, and how some bearwalkers can be good, while others are

criminals. They talk about California because one of them, Brock, has read a

mysterious, scary novel about Esselen bearwalkers. What kinds of

bearwalkers do the boys themselves turn out to be?

Finally, two of the boys visit Michilimackinac, Mill Creek, and

Mackinac Island in Michigan, where they see an Algonquian lodge, the

wealthy trader and peace-maker, Ezekiel Solomons house, and learn how Mill

Creek was founded to supply lumber for the construction of the fort on

Mackinac Island. Kevin, the narrator, tells his friend, Brock, who is a very

minor expert on Vernors Ginger Ale, about Pre Marquette.

The second purpose of this book is to serve as a text for reading arts. It

is a lively, adventure-packed, coming-of-age story about Kevin Murphy and his

best friend, Brock Tomlinson. Kevin, the narrator, looks back on his 14th

summer, the year that he became a responsible citizen.


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The boys set out to spend the

summer at the Tomlinson cabin in

the Pigeon River Country State

Forest, Michigan. The FrenchCanadian teen next door, Jean-

Baptiste Vaillant, takes the boys on

a canoe trip they will never forget.

They become witnesses to a

mysterious murder, committed by a

bad bearwalker, and eventually

encounter a real bear. Everything in

the story tests their courage and their loyalty to each other, as well as the

values that their parents and teachers have been trying to instill. In spite of

themselves, they are inexorably pushed across the threshold from boyhood

into the adult world.

The third purpose of the book is to help youngsters learn solid values

they will carry into adulthood. The main thrust of the story is unity in

diversity: teamwork and the invaluable contribution each individual is able to

make to the group. They must also learn to be considerate and wise, in

addition to being courageous and unselfish. Both Kevin and Brock become

men on this trip precisely because they eventually learn all of these lessons,

including the virtue of protecting family honor by behaving in exemplary

fashion.

The Issues Raised in the Book, which You Can Discuss with Your

Child:

One of the very first issues raised in the book is the meaning ofCore

Democratic Values for kids. Do kids get any of these rights? Why? Why not?


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When the Constitution tells us were FREE, does that mean we can do and say

anything we want, or are there bounds to our liberty?

And personal liberty, Miss Frolich droned on, is the right to think, to act,

and to be an individual without governmental control or protest . . .

What a joke. If I wanted to do something, my father would decide whether or

not I could do it. If he could have controlled my mind, he would have. I guessed

you got to enjoy all those freedoms Miss Frolich had been teaching us when you

grew up and moved out of your parents house. This really ex citing plan I had

hatched for that summer is a perfect example of what I mean. It was harmless,

but it would allow me the freedom to be the real me. I doubted my father would

go for it. (Pp.2-3)

Thats very nice. I mean you should have the freedom to be the person you

were born to be, my father yelled, but what about me? I feed you, clothe you,

put a roof over your head, and I love you. Dont I have any rights? And what

about your mother? Didnt it ever occur to you that she might be worried? Having

the right to liberty doesnt mean you can do anything you want any time you

want. The right to liberty brings with it tremendous responsibility. You have to

think about other people. You have to think about whats fair for them as well

as for yourself. (P.98)

Conservation and the Proper Uses of Wealth.

Conservation and sharing for the Native American constituted a way of life,

whereas the Euro-American wastes enormous quantities of natural resources

and only gives for a tax write-off. He may worry about the obvious end of the

world, but, when it comes to making money, he thinks only of the here and

now. Native Americans always gave thanks for everything they took, and they

took exactly what they needed from the Earth.


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Wild rice (manomin) is said to be generous to those who ask permission from the

spirits to take it. They must pick only as much as they need and no more. This is so that

there will always be plenty for everybody. (Pp.16-17)

We Anishinabeg are the original conservationists. The Creator gave us everythingwe needed.

During the pre-contact period the time before the Europeans came, Jean-Baptiste

interrupted, they could get what they needed from their environment. They asked the

spirits permission for everything they took; they never took any more than they needed. Why

would they want something extra, when they had more than enough? It is their way to share

with family and needy neighbors. Their way of showing wealth is to give it away, not to

display possessions. (Pp.44-45).

What is the Best Kind of Economy? Survival Economies Versus

Economies Geared to Profit.

. . . The Anishinabeg only wanted to

survive. The Indians eventually made

themselves trouble because they killed all

their fur-bearing animals to satisfy

European demands. Then the fur trade died.

If they had preserved the animals, the way

their customs taught them to do, they would

never have run out of fur for warmth or meat

to eat. (P.45)

For the Indian, Nature Is Not Only Good, but It Is an Integral Part of

the Creation. For the White Man, Nature is Evil and is Put at Mans

Disposal. He Therefore Destroys it, with Little Thought for the Future.

In this novel, Kevin is fearful of the forest and hostile nature.


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That night I couldnt sleep, worrying about

what would happen when Brocks father came up

for the weekend, and we werent there. Then I

worried about what would happen if we got lost or

found a bear. What if we drowned? (Pp.22-23)

His friend, Jean-Baptiste, angers a mother bear, which forces Kevin to kill

it. Then Jean-Baptiste takes only the bears hide, leaving the meat to rot. By

contrast, the Indian sees the bear as a positive force:

Kuo-Haya, he said to his boy. I have come to take you home. The bears have

taught me a lesson. I shall treat you as a father should treat his son. Then he promised

that he would always be kind to the bears, because they had taught the boy that we

must always be kind to one another. (P.52)

When Jean-Baptiste sees that Kevin and Brock are horrified at eating

the muskrat he has just killed, he says,

MyAnishinabe Friend, Ed, taught me that one only kills what one needs to survive.

One offers tobacco and asks the animals forgiveness so that he will lead more muskrat,

or deer, or whatever it is, to ones gun when one needs to eat. Then one buries his bones.

You see, theAnishinabegthink that everything in creation is related. So one is related to

this muskrat, to the tree, to the river, to everything. (P.32)

When Kevin looks at nature, he sees death at every turn. By contrast,

theAnishinabe boy, Mickie, sees nature as a protective force, as long as he

treats her respectfully:


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MyAhsaymah, or Tobacco, in Anishinaa-

bemowin, carries my thoughts to the Spirit

World. It represents my sincerity. When I

offer Tobacco to the spirits, they tell me the

secrets of the Creation. The Water Spirits

appreciate my respectfulness so they guide

me safely across the rivers. Im always able

to find something to eat because the animals

offer themselves to me when Im hungry. The

Tobacco shows them the truth of my

intentions. (P.36)

Disciplining Children.

Both Kevin and Brock come from families where children are sternly

disciplined. It is new for them to learn about Indian discipline:

TheAnishinabegnever beat or shout at their children, Star said. If the child is

uncontrollable, they might threaten him with monsters that prey on disobedient children.

But, for the most part, they speak calmly and clearly to the child who misbehaves.

What do they say to him? Brock asked.

They tell him a teaching story, Star replied, like the one you just heard (P.52)

The Equality of Women.

Stars father told us another story that night about Native American women. Their

roles varied widely from tribe to tribe, he began, but Indians have always loved and

respected their woman. They were leaders and war chiefs in some nations. In all tribes,

women are the ones who give and preserve life. Like any man, a womans first allegiance

is to her family and her tribe. A good life means doing what you are supposed to do,

rather than what you want to do. (P.53)


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And here are some terrific literary questions you can have your

children put to the text.

In the story, a real bear and a bearwalker appear. What is a bearwalker?

What do bearwalkers and bears have to do with one another? The characterstalk about the Bear Clan, real bears, and tell Indian tales about bears and

bearwalkers. What is the meaning of the Bear as the central symbol of the

novel? What kind of a bearwalker is Kevin? What is the Bear Clan? The

adventure begins and ends with the bear. If you had to pick a geometric shape

for the narrative, what would it be? What relationship does this narrative

shape have to the content of the novel? (Hint: For traditional Native

Americans, all things are round).

What is the function of Flashback in the novel?

Characters are really ideas. Some ideas are static they never change.

Some ideas grow. In a novel, the static ideas support or contrast to the ideas

that grow. The characters/ideas are presented as people so that the reader can

relate to them and be swept away with the flow of the novel. He has to care

about the characters in order to learn the ideas they embody. There are four

principal characters in this novel. Two of these characters are main characters

and two are secondary. Which ones? Why? What is their function in the story?

Of all the characters, which ones are flats (types that never change) and which

ones are rounded (psychologically believable characters that grow)? How does

the author accomplish this?

How does Kevin change? How does Brock change? Do Jean-Baptiste or

Mickie change? Do the Schickbahouk or the Bearwalker change? Does Crystal

change?


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How does the narrator (the one who tells the story), Kevin Murphy,

feel about pretending to be someone hes not with the opposite sex? What do

you think the author feels about role-playing? How does the author get this

across in the novel?

How does the narrator feel about liberty? How does the author feel? How

does the author get her feelings across in the novel?

How does the author feel about discipline and raising children? How do

you know that Star is speaking for the author in this instance?

The function of a novel is to teach lessons or to raise fundamental

questions, which cause the reader to think seriously about this or that issue.

What are the lessons to be learned from Summer of the Bear?

There are several different points of view presented about the status of

women. How does Jean-Baptiste feel about them? Kevin? Star? The Native

Americans? The author?

Do you think Kevin was right to go off without sharing his plans with his

parents? Do you think the boys were wise to solve the problem of the

bearwalker by themselves, rather than reporting their suspicions to the

police? Do you think Jean-Baptiste should marry Louise Beauparlant? Why?

Why not?

For the Native American, Nature is good. Every part of the creation is

valuable, as valuable as man himself. Man may take only those things in

Nature that he needs for his survival. He must never take more than he can

use, and he must never waste what he does take. What is the attitude of


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white people towards Nature? What is Kevins attitude? Jean-Baptistes,

Mickies? Considering the shrinking natural resources of the world today,

what attitude do you think would be a good one to adopt? Do you think Nature

is evil? Harmful? Dangerous? Are you afraid of wild animals? Why do you feelthe way you do?

Documents

Summer of the Bear Teaching Guide