Silly Coyote: Tricksters are for Kids! Trickster Stories from the American West

David Ostheimer

This is a reading and listening comprehension unit for 1st grade focusing on Trickster Stories from Native American, Hispanic and African-American cultures found in the American West. This unit will be taught during the 30 minute Response to Intervention block to students that read at or above grade level. Students will listen and read, where appropriate, stories featuring tricksters such as Coyote. They will identify literary elements such as character, setting and main idea. Students will discuss if the lessons imparted in these tales apply to their life today. Students will compare and contrast tales from different cultures and we will discuss what happens when cultures interact. Students will also gain background knowledge on the history and cultures of some of the peoples of the West that they will be to apply in later grades. At the end of the unit, students will choose from three culminating activities: dramatizing a story we have read, writing their own trickster tale or writing a book review for one of the stories.