In this activity, students will be provided a question or prompt to answer using textual evidence. The prompt here is, “What lessons about life did Omakayas learn?” The four examples provided are:
"It was difficult for Omakayas to understand all that had happened. Why Neewo was gone, though at night she imagined that she heard his cries."
"What other story do you know about me?"
"Although the family did not return with as much rice as they needed, Omakayas and Two Strike Girl became such good friends that, ever after, they called each other sister."
"Ever after that terrible winter, as though he understood from then on how important it was to be funny, Pinch gave laughter to them all."
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a storyboard that answers the prompt using at least three examples from The Birchbark House. Click on "Add / Delete Cells" to change the number of examples.
Invite students to share their storyboards with the class. Encouraging discussion helps students explain their thinking and deepens understanding of textual evidence.
Demonstrate choosing quotes or paraphrases that directly support an answer. Show examples and explain why each is effective, helping students build critical reading skills.
Encourage students to restate information in their own words. Paraphrasing shows understanding and avoids plagiarism while using textual evidence.
Ask students to create drawings for each example. Visuals support memory and help students connect ideas from the story to their own experiences.
Facilitate a group reflection where students discuss what they learned from Omakayas’s experiences. Reflection deepens empathy and reinforces life lessons from the text.
Omakayas learns important life lessons such as coping with death and sickness, recognizing that things are not always what they seem, valuing family and tradition, and understanding that laughter can help heal sadness.
Students can support their answers by paraphrasing or quoting directly from the text. For example, when discussing lessons Omakayas learns, they can cite specific passages showing her experiences and emotions.
A storyboard activity asks students to visually organize their ideas by answering a prompt with examples from the book, supporting each with textual evidence and illustrations of scenes or characters.
Using textual evidence helps students strengthen reading comprehension and critical thinking by requiring them to justify their answers with proof from the story.
Examples include Omakayas coping with loss ("Why Neewo was gone, though at night she imagined that she heard his cries") and family bonding despite hardships ("Omakayas and Two Strike Girl became such good friends that, ever after, they called each other sister.").