In the text, it says, “nôhkom nitohtam. ᓅᐦᑯᒼ ᓂᑐᐦᑕᒼ᙮ Nôhkom listens. / ninitohtên. ᓂᓂᑐᐦᑌᐣ᙮ I listen.” Ask students: What do you think they are listening to? Why do you think that this is important in this story? Have students close their eyes in the classroom and listen to the sounds that surround the class; when they are finished listening, ask them to describe what they heard.
If possible, pause reading the story here and bring your class outside to the school grounds. Have them sit, stand or lie down, close their eyes and listen. Let students know they will have an opportunity to share their experiences with the class when listening time is up.
If you are unable to go outside, ask students to think about a time when they have been outside. What did they hear?
Cross-curricular Connection: Visual Arts — have students create a visual representation of one or more of the things they heard.