Family Visits

Shi-shi-etko has lots of family come to visit before she leaves. Ask students: When have you gotten together with your families to say goodbye to someone? Were your family members happy or sad? Was Shi-shi-etko’s family happy or sad? How do you know?

Emotions

Ask students: What does the mom want Shi-shi-etko to remember? What emotion or feeling does the mother want her daughter to remember when she is away from the family? How do you know? Curriculum Connections: Health (Well-Being, Families)

Author’s Messages?

Ask students: What do you think is the underlying theme of the story? What do you believe the author is trying to teach us by writing this story? What is the author’s message?

Significance of the Dust

When Shi-shi-etko and Shin-chi are traveling to the residential school, the dust on the road hurts their eyes and noses and is said to be following them like a snake. On the way home from the school, the dust “rose around the cattle truck like a great big butterfly.”...

Alone in a Crowd

In the story, it says that when winter arrives Shin-chi is feeling lonely. Ask students: How could he be feeling lonely when he is surrounded by so many other children? Can you think about a time when you were lonely? Share with the class.