CHALLENGING WORDS

astonished

buffalo

capturing

crossed

journey

marveled

starve

sighted

tattered

tepees

SUMMARY

An Indian Boy wants a pony more than anything else that he

makes one out of mud. One night he dreams it comes alive and spoke

to him. In the morning his dream had come true. The pony guides him

back to his family and even helps him become an Indian Chief.

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--- Conversation Questions---

(1)Tell me what this story was about.

(Answer) Any logical answer.

(Follow Up) Do you know the names of any Indian Chiefs?

(2) Tell me how you think the boys parents felt when they had to leave him behind .

(Answer) Any logical answer.

(Follow Up) Have you ever been lost from your parents before?

(3)Imagine you are the Indian boy. How did you feel when the Mud Pony came to life?

(Answer) Any logical answer.

(Follow Up) Have you ever had a toy you wished was real?

(4)Relate how the boy felt when he was finally able to ride into the camp.

(Answer) Any logical answer.

(Follow Up) Have you ever rode a pony or a horse?

(5)Define ‘journey’.

(Answer) A trip from one place to another over a long distance.

(Follow Up) What was the longest trip you have ever been on?

(6)Describe what the boy made his pony out of.

(Answer) Mud

(Follow Up) Tell me what the face was made of.

(7)Explain why the camp broke up and the people left.

(Answer) Buffalo was sighted several days west.

(Follow Up) Have you ever seen a buffalo?

(8)Tell me why they needed the buffalo.

(Answer) So they would not starve.

(Follow Up) Doe your family can or freeze food for later use?

(9)Tell me what the boy put on his mud pony to keep the rain off.

(Answer) A blanket.

(Follow Up) Do you have a favorite blanket?

(10)Explain what the boy became to his people.

(Answer) A great Indian Chief.

(Follow Up) Do you know what you want to be when you grow up?

Activities

  1. Pretend you are the poor Indian boy. Write a paragraph about how much you want a pony of your own.
  1. Draw the Indian boy on this pony. Give both the boy and pony Indian names.
  1. List as many Indian facts as you can think of.
  1. Write your own Indian legend. Be as creative as you can. Include some Indian superstitions you may know.
Introduction
  1. Have a picture of a pony. Ask the student if they have ever wished for one. Discuss the care of a pony. Say, “Today we are going to read about a poor Indian boy who wants a pony more than anything. Let’s read and see if he gets one.”
  1. Have the word “Dream” on a piece of paper. Ask the student if they dream and if their dreams can come true. Say, “Today we will read about an Indian boy whose dream about a pony becomes real. Let’s read and see what happens.”
  1. Have a picture of an Indian Chief on the table. Ask the student what they know about Indian Chiefs and how they become one. Say, “Today we’re going to read how a poor Indian boy becomes a great chief. Let’s read and see how it happened.”

Book Title: The Mud Pony

Author: Caron Lee Cohen
/ Illustrator: Shonto Begay
ISBN: 0-590-41526-3 / # of Text Pages: 21 AR: 3.7 LEX: AD610
Building Oral Vocabulary
5 / wandered / 5 / heartsick / 8 / daybreak
Prediction Questions
7 / What will happen next?
14 / What will his people do next?
19 / Do you think he will keep the pony forever?

This resource is provided by KYREADS—Barren County Board of Education, an AmeriCorps project funded in part by the Kentucky Commission on Community Volunteerism and Service and the Corporation for National and Community Service.

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