Powwow by Winston White

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1 Suggested levels for Guided Reading, DRA, Lexile, and Reading Recovery are provided in the Pearson Scott Foresman Leveling Guide. At the Powwow by Winston White Genre Realistic fiction Comprehension Skills and Strategy Character, Setting, Plot Theme Prior Knowledge Scott Foresman Reading Street ì<(sk$m)=bddbjc< +^-Ä-U-Ä-U ISBN illustrated by Reggie Holladay

2 At the Powwow by Winston White illustrated by Reggie Holladay Editorial Offices: Glenview, Illinois Parsippany, New Jersey New York, New York Sales Offices: Needham, Massachusetts Duluth, Georgia Glenview, Illinois Coppell, Texas Ontario, California Mesa, Arizona

3 Gram, tell me again why we go to the powwow, said Ben. The powwow is a place to celebrate with song and dance, said Gram. We meet with our family and friends. It s a chance for young people to hear our language and the stories of the elders. Get ready. We don t want to be late! Every effort has been made to secure permission and provide appropriate credit for photographic material. The publisher deeply regrets any omission and pledges to correct errors called to its attention in subsequent editions. Unless otherwise acknowledged, all photographs are the property of Scott Foresman, a division of Pearson Education. Photo locators denoted as follows: Top (T), Center (C), Bottom (B), Left (L), Right (R), Background (Bkgd) Illustrations by Reggie Hollanday Photograph 12 Corbis ISBN: Copyright Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication is protected by Copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. For information regarding permission(s), write to: Permissions Department, Scott Foresman, 1900 East Lake Avenue, Glenview, Illinois V

4 Dad and Mom were already in their powwow outfits. Dad was dressed for the men s traditional dance. His clothes were made of leather from a deer, called buckskin. His outfit was decorated with fringe and white bones. He wore two feathers on his head. The feathers would twirl when Dad danced. Mom wore a jingle dress. Her dress had hundreds of small, metal cones on it. They were in a special pattern. The jingles would shake and make a beautiful ringing sound when Mom danced. 4 5

5 Ben heard the drums begin the opening song. The dancers, elders, and children got in line. They all marched into the dance area. Ben and Gram danced along with everyone else. They set off for the powwow once the family was ready. The powwow grounds were filled with people. The dance area was set up as a circle. A second circle was outside the dance area. The drum groups, dancers, and families would sit there. 6 7

6 Soon it was time for the different dances to begin. Ben and Gram watched from the stands. They saw Dad in the men s traditional dance. Later, they watched as Mom joined the jingle dress dancers. When Ben saw the little boy dancers, he said, Gram, I want to do those dances at the powwow next year. Ben watched the men. Gram, tell me about the drums, said Ben. The drums are the heartbeat of our people, Gram said. The men join their voices with the drums to make songs. Listen, Ben, they are singing in our language. 8 9

7 Gram and Ben looked around the booths. They heard the clattering of pots and pans as people cooked food. Some people were selling crafts. Ben saw a silver bracelet. Gram, may I borrow some money? I d like to buy that bracelet for Mom. Sure, what a nice idea, said Gram. Gram, Ben, Mom, and Dad sat down to eat. Ben gave Mom the bracelet. Thank you, Ben! said Mom, as she hugged him. They finished their meal at the powwow. Ben felt happy about this special family day

8 The Green Corn Festival Some Native Americans celebrate a holiday called the Green Corn Festival. It takes place when the Moon is full and the first crop of corn is ready for harvest. The holiday is a time of thanksgiving for the corn crops. Once the first corn is picked, people dance, sing, and eat. Many of the foods are made from corn, such as corn soup, corn bread, and corn tortillas. Reader Response 1. Where does this story take place? Who are the main characters? 2. What did you know about powwows before you read this book? What did you learn from this book? What do you still want to know? Use a chart like the one below to help organize your ideas. What We Know What We Want to Know What We Learned 3. Find the word clattering in the story and read the sentence. On a separate sheet of paper, list synonyms for clattering. 4. On page 8 Gram says, The drums are the heartbeat of our people. What do you think she means? 12