Teaching Bless Me, Ultima

Instructions for You

Objective: Antonio's just a little chap, but he has some big understanding—here at Shmoop, we're often a little in awe of the kid. Considering he's had such a tough go of it lately, we think somebody should do something nice for him, which is exactly what your students are going to do during this activity. Tony loves the story of the golden carp so they'll create illustrated mini-books of the story. Yep, illustrated. Pull out the colored pencils, markers, and blank paper because things are about to get artsy up in your classroom.

You'll want save this activity for once you're at least through Chapter 9 and it will take a couple of hours to complete.

Materials Needed: Copies of Bless Me, Ultima; book making supplies (i.e. colored pencils, blank paper, yarn, computers—whatever you prefer)

Step 1: Refresh students' memories about the golden carp by having them crack open their books to Chapter 9, which is when the myth appears, and reread the story. Ask them what purpose they think the story plays in the book. Need a brush up on its symbolic punch yourself? Click right here.

Step 2: Now it's time for students to hammer out the story line of the golden carp. Have them get with a partner and jot down some answers to the following questions:

• The story of the golden carp really starts with a strange people who came to the land. What do these people look like? Who were they? Were they strange in appearance? In the way they lived their lives? In their behavior?
• What did these folks do to make the gods unhappy? Think in terms of the Native American values that Ultima embraces. What might the gods see as going against these values? 
• Once the people were turned into carp, what was their life like? Did they interact with humans? Did they enjoy being fish? Why was being a fish a punishment?
• With regard to the god who decided he wanted to be a carp, too, what is he protecting his people from? What sort of god is/was he? Or was he a she? What special bond did this god feel toward his/her people and why?
• What can be said of these people and these gods now? Do they still exist?

Step 3: Once students have answered these questions, the pairs can start mapping out the story of the golden carp. They need to decide what order to tell the story in based on what they think makes best sense from a storytelling perspective.

With their partners, students will then start writing their stories. Remind them to keep the following in mind as they do:

• Stories should be about two typed pages, though they can spread the story out over more pages if they want (by not filling the page).
• This is a children's story so the language should be simple and easy to understand (though that doesn't mean boring).
• They should include four illustrations, one of which should probably be a golden carp.
• They are free to divide the work amongst themselves, but both partners need to pull their weight.
• They should make a cover page that includes a title, their names, and some sort of visual.

Step 4: Have partners partner up and swap stories before turning them in.

Instructions for Your Students

Objective: Antonio's just a little chap, but he has some big understanding—it's easy to feel a little in awe of the kid. Considering he's had such a tough go of it lately, it seems somebody should do something nice for him, which is exactly what you are going to do during this activity. Tony loves the story of the golden carp so you'll create an illustrated mini-book of the story. Yep, illustrated. Pull out the colored pencils, markers, and blank paper because things are about to get artsy up in here.

Step 1: Look at Chapter 9 where Antonio first learns about the golden carp and reread the story of the golden carp. What purpose do you think this story plays within the book?

Step 2: Now it's time to hammer out the story line for the golden carp. Grab a partner and jot down some answers to the following questions:

• The story of the golden carp really starts with a strange people who came to the land. What do these people look like? Who were they? Were they strange in appearance? In the way they lived their lives? In their behavior?
• What did these folks do to make the gods unhappy? Think in terms of the Native American values that Ultima embraces. What might the gods see as going against these values? 
• Once the people were turned into carp, what was their life like? Did they interact with humans? Did they enjoy being fish? Why was being a fish a punishment?
• With regard to the god who decided he wanted to be a carp, too, what is he protecting his people from? What sort of god is/was he? Or was he a she? What special bond did this god feel toward his/her people and why?
• What can be said of these people and these gods now? Do they still exist?

Step 3: Once you've answered these questions, you and your partner can start mapping out the story. You'll need to decide what order to tell the story in based on what you think makes best sense from a storytelling perspective.

With your partner, start writing your story. Remember to keep the following in mind as you work:

• Stories should be about two typed pages, though you can spread the story out over more pages if you want (by not filling the page).
• This is a children's story so the language should be simple and easy to understand (though that doesn't mean boring).
• You should include four illustrations, one of which should probably be a golden carp.
• You are free to divide the work amongst themselves, but both partners need to pull their weight.
• You should make a cover page that includes a title, your names, and some sort of visual.

Step 4: Along with your partner, partner up with another pair of partners (say that five times fast) to read each other's work before turning it in.