The Sign of the Beaver

The Sign of the Beaver
by Elizabeth George Speare
Yearling, 1983
Fiction

Summary: The Sign of the Beaver is a story about a family who move from their home in Massachusetts to a new settlement in Maine. A young boy named Matt and his father traveled to the site of their new home and while the father left to retrieve the rest of the family, Matt stayed behind to keep watch on their land. Matt is confronted with many new adventures some scary, others exciting. An unlikely friend named Attean who is a native of the Beaver tribe and Matt ultimately strike up a friendship. Matt teaches Attean English and how to read while Attean teaches Matt how to survive on the land by hunting, fishing, and growing crops. Both boys learn valuable lessons and skills that will help them throughout their lives and they strike up a bond that neither ever thought possible.

Themes: Courage, strength, friendship, survival, family, exploration, respect, diversity.

Rationale for Use: Shows that diversity in friendships can be beneficial, it’s a compelling and believable story filled with excitement and it fits in with the fifth grade curriculum and reading level.

Content Area Connections:

English: The students could compare and contrast life Matt’s life in 1768 with their life in 2009 using a Venn Diagram. Students could create an alternate ending for the story where Matt decided to join the Beaver tribe.

VA Studies: Relates to Native Americans (though not the specific tribes) which are discussed including shelter, transportation, and gathering of food as well as how to adapt to new surroundings.

Science: One of the main staples of food was corn. The students could develop their own experiment growing corn and choose a variable to change: amount of light, amount of water, type of soil, etc. The students will keep track of the progress of their corn plants, which could go hand in hand with a math lesson on graphing.

Possible Problems of Concerns:

Some Native American language will need to be explained and defined. The idea that a boy at the age of twelve could be left alone for months, keeping an eye on a new home and trying to survive will need to be addressed. Students will need to realize that times were different back then and that this type of situation would not likely happen nowadays.

~Susan Purcell