Why did her mother cry? The land used to look like the Garden of Eden and now it's desolate.
What did her mother teach her? How to make a muskrat trap.
Before her father died, her mother did everything for her. After her father died, her mother left them on their own. What is happening now that they are in the bush together? Velma is learning her mother's skills and seeing her as a person.
Did they enjoy their spring in the tent? Yes.
How did they pass their time? They passed their time doing daily chores, and spending quiet time in the tent.
Why did they go back to Fort Yukon in the summer? Because they couldn't melt snow and boil water.
Respond to these in your journal.
Velma was drawn to the strange beauty of Neegoogwandah. Has this ever happened to you in your life?
What does this mean: “A whispering silence hovered over the omnipresent stillness of this land that had been ravaged and was slowly being healed by time.”
After Velma trapped, did she enjoy eating her wild meat? Why or why not?
Why was being on the land a healthy choice for her mom?
Write and expository paragraph on how to set a muskrat trap. Handout 4 has an example of an expository paragraph.