SALT: A Story of Friendship in a Time of War

Written by Helen Frost

Published by Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, 2013

This novel in verse follows two twelve year old boys, Anikwa who is of the Miami village of Kekiongra, and James who is of the trading post outside of Fort Wayne. These two boys have formed a friendship, but this friendship is threatened when the fear and tension of what is now know as the War of 1812.

Lexile Level:

Age Range: 10-14 years

Page Count: 138

Suggested Delivery: Student Read-Alouds

Key Words: Friendship, War, Loyalty, Home, Family

Internet Resources:

Helen Frost Website

http://www.helenfrost.net/

This is the authors website which is a great place for students who enjoyed the book and want to read more of the authors books can come to see a list of all her books. It is also a great resource for teachers as it has a link to a Myaamia dictionary that both the teacher and students can use to look up how words are pronounced. There is also links to more information about the Miami culture.   

TeachingBooks.net Lesson Ideas

http://www.teachingbooks.net/media/pdf/SingleBGs/RapidToDos_TG.pdf

http://libraries.vermont.gov/sites/libraries/files/CBEC/BookAwards/DCF/2014-2015/DCFBookReviewsQuestions14-15.pdf

Both of these PDFs have lesson plan ideas to go along with this book that are a great for the teacher to use. There are discussion questions, links to other resources, social studies connections, and language arts activities that go great with the book.

Vocabulary:

• Slingshot: a forked stick with an elastic strap fasted to the two prongs, usually used to shoot small stones. 
• Treaty: a formal agreement between two parties.
• Siege: a military operation in which enemy forces surround an area cutting off access to supplies in order to gain a surrender from those who are surrounded. 
• Stockade: a barrier formed from wood, used to protect against attack.
• Trade: buying and selling goods and services.
• Fort: a strong place occupied by troops surrounded by walls, ditches and other forms of protection. 

Teaching Suggestions:

1. While reading the story make connections to social studies. The students can research the Miami tribe as well as the Great Salt March in India. The teacher can also give a lesson on the War of 1812 and the American settlers.   
2. Have the students use the character list in the beginning of the book to create a character map of all the characters in the book. Do this before reading so that the students can refer to them while reading, leave room for them to add descriptions while reading.

Reading Strategies:

1. Before: The teacher will give a vocabulary lesson on the words in the back of the book in the Miami (Myaamia) words glossary. The teacher will play a blabberize in which is the saying of each word and the meanings. Students will also be given a printed copy of the words to keep with them while reading. 
2. During: Students will pair up with another classmate and each pair will receive a number. In each pair the students will decide who is to read Anikwa and who is to read James. Students will read the book aloud to the class each pair going one after another when it is their number.  
3. After: At the end of the story give the students an exit slip. On the exit slip ask the students to compare the life of James and Anikwa. Have the students list at least 3 reasons how the lives of James and Anikwa are the same and/or different. 

Writing Activity:

Students will create a verse for the book. The students will choose to be Anikwa or James and will create a verse in the form of that character describing what they think is going to be their future. Students will type up this verse and share it on their blog on kidblog. Students will be able to read everyone else's blogs in class and see how they predicted the future in their verse.