Lesson Plan: Return of the Beast

Essential Questions

• How can human activity affect ecosystems? 
• How do peoples preserve their cultures over time?

Literature Connection

• Anthology: Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids, edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Discuss Terminology (5 minutes)

Let students know that the animals we call buffalo in this article are more commonly known by their scientific name, North American bison. We call them buffalo because the Fort Peck Tribes, also prominent in this article, prefer that term. Similarly, we’re using the terms American Indian and tribes rather than other commonly accepted terms (such as Native American and nations) in accordance with the preferences of the Fort Peck Tribes. Tell students that while preferences vary, all of these terms are generally OK to use.

Preview Text Features (15 minutes)

Guide students to locate the article. Preview the text features by asking the following questions:

• Read the article’s title and subtitle (the text underneath the title). What does the term beast refer to in the title? Why do you think the authors used this term? The term beast refers to buffalo. The author probably uses this term to emphasize the size of the animal.
• Look at the map titled “Great Plains” and read its caption. What is the Great Plains? Which states make up parts of the Great Plains? The Great Plains is an area in North America that is flat and mostly covered with grass. It includes parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. 
• Look at the photo captioned “Back Home.” What’s happening in this photo? A buffalo is jumping out of a metal enclosure. The caption states that the buffalo is being released on Fort Peck tribal lands. (Note that the article begins by describing the release of buffalo in a grassy area. This photo can help students picture the setting described in the introduction.)

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

• Point out the vocabulary box. Read the words (prairie, majestic, predators, peoples, extinct, ecosystem) aloud and discuss their definitions.
• Play the Vocabulary Slideshow.

Make a Plan for Reading

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan:

• Set a purpose for reading by telling students that they will find text evidence in “Return of the Beast” that supports ideas about how humans have treated buffalo, and one another, on the Great Plains.
• Point out the Pause and Think boxes. Tell students they can check their understanding of what they’ve read by answering these questions.
• Tell students that as they finish each section, they should think about how the text features on the page (e.g., photos, captions, and section headings) relate to what they’ve just read.
• Point out the activity at the end of the article and tell students they’ll complete it after reading. Encourage them to keep the Think About It! question at the bottom in mind as they read.

Guide students to read the article. Once they understand it well, discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)

• Compare how American Indians viewed and treated buffalo with how newcomers to the land viewed and treated buffalo. (compare and contrast) American Indians hunted the buffalo for food and used its bones and skin for clothing, shelter, and tools. They viewed the buffalo as an important creature worthy of special ceremonies and dances, and hunted just enough buffalo to survive. Newcomers arrived with horses and guns and hunted hundreds of buffalo a day. Knowing that the American Indians relied on the buffalo for survival, the U.S. Army destroyed buffalo to force American Indians off their land. 
• Why are buffalo being brought from Yellowstone National Park to tribal lands on the Great Plains? (problem and solution) In 2007, Yellowstone National Park had more buffalo than it could handle. Sadly, humans were killing buffalo there to protect the land. At the same time, Native tribes wanted buffalo on their lands, so they decided to bring them from Yellowstone. 
• Why were Montana ranchers concerned about bringing the buffalo back to the Fort Peck lands? (cause and effect) Some of the Yellowstone buffalo carried a disease called brucellosis. Montana ranchers were worried that their cattle would catch the disease and die.

Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

• What do we lose when an animal becomes extinct? (critical thinking) When an animal becomes extinct, we lose a part of Earth that can never be replaced. This can have consequences for humans, other animals, and the environment. All animals affect other animals and the planet, and the disappearance of a species can have widespread effects.  
• The text states that for the Native tribes, the buffalo bring “joy, hope, and pride.” Why do you think the people feel this way about the return of the buffalo? What does the buffalo represent to them? (interpreting text) The return of the buffalo brings joy, hope, and pride to the tribes because it represents a connection to their past and hope for a better future. The return of the buffalo may also represent a kind of healing after suffering terrible injustice and trauma.

• Have students work in pairs to complete the Spotlight Skill Workout: Text Evidence activity. As a class, discuss students’ answers and the Think About It! question.
• Have students work independently to complete our Central Idea and Details Skill Builder, available in higher- and lower-level versions. (Click here to view all your Skill Builders for this article.)
• Writing prompt: The article is written from a human perspective. The focus of the story is how the disappearance and the return of the buffalo have affected humans (in this case, the members of certain American Indian tribes). From the point of view of an individual buffalo, write a paragraph about the events in the article. What was it like to be moved from Yellowstone National Park to tribal lands? What does the animal think about how humans have treated buffalo in the past?