Objectives:

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Prompt: First Woman and the Strawberry (A Cherokee Legend), Retold by Gloria Dominic

Story Summary

This is a Cherokee story that explains how strawberry came to be created. The First Man and the First Woman had a disagreement and got angry with each other. The First Woman walked away and the First Man, upon realizing his mistake, tried to follow the First Woman but could not catch up to her. He asked different animals and the Great Spirit for help. The Great Spirit created several fruits on the First Woman’s path to slow her down. Finally, she stopped when she came across the newly created strawberry plant. Upon eating the sweet strawberries, she overcame her anger and gathered the fruits to share with the First Man. When they came together to share the strawberries, they were reminded of the care and love they had for each other and reconciled. It is a tradition to have strawberry, strawberry jam, or a picture of strawberries in a Cherokee home as a reminder of shared love and care.

Warm-up Activity

For Younger Students:

Before reading the book, ask students to think of how they would describe “strawberry” to someone who has never seen or eaten one (what characteristics are necessary/sufficient to describe strawberry? How common is “sweetness” used to describe strawberry in the group?)

For Older Students:

Before reading the book, ask students to reflect on what they know/ideas they have about Cherokee people and from where they had their knowledge/ideas. In small groups, ask students to compare, contrast, and reflect on their knowledge/ideas.

Main Activity

Read book (and watch the video – available on the video tab). You can also use the video on the Resources tab to have students here a Cherokee storyteller present the story in the form of oral tradition.

Allow students time to think about what aspects of the story they find interesting.

Guide students by asking the following questions:

About anger and disagreement:

• Other than anger, what other feelings you may have when you disagree with someone?
• What are some things people do when they are angry?
• What are some acceptable ways to disagree with someone/express anger?
• From here have you learned about what to do when you have a disagreement with someone?
• In the story, sharing something sweet can remind us of the love and care we have for the person we may disagree with and help us with our anger. Can you think of something similar that you have done to help with your anger or disagreement?
• Do you think it is easier to share something sweet with a close friend/family member than it is to with a stranger or someone you don’t know very well?
• What other things can you think of that can help people feel less angry with one another?

About oral traditions:

• Can you think of any stories that have been passed down to you orally? What is the story about? Who passed it to you?
• Imagine if all the knowledge you have is passed down orally rather than through writing. What do you think that would be like?
• On the cover of the book, instead of “authored by” you see “retold by.” What do you think is the difference?
• There are many variations of this story with different details. What do you think of that? Is one the “correct” version?
• Do you know any important stories with variations in details? Are they essentially the same story?
• What do you think is the essence of this story about the first strawberry?