Look up and write the definition for each word before you read the chapter.
Chapter 1
Sacred
Shaker Gourd
Pinon
Buckskin
Wickiup
Raid
Quiver
Chapter 2
Rawhide
Chaparral
Stronghold
Plateau
Chapter 3
Herded
Adornment
Heathen
Kinship
Chapter 4
Fledgling
Dormitory
Flanked
Wheebles
Chapter 5
Recite
Ritual
Task
Savages
Chapter 6
Lance
Offering
Convent
Chapter 7
Hoarded
Transgression
Provisions
Chapter 8
Hearth
Lye Soap
Gait
Chapter 9
Talons
Looming
Cunning
Infirmary
Chapter 11
Ancestors
Wail
Reservations
Council
Chant
Reverence
Oversees
Hogan
Chapter 13
Wrath
Quarters
Utensils
Bond
Chapter 14
Pledged
Tipis
Rationed
Foreboding
Deeds
Chapter 15
Bemused
Endearing
Tanayia by Connie Vines
Whisper upon the Water
Building Vocabulary Activities
Pair the students for this activity. One partner picks any three vocabulary words and says them aloud to his or her partner. The second partner must use all three words in a sentence that makes sense. Instruct the pair to change roles and repeat the procedure.
Illustrate the vocabulary words. Instruct the students to fold a sheet of paper into fourths and write a different vocabulary word at the bottom of each space. Have them draw or cut out a picture to illustrate each word.
Group students and have them list the following:
a. All the actions words.
b. All the descriptive words.
c. All the collective nouns.
d. All the Native American words.
Have the students look up exactly where each of the vocabulary words are in the assigned chapters. They should write down the page number and the sentence that the word is used.
Write each vocabulary work on a separate index card or paper strip for use with pocket charts.
Prepare additional cards or strips with articles (a, an, the) and prepositions (of, into, after, etc.).
Students can use the cards or strips to build sentences.
Let pairs of students create their own crossword puzzles, using vocabulary words. Provide the pairs with graph paper for easy construction. Check their accuracy before photocopying student-created puzzles for class.
Have the students create a creative story using as may of the words as possible. Have the students read them to a partner aloud. The partner must write down the vocabulary words as they come up in the story.
Tanayia by Connie Vines
Whisper upon the Water
Reservation Life
The Epilogue gives hints to what Tay’s life had been after she left school with Jacob Five-Wounds. Fill in the missing information. Using a journal, essay, letter, or story format, finish Tay’s story within 3 – 5 paragraphs.
Chapter Quotes
Pick one of the poems or proverbs included before each chapter. Write at least two paragraphs in which you analyze it and tell how it connects to Tay’s story.
Questions to Ponder
What If?
Tay had not escaped from the Mexican Revolutionaries? What if Tay had married Dr. Joseph?
Point of View
Tanayia—Whisper upon the Water is written in the first person. Write about a specific event from the novel as if the story was being told from the point of view of another character. For example, Sister Enid accuses Tay of stealing plates. Write as if Sister Enid, Sister Kathleen or Mary Bill wrote the event.
Students/Educators visit my website www.novelsbyconnievines.com
Also, visit my publisher’s website for additional YA novels and more at
http://bookswelove.net/teen-child/
Thank you for reading Tay’s story,
Connie Vines