The Barren Grounds

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

What is stewardship? How does this word relate to the Earth and the environment?

Teaching Suggestion: Caring for the Earth is a major theme in the novel. Students might work briefly with a partner to define and list 2-3 examples of stewardship, then compare responses with at least one other pair before taking part in whole-group discussion. These and similar resources may be helpful in providing additional context.

• This brief entry in The Canadian Encyclopedia discusses the long history of stewardship in the country and summarizes the difference between environmental stewardship and environmental management.
• National Geographic has a resource site on “Conservation” with listed, defined vocabulary.

Short Activity

The author and main characters are members of the Cree culture. Work with a small group to research one of the topics below. Prepare a brief presentation to teach the class.

• Cree history (pre-1700s)
• Cree history (1700s-1800s)
• Cree history (1900s-2000s)
• Cree geography and language
• Cree beliefs
• Cree community

Organize your main points on a visual aid such as a poster or slideshow.

Teaching Suggestion: Expanding student understanding of this culture may be important before beginning this novel.