The Birchbark House

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Prologue, Neebin (Summer): Chapters 1-4

Reading Check

1. What is the “Birchbark House” cited in the book’s title?

2. What have readers previously learned about Tallow?

3. How is Omakayas treated by her family when she returns from the encounter with the bears?

4. What is Deydey’s gift to Omakayas?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Which character do you suspect is the baby from the Prologue?

2. Why doesn’t the mother bear attack Omakayas?

3. Why does Omakayas voluntarily help to scrape the moose hide?

4. Based on the meeting with the mother bear and the scene babysitting Neewo, what skill does Omakayas seem to have?

Paired Resource

“Anishinaabe”

• This article provides background on the Anishinabe. Note that the article uses an alternate spelling for the name of this group.
• As you consider the theme Anishinabe Culture and White Settlement, think about the role of the fur trade in the life of Omakayas’s family.

Dagwaging (Fall): Chapters 5-8

Reading Check

1. In what ways is Andeg a useful pet?

2. Why does Andeg come to distrust Mama?

3. What special skills do Omakayas and Nokomis learn about each other?

4.