Literal Comprehension

Extension/Higher Level Thinking

• What does the title of the book mean? How does this apply to the Maasai?
• Why do you think most of the Maasai in the book wear red (and/or pink) clothing?
• Just by looking at the photographs, what can you figure out about the climate where this group of Maasai live?
• How do the Maasai feel about wild animals? How do you know?
• What are some Maasai traditions and practices that are environmentally friendly? How do these practices keep the Maasai in balance with their environment?
• How are the Maasai in this book addressing the challenges they are facing? Is that the way you would have handled the situation? Why or why not?
• There are several Maasai proverbs used throughout the book. What do you think each proverb means, especially in relation to the information in the section of the book that follows it?
• Notice the way Only the Mountains begins and ends. How does the author get your attention? How does she tie up all the information at the end of the book?
• Do you think the author is trying to send a message through this book? If so, what is it? Why do you think that message is important to her?


• Literature Circles
  If you use literature circles during reading time, students might find the following suggestions helpful in focusing on the different roles of the group members.
   
  • The Questioner might use questions similar to the ones in the Discussion Question section of this guide.
  • The Passage Locator might look for lines in the story that show how the girl’s feelings change from the beginning to the end.
  • The Illustrator might create a poster or bulletin board of spring and summer flowers, especially purple ones.
  • The Connector might find other stories to share with the group in which a grandparent passes away, and make connections among the stories focusing on how each child experiences this event.
  • The Summarizer might provide a brief summary of the group’s reading and discussion points for each meeting.
  • The Investigator might look for information about what causes changes in plants and flowers as the seasons and temperature change in different parts of the country.
   

  There are many resource books available with more information about organizing and implementing literature circles. Three such books you may wish to refer to are: GETTING STARTED WITH LITERATURE CIRCLES by Katherine L. Schlick Noe and Nancy J. Johnson (Christopher-Gordon, 1999), LITERATURE CIRCLES: VOICE AND CHOICE IN BOOK CLUBS AND READING GROUPS by Harvey Daniels (Stenhouse, 2002), and LITERATURE CIRCLES RESOURCE GUIDE by Bonnie Campbell Hill, Katherine L. Schlick Noe, and Nancy J. Johnson (Christopher-Gordon, 2000).

  
  Reader's Response
  Use the following questions and writing activities to help students practice active reading and personalize their responses to the book. Suggest that students respond in reader’s journals, essays, or oral discussion. You may also want to set aside time for students to share and discuss their written work, if they wish to.
   
  1. Based on information in the book, how is your life similar to that of a Maasai child? How is your life different?
  2. In the Author’s Note, the author says she took her son with her to visit the Maasai. Would you like to have made the trip with them? Why or why not?
  3. Choose one word that you think best describes Maasai culture. Why did you choose this word? Provide evidence from the book to support your choice of the word.
  4. Imagine that you are giving a talk to the class about climate change in Africa. Using information from the book, write two ideas you would present in your speech.
  5. Prepare a list of questions that you would ask Noonkuta if you had the opportunity to interview her.
  6. Only the Mountain Do Not Move is a photo-essay, a story illustrated with photographs instead of art. Using a favorite photograph that illustrates an activity in which your family, school, or community has participated, write a short photo-essay of your own. You may also wish to create a proverb to go along with your text.
  
  ELL Teaching Strategies
  These strategies might be helpful to use with students who are English language learners.
   
  1. Assign ELL students to read the story aloud with strong English readers/speakers.
  2. Have each student write three questions about the story. Then let students pair up and discuss the answers to the questions.
  3. Depending on students’ level of English proficiency, after the first reading:
     • Review the illustrations in order and have students summarize what is happening on each page, first orally, then in writing.
     • Have students work in pairs to retell either the plot of the story or key details. Then ask students to write a short summary, synopsis, or opinion about what they have read.
  4. Have students give a short talk about what they admire about a character or central figure in the story.
  
  Interdisciplinary Activities
  Use some of the following activities to help students integrate their reading experiences with other curriculum areas.
  
  Social Studies
  1. If students have experience reading physical maps, have them locate the Maasai territory (as indicated on page 3 of the book) on a physical map of Africa. Ask students to note the information they find on the map. Then discuss how the landforms in the Maasai region might affect their lifestyle.
  2. Locate Kenya and Tanzania on a world map or a globe. Then have students find out more about the two countries. Good places to start are the Kenya page and Tanzania page of National Geographic Kids online. From the basics given there, students may further explore topics that interest them. Then have students make a chart comparing the two countries in the following areas: geography, nature, history, people, culture and traditions, and government.
  
  Social Studies/Language Arts
  Have students make a list of several facts they learned about Maasai life and traditions. Then ask students to research the Kikuyu, another prominent native group in Kenya. Have students compare and contrast the life and traditions of the two groups. Students may also discover the ongoing conflict that exists between the Maasai and the Kikuyu. This could prompt a discussion or debate about the issues facing the two groups and how these issues might be resolved.
  
  Science
  1. Traditionally the Maasai use a twig from a type of acacia tree as a toothbrush. Have students research the history of the toothbrush. They may be surprised to learn that early forms of the toothbrush have been in existence since ancient times.
  2. Have small groups of students select and research one of the wild animals native to Kenya and report on the factors that may be affecting its survival, such as loss of habitat and climate change.
  
  Art
  1. Have students create their own bao boards out of egg cartons. They can use paper clips, dried beans, pennies, or other small objects for the pieces. Bao is also called mancala in many countries where the game is played. Instructions for making a simple mancala board and directions for playing the game can be found here.
  2. Maasai men and women wear beaded necklaces and bracelets. If you have supplies for making beaded jewelry available, students may enjoy creating their own items to wear.
  
  About the Author
  Jan Reynolds is an award-winning author and photographer whose work has appeared in numerous publications, including National Geographic, The New York Times, and Outside magazine. All seven books in her Vanishing Cultures series of photo-essays for children were recognized as Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People. Reynolds is also an avid skier, mountain climber, and adventurer. She holds the world record for women's high altitude skiing, was part of the first expedition to circumnavigate Mount Everest, and performed a solo crossing of the Himalayas. Reynolds lives with her husband and their two sons in Stowe, Vermont. To find out more about Jan Reynolds, visit her website.