1. The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Gable
Included: A brief excerpt from the book and rigorous question set activities promoting higher level-thinking development

2. Excerpt from book Jacob’s Ladder Goals & Objectives Habits of Mind
Tier 1
Excerpt from book
Jacob’s Ladder Goals & Objectives
Habits of Mind

3. Excerpt
After a young Native American girl gets lost in the mountains during a big storm, she befriends a wild horse and lives with its herd. Although happy to see her family and tribe when she finally finds them, she deeply misses the wild horses and falls ill, realizing that she would prefer to stay and live among the herd where she is truly happy and free. Her parents condone her wish and she departs with her animal friends, returning once a year to see her people.
Obtain the book from a school library to read the story in its entirety and complete the ladder activities.

4. Students will be able: Ladder A
A1 Sequencing - To list in order of importance specific events or plot summaries
A2 Cause and Effect - To identify and predict relationships between character behavior and story events, and their effects upon other characters or events.
A3 Consequences and Implications - To predict character actions, story outcomes, and make real-world forecasts.
Ladder C
C1 Literary Elements - To identify and explain specific story elements such as character, setting, or poetic-device.
C2 Inference - To use textual clues to read between the lines and make judgments about specific textual events, ideas, or character analysis.
C3 Theme/Concept - To identify a major idea or theme common in the text.
Ladder D
D1 Paraphrasing - Students will be able to restate lines read using their own words.
D2 Summarizing - Students will be able to provide a synopsis of text sections.
D3 Creative Synthesis - Students will create something new using what they have learned from reading and their synopses.

5. Habits of Mind
Working Interdependently
Thinking about Thinking (metacognition)
Innovating, Creating, Imagining
Refer to Jacob’s Ladder Story Table for Ladder A, C & D Thinking Questions.

6. (Discussion) High Level Strategies with Ladder A, C & D Questions
Tier 2 Rigor
(Discussion)
High Level Strategies with
Ladder A, C & D Questions

7. Discussion Strategies: Think-Pair-Share, Write-around, 3-4 Podcast slides (Pixie, Frames).
Choose 2 of 3 questions below to complete.
A1 — After sequencing the story and series of events that led to the girl’s disappearance illustrate showing one element you would change in some way. Does it affect the outcome (her disappearance)?
A2 — Formulate a writing about what you think caused the girl’s illness after returning to the village?
C1 — Make a venn diagram to compare and contrast the horse and their human qualities displayed and the girl.
C2 — Write or illustrate what you think happened to the girl and the Horse people after the story.
D1 — What changes in time occurred from the hunt picture in the beginning of the story to the buffalo picture near the end?

8. (Discussion) High Level Strategies with Ladder A, C & D Questions
Tier 3 Rigor
(Discussion)
High Level Strategies with
Ladder A, C & D Questions

9. Discussion Strategies: Think-Pair-Share, Write-around, 3-4 Podcast slides (Pixie, Frames).
Choose 2 of 3 questions below to complete.
A3 — If you had to give the girl a consequence for going away to be among the horses what would it be and why?
C3 — Loyalty is shown in many different ways. This story has many examples of loyalty. Make a chart showing the type of loyalty & where it was in the story.
D2 — After summarizing the story, discussing what the girl’s life symbolizes, & importance of crests and flags draw her crest or flag
D3 — use the 2 poems at the end of the story as models, to write a poem in the same style. The topic should be something or someone important to you, such as the horses being important to the girl.

10. Reflections/Relevance
Tier 4
Reflections/Relevance

11. Choose one of the writing ideas to complete.  Be creative. 
1. Research horses to find out information about them. Present findings to others.
2. Make a new original story similar to this such as The Woman Who Loved Dogs. Be detailed so the reader can visualize the characters, the setting and the events in their mind.
Suggested project strategies:  Write a podcast script; create a puppet show; develop a PSA; a PowerPoint presentation; write and be an actor in a skit; write a persuasive speech and give before the class.