Jim Thorpe’s Bright Path
by Joseph Bruchac
illustrated by
S. D. Nelson
Compiled by:
Terry Sams PES
Study Skills
Genre: Biography
Comprehension Skill:
Fact and Opinion
Comprehension Strategy:
Text Structure
Comprehension Review Skill:
Graphic Sources
Vocabulary: Dictionary and Glossary
Summary
It wasn’t easy for Jim Thorpe
to become a famous and respected
athlete. As an American Indian, he was
discriminated against and separated from
his family. His twin brother died when they
were only nine years old. His mother and
father also died when he was still in school.
But he learned to move forward with his life
because he was so inspired by his family
and his people.
Genre: Biography
A biography is a story
of a real person’s life as told by
someone else. As you read
this biography, think about why
the author chose to write about
this athlete.
Comprehension Skill TestedFact or Opinion
A fact is a statement that
can be proven either true
or false.
An opinion is a statement
based on someone’s
judgment, belief, or way of
thinking about something.
Practice Fact and Opinion
PB 263
Statement
How to Check
Fact
Jim led a
professional football
team called Oorang
Indians.
1. Look up Jim
Thorpe in
encyclopedia
Unfortunately, the
team was owned by
a selfish man named
Walter Lingo.
Frankly, they were not
very good.
2. no
support
4. They won
only a few
games.
Is Opinion Valid
or Faulty?
3. faulty
5. valid
Comprehension Strategy
Text Structure TE 660
Good readers use text structure, or the
way text is organized, to help them
understand why they read.
For example, a non fiction article may
compare and contrast two things, put
events in sequence, or be a series of
clear main ideas.
When you preview, look for text feature
such as titles, heads, and underlined
words to help you know what to expect.
Comprehension Skill Review
Graphic Sources TE 677
A graphic source shows or explains
information from the text.
Pictures, maps, charts, time lines, and
diagrams are all examples of graphic
sources.
Graphic sources can help you draw
conclusions about what you are reading.
Vocabulary Strategy
Dictionary / Glossary
TE 662
Some words have more than
one meaning.
Sometimes readers need to
check a dictionary or glossary
to find the meaning that makes
sense for the sentence.
Vocabulary Strategy
Dictionary / Glossary
The dark, or bold, words
defined are called entry words.
The entry word may not match
the word in the selection
exactly.
Entry words are often are
words without endings,
prefixes, or suffixes.
You can use a dictionary or glossary to
help you find the right meaning.
1. Try the meaning you know. Does it
make sense in the sentence?
2. If it doesn’t make sense, try to think of
another meaning for the word. Does
this make sense?
3. If it still doesn’t make sense, look up
the word in the glossary or dictionary to
see what other meanings it can have.
Research Skill
Magazines/Periodicals WB 269-270
1. A periodical is a publication issued
regularly, usually weekly or
monthly.
2. A magazine is a type of periodical.
The title of a magazine usually
identifies the kind of information it
contains.
3. Magazines contain a variety of
articles, such as news stories,
fiction stories, interviews, and
editorials or opinion columns. They
also include graphic sources and,
usually, advertisements.
Research Skill
Magazines/Periodicals WB 269-270
1. Many articles follow the 5 Ws and H
format, answering the questions:
Who? What? When? Why? and How?
2. A table of contents lists the
titles of articles and the
page on which each article
begins.
Grammar Skill – Capitalization TE 685e
Capitalize the first word and
every important word in a
proper noun.
He went to Carlisle Indian
School in Pennsylvania.
Capitalize the first letter of an
abbreviation
14 Columbus St.
Grammar Skill – Capitalization TE 685e
Capitalize both letters in a state
postal abbreviation.
Tulsa, OK Dandridge, TN
Capitalize days of the week, months,
and holidays
Saturday, June, Labor Day
Capitalize titles that are used before
people’s names.
Mr. Warner Dr. Smith
Writing Assignment
Timeline
Make a Vertical Timeline of Jim Thorpe’s
life from pages 678 and 679.
Use more than one sheet of paper, and
tape them together in sequential order
when completed.
You may illustrate the timeline when
completed.
Weekly Fluency Check Stress Emphasis TE685a
● Read aloud “The highest Hurdle
on p. 660m.
● Explain that you will emphasize
important words with more
strength. stressing important
words helps convey emotion and
meaning.
Fun Stuff and Practice
Fact and Opinion Introduction
Fact and Opinion Review
Fact and Opinion Game
Good Sentence Review PowerPoint
More on Jim Thorpe
Famous Native Americans
Timeline on Jim Thorpe
Interactive Review PowerPoint
Question of the Week
TE 601m
How can our
abilities
influence our
dreams and
goals?
Day 2 - Question of the Day
Why was Jim so
unhappy at school?
Day 3 - Question of the Day
What can you learn
about reaching goals
from Jim Thorpe’s
experiences?
Day 4 - Question of the
Day - Review
How important is a
positive attitude when
facing
challenges?
Review Questions
1. What is the main ideas of this
story?
2. How was Jim different from Charlie?
3. Why did the recruiter from Carlisle like
to Jim?
4. Why did the teachers hit him with a ruler
when he spoke Sac?
5. What kind of students were at the
Agency Boarding School and the
Haskell Institute?
Review Questions
6. What was Jim’s main reason for
participating in sports?
7. What is the purpose of the timeline?
8. What might have happened to Jim if
he had stayed home and not
attended Carlisle?
9. What did the name “Wa-tho-huck”
mean? Was it a good name for Jim?
Why or why not?
Vocabulary - Say It
society
dormitory
endurance
manual
reservation
boarding
school
More Words to Know
inconsolable
recruiter
confident
hurdle
rival
prove
society
the people of any
particular time or
place
boarding school
school with
buildings where the
pupils live during the
school term
endurance
power to last and
to withstand hard
wear
manual
done with the hands
dormitory
a building with
many rooms for sleeping in.
Many colleges have
dormitories for students
whose home are
elsewhere.
reservation
land set aside by
the government for
a special
purpose
inconsolable
not able to be
comforted
recruiter
a person who gets
new members, who
gets people to join or
come
confident
having a firm belief
in yourself
rival
1. person who wants and
tries to get the same thing
as another or who tries to
equal or do better than
another. 2. wanting the
same things as another ;
trying to equal or outdo
another; competing
prove
to show that a thing is true
and right
hurdle
1. a barrier for
people or horses to
jump over in a race.
2. something that
stands in the way ;
an obstacle, difficulty
He was so fast
and had so much
endurance that he
could run down a
rabbit on foot.
He was so fast
and had so much
endurance that he
could run down a
rabbit on foot.
The Indian Agency that
oversaw the reservation
said the children had to
go to the Agency
Boarding School at age
six.
The Indian Agency that
oversaw the reservation
said the children had to
go to the Agency
Boarding School at age
six.
The school kept
Jim inside all day
and locked up in a
cold dormitory at
night.
The school kept
Jim inside all day
and locked up in a
cold dormitory at
night.
Manual training was
mixed with
classroom studies
to teach them a
trade.
Manual training was
mixed with
classroom studies
to teach them a
trade.
Learning these
trades would
make them useful
to white society.
Learning these
trades would
make them useful
to white
society.
Jim’s mother tried
to comfort her son
after his brother
died, but he was
inconsolable.
Jim’s mother tried
to comfort her son
after his brother
died, but he was
inconsolable.
The recruiter had
heard of Jim’s
success as a
runner at Haskell .
The recruiter had
heard of Jim’s
success as a
runner at
Haskell .
Sometimes the
biggest hurdle we
have to overcome
is ourselves.
Sometimes the
biggest hurdle we
have to overcome
is ourselves.
The athlete was
called a “quitter’
by the rival track
athletes.
The athlete was
called a “quitter’
by the rival track
athletes.
Sometimes we
have to prove to
others how much
we can do.
Sometimes we
have to prove to
others how much
we can do.
It was strange how
all of a sudden he
felt relaxed and
confident.
It was strange how
all of a sudden he
felt relaxed and
confident.
Spelling Words
Prefixes mis-, non-, re-
misplace
nonsense
reread
repack
misfortune
remove
mishandle
nonstop
recover
reseal
Spelling Words
Prefixes mis-, non -, remisbehavior mistreat
reunion
readjust
nonfiction
misprint
nonstick
rebound
misquote
nonprofit
CHALLENGE
misinterpret
mispronounce
noncommittal
reconstruct
reorganize
This Week’s Word Wall Words
Click and type your own
words for this week:
Let’s review our Spelling
words. Watch carefully
because they will flash on the
screen for just a moment. We
can clap as we spell the word,
or we might just practice
reading the words.
misquote
nonstick
nonprofit
misprint
readjust
mistreat
rebound
nonfiction
reunion
misbehavior
reseal
recover
nonstop
mishandle
remove
misfortune
repack
reread
nonsense
misplace
misinterpret
mispronounce
noncommittal
reconstruct
reorganize