The Power of Yeti

Learning intention:

I am learning to understand how our personalities and experiences influence our perspectives so that I can include well-rounded points of view in my writing.

Success criteria:

• I can identify personality traits of the characters, using textual evidence
• I can identify how the characters’ points of view may differ
• I can retell the narrative from a different point of view

 

Essential knowledge:

More information about telling a story from a particular point of view can be found in the English Textual Concepts video Point of View.

 

After reading the story, create a class list with input from the students about what the main plot points are in the story. These may include:

• Misha noticing something move through the trees when she was out sledding
• Misha discovering Yeti
• Yeti asking Misha for help
• Yeti and Misha working together to create a circle in the snow
• Maya became frustrated with not being able to build the structure with sticks, but Yeti showed her how the weave them together
• They finished the shelter so that Yeti was safe from the snowy weather
• Misha returned home feeling confident and excited for the following day

Discuss the differences in Misha and Yeti’s personalities. Ask students to give examples of their personality traits, giving textual evidence to support their claims. Suggestions may include:

Misha

Self-critical – Very quickly thinks and says “I can’t” in different situations.

Easily frustrated – Tossed the stick and threw her hands up almost immediately after the sticks fell down while they were building the shelter.

Caring – Stayed and helped Yeti in the snow despite her own self-doubt, and made sure he was safe for the night before she went home.

 

Yeti

Collaborative – Asked Misha for help and worked alongside her rather than doing it all himself or asking her to do it for him.

Resilient – Continued building despite the weather conditions and setbacks with the sticks collapsing.

Calm – Patiently shows Misha how to weave the sticks and doesn’t show frustration with any of the challenges in building his shelter.

 

Discuss with students how the story may be different from Yeti’s point of view. Ask them to consider what Yeti may have been doing before Misha discovered him through the trees and how his perspective may be different when they were together. Instruct students to write a version of the same story from Yeti’s point of view, taking into consideration his personality and how this impacts his thoughts and actions, as well as the way he interacts with Misha. When completed, willing students should share their narratives with the class and compare their interpretations of the story through Yeti’s point of view.