Medicine Walk

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

What is alcoholism? What might be potential causes of alcoholism? What are possible impacts of an alcohol addiction on families?

Teaching Suggestion: Frank, the novel’s protagonist, does not know his biological father, Eldon, well because Eldon has an alcohol dependence. With sensitivity in mind, you might consider sharing the article below or a similar resource and discussing what alcoholism is and what causes alcoholism. Students might instead construct a reader-response journal entry after reading. Sharing the video as optional, additional information on the impact of substance abuse on families may help to prepare students for the seriousness of the conflicts in the novel.

• This article describes alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence, their causes, and treatment.
• This 9-minute video explains some of the impacts of substance abuse on families.

Short Activity

Use a variety of trustworthy resources to investigate these background topics in preparation for reading the novel.

• What kinds of injustices were inflicted on Indigenous people in Canada?
• How might colonialism be responsible for some of the hardship experienced by Indigenous people even today?

Teaching Suggestion: Frank’s father, Eldon, struggles to survive in a dilapidated town called Parson’s Gap in British Columbia. Eldon’s alcoholism and economic hardship stem from the intergenerational problems created by colonialism and a marginalized culture. Students can investigate these and similar resources to add to their background knowledge about this topic; small-group work might be appropriate for jigsawing and sharing discovered information. After investigation time, students might discuss as a group the history of Indigenous people in Canada and the long-lasting impact of colonialism on Indigenous peoples.

• This article describes the history surrounding Indigenous people in Canada.
• This article explains the social, emotional, and economic impact of colonialism on Indigenous people, creating intergenerational problems.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

Consider a time when you had a difficult conversation with someone you care about. Why was the conversation difficult? How did you choose to approach the conversation? What was your motive for having a discussion? Did the conversation bring you closer together or drive you further apart?

Teaching Suggestion: Eldon asks Frank to travel into the wilderness with him to give him a warrior’s burial. Throughout their time in the wilderness, Frank learns of Eldon, his childhood, and his abandonment of Frank. Consider discussing difficult conversations and the emotional impact of those conversations.