Objectives

• Analyse how Momaday uses non-linear structure across the four named sections to represent Abel's fragmented identity and trauma.
• Analyse how Momaday's language choices — including ceremonial register, silence, and Tosamah's sermons — construct competing ideas about what language can and cannot do for Indigenous people.
• Explain how the killing of Juan Reyes in Chapter 6 operates simultaneously as a criminal act and a ritual one, using close reading of the passage.
• Trace how the federal relocation program, as depicted in Chapters 7–12, produces a specific form of exile distinct from Abel's earlier displacement at Walatowa.
• Write a sustained, evidenced analytical paragraph that embeds and interprets quotation from a named passage of this novel.
• Evaluate how the final dawn run in Chapter 14 synthesises the novel's central concerns of healing, memory, land, and ceremonial belonging.

The sequence

1. Lesson 1: Running Before Dawn: Form, Fragmentation, and Abel's Return

   60 min · ch. 1, 2, 3

   Do now

   Read the opening paragraph of Chapter 1 (the Prologue), which starts with 'There was a house made of dawn.' On a sticky note, jot down: (a) one observation about the rhythm of the sentences, and (b) one question that remains unanswered in the paragraph. Place it on the board as you take your seat.

   Teacher input

   Model close reading of the Prologue's opening movement (Ch.1) alongside the bus-arrival paragraph in Ch.2, where Francisco observes Abel stepping down 'out of the darkness,' drunk and barely recognizable. Illustrate to students how Momaday presents the healed, running Abel next to the broken, returning Abel — highlighting that the novel’s non-linear structure serves as an argument: recovery isn't a straightforward journey. Annotate variations in sentence length, the transition from third-person interiority to detached observation, and the word 'darkness' as a key connection between the two passages.

   Independent task

   Students will get a printed excerpt: the paragraph in Chapter 2 starting with 'He was not much changed in appearance' and ending with 'Francisco did not look at him.' They will annotate for: (1) the difference between what Francisco perceives and what the narrator keeps hidden, (2) one word choice that indicates disconnection, and (3) a written explanation of how beginning with the Prologue affects our understanding of this reunion. Annotations and the written explanation should be submitted on the extract sheet.

   Exit ticket

   Momaday starts the novel with Abel running in Chapter 1 to establish a narrative structure that emphasizes his immediate struggles and inner turmoil before delving into his experiences from the war in Chapter 2.

2. Lesson 2: The Killing of the Albino: Crime, Ceremony, and the Body

   60 min · ch. 6

   Do now

   Without opening the novel, take three minutes to jot down what you already know about Juan Reyes, the Albino. What aspects of his character seem strange or remain a mystery? After that, locate the sentence in Chapter 6 that describes him during the feast of Santiago and copy it out exactly.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the paragraph in Chapter 6 where Abel drives the knife into the Albino: "He was pale and cold in the rain… and Abel put the knife in him." Analyze how Momaday uses the pronoun "it" to refer to the act instead of "he" for Abel, creating a grammatical erasure of Abel's agency. Additionally, examine how the earlier description of the Albino as "large and white in the sun, like a dead man" (Chapter 6) presents the killing as a removal of something already separate from the living world. Illustrate how to construct an analytical paragraph that simultaneously addresses both the criminal and ceremonial interpretations.

   Independent task

   Students should write a complete analytical paragraph (using PEEL or a similar structure) that addresses the question: 'How does Momaday depict the killing of the Albino in Chapter 6 as both a crime and a ritual act?' They need to include at least two quotations from Chapter 6, with one quotation coming from the description of the Albino prior to the killing. Paragraphs will be written in exercise books and assessed by students using a two-question checklist: 'Have I identified a specific language choice?' and 'Have I provided two different interpretations of the same moment?'

   Exit ticket

   The word Momaday uses that most strongly suggests the Albino is not fully human is "demon." This word matters for how we judge Abel's act because it implies a loss of humanity, framing the Albino as a malevolent force rather than a person, which influences our perception of Abel's response to him.

3. Lesson 3: Tosamah's Sermons: Language, Power, and the Word Made Flesh

   60 min · ch. 5, 7, 8, 9

   Do now

   Tosamah’s opening line from his first sermon in Chapter 8 is, “In the beginning was the Word.” (1) I've come across this phrase in the Bible, specifically in the Gospel of John. (2) A Kiowa preacher in a Los Angeles storefront might start with this line to connect his message to a familiar biblical foundation while also emphasizing the significance of language and communication in spiritual expression.

   Teacher input

   Humanized Version

   Model a reading of Tosamah's second sermon in Chapter 9, focusing on the passage about his grandmother Aho and the Kiowa oral tradition: "She was asking me to come directly into the presence of her mind and spirit." This moment illustrates how Tosamah's rhetoric embodies the very argument he's making—that language is most powerful when it is physical, embodied, and ceremonial. At the same time, it highlights the irony that his own tendency to use elaborate language risks the "inflation" of words he criticizes in the Gospel of John.

   In your analysis, note the use of anaphora, the transition from English to Kiowa cultural references, and the stark contrast between Tosamah's dynamic oratory and Abel's near-silence throughout the novel.

   Summary of Changes Made

   • Simplified complex phrases while preserving meaning.
   • Streamlined sentences for clarity and flow.
   • Retained all original markdown and structure.

   Independent task

   Students receive a printed copy of the passage in Chapter 9 where Tosamah discusses the Kiowa oral tradition. They create a comparative annotation: on the left margin, they highlight every technique Tosamah uses to imbue his language with a sense of the sacred or powerful; on the right margin, they note every instance where his language veers toward what he criticizes — being empty, inflated, or self-serving. Finally, they write a two-sentence evaluative comment at the bottom: 'Tosamah's sermon is / is not consistent with his own argument about language because…'. The annotated extract and the comment are then submitted together.

   Exit ticket

   Tosamah argues that when the Word was written down, it lost some of its original power and meaning. The act of committing it to paper transformed it into something static, stripping it of its dynamic nature. He believes that this shift distanced people from the true essence and spiritual connection of the Word.

4. Lesson 4: Relocation and the Night Chant: Exile, Healing, and Benally's Voice

   60 min · ch. 10, 11, 12

   Do now

   Open Ch.10. Locate the sentence where Benally describes the city at night from the window of the rooming house. Copy it down. Then write: What does Benally observe that Abel overlooks? What does this contrast reveal about the two men?

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the passage in Ch. 12 where Benally recounts singing the Night Chant over Abel on the beach after Martínez's attack: 'House made of dawn, house made of evening light.' Notice how Momaday weaves the Navajo Beautyway chant into Benally's stream-of-consciousness narration—the chant flows seamlessly within Benally's voice instead of being set apart typographically. This suggests that for Benally, ceremony and everyday speech are intertwined, unlike for Abel. Take note of the second-person address ('you'), the repetition of 'house made of,' and the stark contrast between the urban, violent, concrete beach setting and the chant's imagery of dawn, pollen, and beauty.

   Independent task

   Students are tasked with writing a structured comparison of two moments of attempted healing: (1) the Night Chant passage in Chapter 12 and (2) the peyote meeting in Chapter 7. For each moment, they need to identify the form of healing, who has control over it, and whether the text suggests it is adequate. They will produce a written paragraph of 150–200 words arguing which moment Momaday depicts as more genuinely restorative, including at least one quotation from each chapter. This work will be done in exercise books and collected by the teacher.

   Exit ticket

   Momaday chooses to give Benally the narrative voice in Chapters 10–12 instead of Abel to provide a unique perspective on the events unfolding in the story. This shift emphasizes the importance of community and ceremony in understanding cultural identity and personal experiences.

5. Lesson 5: The Dawn Run: Memory, Land, and the Beautyway as Resolution

   60 min · ch. 1, 13, 14

   Do now

   Re-read the last paragraph of Chapter 14, starting with 'He was running, and under his breath he began to sing.' Write: (a) what has changed since the opening run in Chapter 1, and (b) what remains the same. You have four minutes.

   Teacher input

   Model a reading of the passage in Ch.13 where Francisco, on his deathbed, recalls running the race against the Albino when he was young: 'He had run all night and his body was broken.' Explain how Momaday uses Francisco's fragmented, feverish memory to illustrate that the dawn run isn't a new beginning but a return to an ancient, cyclical pattern — Francisco ran it, and now Abel runs it. Annotate the shifts in verb tense (past perfect merging into present), the repeated phrase 'he ran' as a kind of incantation, and the way the land is portrayed as a witness rather than just a backdrop. Finally, show how the last lines of Ch.14 mirror the Prologue exactly, completing the novel's circular structure.

   Independent task

   Students will write a complete analytical essay response in 35 minutes to the question: "How does Momaday use the dawn run in Chapters 1 and 14 to resolve Abel's journey? Refer closely to the language of both passages." Students are required to: quote from both Chapters 1 and 14; reference at least one other chapter by number; and discuss both structure and language. Essays will be written under timed conditions in exercise books and will be collected for evaluation based on the rubric.

   Exit ticket

   The final word of the novel is "river," which symbolizes the continuity of life and the connection to nature, emphasizing a broader theme beyond just Abel's identity.

Activities

Assessment

• Exit ticket Lesson 1 — checks whether students can articulate the structural function of the Prologue's placement before Ch.2, not merely describe what happens in it.
• Annotated extract Lesson 2 — checks whether students can hold two simultaneous interpretations (criminal / ceremonial) of the same passage from Ch.6 rather than choosing one.
• Exit ticket Lesson 3 — checks whether students have understood Tosamah's specific argument about the written word in Ch.9, not simply that 'language is important'.
• Comparative paragraph Lesson 4 — checks whether students can distinguish between the Night Chant (Ch.12) and the peyote meeting (Ch.7) as different kinds of healing, and can embed quotation from both.
• Exit ticket Lesson 5 — checks whether students can name the novel's final word and connect it to the circular structure, demonstrating that they have read Ch.14 with attention to its last movement.
• Silence Audit activity — checks whether students can read absence of speech as a textual choice, tracking what Abel's silence communicates across four specific scenes in Chs. 2, 7, 10, and 12.

Standards covered

Common Core 11 12

• RL.11-12.1 — Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
• RL.11-12.3 — Analyse the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g. where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).
• RL.11-12.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyse the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
• RL.11-12.5 — Analyse how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
• RL.11-12.6 — Analyse a case in which grasping a point of view requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant.

AP Literature

• Literary Argumentation (LAN-1) — Develop a thesis that makes a defensible claim about the literary work and supports it with relevant and sufficient evidence from the text.
• Figurative Language (FIG-1) — Explain the function of specific words and phrases, including connotation, metaphor, and symbol, in shaping meaning and tone.
• Narration (NAR-1) — Explain the function of point of view and narrative perspective, including how Momaday's use of multiple focalisers (Abel, Tosamah, Benally, Francisco) shapes the reader's understanding of events.
• Structure (STR-1) — Explain how the sequence, juxtaposition, and pacing of sections contribute to the overall meaning of the text.
• Character (CHR-1) — Explain the function of complex characters and how their development over the course of the text contributes to an interpretation of the whole work.

AQA

• AO1 — Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
• AO2 — Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.
• AO3 — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received — specifically the federal relocation program, the Red Power movement, and the Native American Renaissance.
• AO5 — Explore literary texts informed by different interpretations — including the tension between mainstream critical reception and Indigenous scholarly readings of the novel's ceremonial content.

Edexcel

• AO1 — Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology and coherent, accurate written expression.
• AO2 — Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology.
• AO3 — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received, including post-war federal Indian policy and the Pulitzer Prize as a moment of cultural recognition.
• AO4 — Explore connections across literary texts — students may connect Momaday's treatment of oral tradition and land to other texts in the specification.