How I Became a Ghost: A Choctaw Trail of Tears Story

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Chapters 1-3

Reading Check

1. What is unusual about what Isaac is?

2. What is the name of Isaac’s dog?

3. Who comes home for lunch while Mother and Father discuss the treaty?

4. Who bursts into flames in Isaac’s first vision?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does Isaac’s father come home without meat from the hunting trip?

2. Why do the men of the Choctaw cut their backs on trees and sit in their blood?

3. Why do the Choctaws consider their homes to be dirt, trees, and the river?

4. Why do the Choctaw women jump into the river to cut their feet?

Paired Resource

“Early Choctaw History”

• This article provides a history of the Choctaw people before and after the Indian Removal Act of 1830.
• Where were the Choctaw lands located? How did the Choctaws live? What were some reactions to the Indian Removal Act? What was it intended to do? How many people died on the march on the Trail of Tears? How is this article related to White Violence Versus Choctaw Pacifism and Community and Connection to Nature as a Source of Strength?