Lesson 19: The Last Cuentista and “El Conejo en la Luna: The Rabbit in the Moon”

Turn-and-Talk

Have students take out their copy of the story “El Conejo en la Luna: The Rabbit in the Moon” and their homework annotations. Pair students with a nearby partner to summarize the legend.

Say these Directions: Summarize the legend of “El Conejo en la Luna” with your partner. What happens, and what lesson does the legend communicate?

• In the legend, the traveler is weak and hungry, and the rabbit offers itself as food to help him survive. The traveler is really a god, and he rewards the rabbit’s kindness by imprinting his profile on the moon. The story communicates the idea that sacrifice and generosity can have their own rewards.

Connection to Today's Learning

• Say: Now that you have the original legend, you are ready to analyze Higuera’s use of this same legend in The Last Cuentista.

Using Context Clues

Display the target word.

Target Word: sustenance

• Say: We’re learning about the word sustenance today. This word shows up in Higuera’s adaptation of “El Conejo en la Luna.” Let’s explore this word and the clues to its meaning.

Display the Target Sentence: Display and read aloud the passage from the text with the target word sustenance.

• "The rabbit hops up to him and paws at his feathers and touches his pink nose to Quetzalcoatl's face. 'You need sustenance,' el Conejo says to him." (p. 160)

Read the Surrounding Sentences

Display or reread the paragraph that contains the sentence through the first paragraph on p. 161.

• Say: Turn to p. 160 of The Last Cuentista. As we reread, listen for words or ideas that help you understand the word sustenance.

Read the passage on p. 160, starting with “Quetzalcoatl staggers across the desert . . .” and ending with the paragraph “Lita nods.”

Identify Context Clues

Have students work with a partner to answer the following questions:

Say these Directions: Turn and talk with a partner about the following questions.

• What is happening in this part of the text?

  • Quetzalcoatl is dying of thirst and hunger when el Conejo approaches. He “offers up himself for food.” (p. 160)

• Which words or phrases help explain the target word sustenance?

  • food, eat

Call on students to name the exact words they used as context clues. Annotate or underline those clues on the displayed text.

Infer a Meaning

• Ask: Based on the context, what does sustenance most likely mean?

  • food, water, something that feeds a person

Verify Meaning

Have students test the meaning in context by replacing sustenance in the sentence with their suggested meaning. Reread the sentence again.

Prompt students to use a dictionary, thesaurus, or other reference material to confirm the meaning.

• Say: Check your definition using a dictionary or other reference material. Does the definition match what we figured out? Revise as needed.

Quick Application

Have students work with a partner to create a new sentence that fits the meaning of the word sustenance.

• Say: Work with your partner to create a new sentence that fits the meaning of the word sustenance.

Connection to Today's Learning

• Say: You will now think about the word sustenance and the kind of help the rabbit represents in both the legend and Petra’s dream.

Part A: Analyzing Traditional Stories Within Modern Fiction (RL.8.9) (15 minutes)

Graffiti/Table Talk

Transition students into pairs. Provide partners with chart paper or access to a digital board. Direct them to review the dream sequence in The Last Cuentista beginning on p. 160 with “In the distance, a man with a rainbow headdress of feathers. . .” and concluding at the end of the chapter.

Say these Directions: With your partner, reread the dream sequence that features the story of el Conejo. Then independently record two similarities and two differences between the traditional story and Higuera’s rendition of it. After you have recorded your individual thinking, discuss the similarities and differences you noted with your partner.

Allow students several minutes to complete the task independently. When students finish writing, pairs should discuss the similarities and differences they recorded. Encourage them to consider why Higuera changes the story as she does in her novel.

Answer the following questions as a class:

• Ask: How is Petra’s dream different from the traditional legend?

  • Petra’s dream changes the role of the rabbit from a symbol of sacrifice to one of guidance. In the traditional legend, the rabbit responds to Quetzalcoatl's need for sustenance by offering itself as food, showing self-sacrifice. The rabbit in the dream, however, does not offer to help Quetzalcoatl. “Instead of following the story, the rabbit turns toward us. ‘You should follow me,’ he says. But he is not looking at Quetzalcoatl or Lita. He is looking at me” (p. 161).

• Ask: What does the rabbit symbolize in the original legend and Higuera’s retelling?

  • In both versions, the rabbit offers support in a moment of need, but in different ways. In the original legend, the rabbit literally offers itself as food, telling an exhausted and hungry Quetzalcoatl, “If you are truly starving, you may eat me.” The rabbit symbolizes sacrifice and generosity. But in Petra’s dream, the rabbit offers a different kind of support by inviting her to act with courage: “‘Come,’ he calls back, motioning for me to follow” (p. 161). Instead of providing food, the rabbit offers Petra a chance to escape, but only if she accepts his invitation and takes a risk.

• Ask: What is the impact of Higuera altering the legend in Petra’s dream?

  • Higuera uses a story from Petra’s past in order to propel Petra forward, encouraging her to make a decision to escape the Collective. Because Lita was the source of the story, Petra is more apt to pay attention to its message. As the story changes, Lita encourages Petra to trust el Conejo. “You should see where he leads” (p. 161), Lita says. Petra replies that the rabbit’s not heading to the ocean but to a desert instead. Lita adds, “If you take the risk and trust where the story is leading you, you might find the ocean you must cross” (p. 162), which is a reference to Blancaflor crossing the ocean to rescue her prince. By retelling the story this way, Higuera gives Petra motivation to follow the rabbit, or in other words, to take a risk to escape the Collective.

Provide students with a confidence continuum (i.e., 1–5). As needed, model how to demonstrate a level of confidence using the continuum.

Part B: Determining Theme (RL.8.2, RL.8.9) (15 minutes)

Transition students into small groups of four by combining partnerships from the previous activity. Students will use their notes from the previous activity and consider how Higuera introduces differences between the traditional legend and the retelling in the novel to develop themes in the novel.

• Say: A theme is developed across a text, not in a single scene. However, one scene can further develop the theme and convey a clear message. Higuera calls upon and changes the legend of el Conejo for specific reasons. Consider the content and how Higuera changes it to determine her intended message or theme.

Say these Directions: Use the similarities and differences you noted from the previous activity to explain how Higuera reimagines the legend to develop a theme in The Last Cuentista. Discuss the following questions with your small group.

Display the following questions.

• How do the traditional legend and Petra’s dream work together to convey a theme or message?

  • The original legend shows the rabbit as a symbol of sacrifice and “kindness.” Petra’s dream builds on that idea but changes the scene. This time, el Conejo offers support in guiding Petra to escape the Collective. He says, “You should follow me . . . I will save you” (p. 161). In her dream, Petra is the one who must sacrifice and approach her own dangerous situation bravely. Together, the two versions show that sacrifice and bravery can be difficult and life-altering, but can yield reward.

• How does this adaptation relate to the novel’s exploration of memory and culture?

  • This scene connects to the novel’s exploration of memory and culture by having Petra access the real story as told by Lita with a combination of Spanish and English. She calls upon her memory of the story to point out the contrast of the dream version. When the rabbit says, “Your sacrifice and risk shall be rewarded,” readers understand that Petra will become a present-day el Conejo if she is able to lead the others out of the Collective.

• How does Higuera’s use of the traditional legend and its adaptation develop a theme in the novel?

  • With the old and new versions, Higuera develops the theme of the necessity and rewards of sacrifice and risk. El Conejo is rewarded in the traditional tale, and in its adaptation, he promises that if Petra follows, “I will save you” (p. 166). The necessity of the risk is reiterated as Lita says, “The one who does not take the risk” (p. 161) in connection to Petra following the rabbit.

Quick Write

Instruct students to complete the following Quick Write response.

Say these Directions: Respond to the prompt in three to four sentences. Use at least two specific details in your answer: one from the traditional legend and one from Petra’s dream in the novel.

• How does Higuera use the traditional story of El Conejo to further develop a theme in the text?

  • Higuera uses “El Conejo en la Luna” to develop the theme that sacrifice and bravery can be challenging but also rewarding. In the original legend, the rabbit offers himself as “sustenance” to help the weakened traveler, showing sacrifice. In Petra’s dream, the rabbit instead tells her to follow and promises that her “risk shall be rewarded” (p. 161), shifting the rabbit’s offer from sacrifice to guidance as Petra assumes the role of el Conejo, becoming the one who must sacrifice her own safety to escape the Collective.

Students read their independent reading book for 20 minutes and complete a reading log entry.

Read your independent reading book for 20 minutes. In your reading log, record the date and pages you read, write 1–2 sentences about what happened or what you learned, and respond to this week’s prompt using evidence from the text.