Paired Texts > The Medicine Bag

by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve 1975

We've identified these texts as great options for text pairings based on similar themes, literary devices, topic, or writing style. Supplement your lesson with one or more of these options and challenge students to compare and contrast the texts. To assign a paired text, click on the text to go to its page and click the "Assign Text" button there.

The Negro Speaks of Rivers
The Negro Speaks of Rivers
Langston Hughes

The speaker in this famous Langston Hughes poem uses symbolism to explain the connection they feel between their ancestry and identity.

Pair “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” with “The Medicine Bag” and ask students to discuss how both texts explore the connection between generations. How does Grandpa use the medicine bag to feel connected to his family? How does this compare to how the speaker feels connected to the past through rivers in “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”?

8th Grade Poem
Legacies
Legacies
Nikki Giovanni

In Nikki Giovanni's "Legacies," a girl's grandmother wants to teach her a recipe.

Pair “Legacies” with “The Medicine Bag” and ask students to discuss how both texts explore the practice of passing something down. What is the significance of Grandpa passing down the medicine bag to Martin? How does this compare to the little girl's grandmother's desire to teach her how to make rolls in “Legacies”? How do the young characters in both texts struggle to accept what is being passed down to them by older generations?

8th Grade Poem
Etiquette
Etiquette
Hayes Davis

In the Hayes Davis' poem "Etiquette," a speaker describes their struggles with their stutter.  

Pair “The Medicine Bag” with “Etiquette” and ask students to discuss what the speakers in the two texts are embarrassed about. How does the narrator in “The Medicine Bag” eventually grow to accept the things he was previously embarrassed about? How does this compare to the speaker’s approach to their insecurities in “Etiquette”? How does this embarrassment negatively impact them in the two texts?

8th Grade Poem
Día de los Muertos Comes to Life Across the Mexican Diaspora
Día de los Muertos Comes to Life Across the Mexican Diaspora
Isabel Dobrin

In the informational text "Día De Los Muertos Comes To Life Across The Mexican Diaspora," Isabel Dobrin discusses the holiday also known as Day of the Dead, its history, and how it is celebrated. 

Pair “The Medicine Bag” with “Día De Los Muertos Comes To Life Across The Mexican Diaspora” and ask students to discuss how the two texts explore the value of traditions. What does the medicine bag mean to Martin’s grandpa? How does this compare to the practices common for Day of the Dead? How do both traditions help people face the loss of a loved one?

8th Grade Informational Text 1240L
Army Code Talkers
Army Code Talkers
The United States Government

In the informational text "Army Code Talkers," the author discusses how American Indian soldiers developed codes based on their native languages to be used in WWI and WWII.

Pair “The Medicine Bag” with “Army Code Talkers” to provide students with a short story about a boy who is visited by his Sioux grandpa. Ask students to discuss what each text shows about Native American traditions and languages. What have they done and continue to do to preserve these traditions? In what ways do the two texts emphasize the importance of preserving Native American culture?

6th Grade Informational Text 1300L
The Satchel
The Satchel
Lynette Samuel

When Kojo's grandmother tells him the story of the old satchel in which he carries his lunch, he learns to embrace his culture.

Pair “The Medicine Bag” with “The Satchel” and ask students to compare how Martin and Kojo feel about their legacies. Why are they embarrassed? What helps each boy to embrace his legacy? How do the bags help to define each boy?

6th Grade Fiction - General 910L
Mousing Teeth
Mousing Teeth
Avalon A. Manly

Nova drags their cousin, Ros, on a dangerous adventure to prove the existence of a paranormal being.

Pair “The Medicine Bag” with “Mousing Teeth” and have students compare the narrator of “The Medicine Bag” with Nova in “Mousing Teeth”. In what ways are their concerns with social status similar? How do they each overcome their problems?

8th Grade Fantasy 930L
Remember
Remember
Joy Harjo

In "Remember", a speaker discusses what is important to remember in life.

Pair “The Medicine Bag” with “Remember” and ask students to discuss the importance of family in each text. What advice do students think the speaker of the poem would give Martin? Do students think the speaker in the poem and grandpa Joe Iron Shell have had similar experiences? Do students think they share the same ideas about the universe? Why or why not?

8th Grade Poem