Story Comprehension Questions: Coyote Meets His Master

After reading the Terry Gardner Four Directions tale called “Coyote Meets his Master,” involve your students in responding to the following comprehension questions either in oral or written form or both.

Click “Coyote Meets his Master” to read a copy of the target story.

Twelve Story Comprehension Questions

1. What was Coyote trying to do and prove in this story?

Students Respond: He was trying to be the big boss and master of all the animal folk in the forest.

2. What did Coyote try to do to Eagle?

Students Respond: He tried to throw a rock at her but missed.

3. What did Coyote try to do to Wally Wolf and Ben Bear?

Students Respond: He tried to throw rocks at both of them but missed.

4. Who did Coyote try to attack next and how did he do this?

Students Respond: He tried to capture and eat Robbie Rabbit by leaping on him.

5. What happened to Carl Coyote after leaping on Robbie Rabbit?

Students Respond: As he tried to leap on Robbie Rabbit, the rabbit slipped away just in time. Carl Coyote landed in the thorn bush and got caught and tangled among all the hurtful thorns.

6. What happened next after Coyote was trapped among all the thorns?

Students Respond: Eagle, Wolf, and Bear showed up and tried to find out from Robbie Rabbit what happened. Robbie Rabbit told the whole story.

7. When Coyote begged to be set free, why did Bear, Wolf, and Eagle not wish to help?

Students Respond: They did not feel they could help anyone who bragged about being the big boss of all the animal folk and who was acting like a bully.

8. When Wolf and Eagle talked about punishing Coyote in a physical way, what was Bear’s reasoning for why that would not be a good idea?

Students Respond: Bear felt like fighting violence with violence was not going to teach Coyote a lesson. Also, since Robbie Rabbit was Coyote’s intended victim, he thought the decision for whether to exact revenge was to be left up to him.

9. Since Robbie Rabbit did not want to cause harm to Coyote, how did he plan to defend himself if Coyote tried to hurt him again?

Students Respond: Robbie Rabbit called for all his rabbit relatives to come to the rescue led by Grandfather Rabbit.

10. What did Grandfather Rabbit make Coyote promise?

Students Respond: In exchange for being set free from the thorn bush, Coyote had to agree not to hurt Robbie Rabbit or any of the other rabbit kids.

11. What happened after Coyote was set free?

Students Respond: Coyote thanked the rabbits for helping him.

12. What lesson did Coyote learn in the end?

Students Respond: He learned that he should just try to be the master of himself, to not be a bully, and to be a friend to others.

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OTHER STORIES BY TERRY GARDNER

Four Coyote tales:

1. Coyote meets his master

A. Read-aloud story