Talking Leaves

Read the passage below and answer the question: You are reading these words right now because of a written system of communication. However, not all languages have written forms! In the year 1809, a man named Sequoyah lived in such a world. Sequoyah was a member of a Native American tribe, the Cherokee. The Cherokee people speak their own language, but for hundreds of years they did not have a system of writing. The Cherokee have a strong oral history tradition. However, having no written system did cause some problems. Cherokee business owners could not keep written records. Cherokee soldiers fighting far from home could not write letters to their families. And the Cherokee couldn't spread information through newspapers or books. What problem did the Cherokee face because they did not have a written language?

• They could not keep written records

• They could not speak their language

• They could not grow food

• They could not travel

Read the passage below and answer the question: Sequoyah was probably born around the year 1770, though no one knows for sure. He lived with his mother in a small village in the mountains of Tennessee. He did not go to school. Instead, he helped his mother work in the garden and tend cattle. Where did Sequoyah live as a child?

• In a city in New York

• In a small village in the mountains of Tennessee

• In a large town in California

• In a desert in Arizona

Read the passage below and answer the question: Sequoyah was a member of a Native American tribe, the Cherokee. The Cherokee people speak their own language, but for hundreds of years they did not have a system of writing.

• True

• False

Fill in the blank: The Cherokee had a strong _______ history tradition.

• oral

• written

• visual

• musical

Sequoyah was:

• a Cherokee silversmith who created the Cherokee syllabary

• a famous Spanish explorer

• an American president

• a Civil War general

Look at the image of the symbols above the passage. What do these symbols represent?

• The English alphabet

• The Cherokee syllabary (alphabet)

• Egyptian hieroglyphs

• Numbers

Who was Sequoyah and what did he teach himself to do as an adult?

• Sequoyah was a smart, quick learner who taught himself how to make jewelry out of silver and became a blacksmith.

• Sequoyah was a famous explorer who discovered new lands and mapped rivers.

• Sequoyah was a renowned artist who painted portraits of Native American leaders.

• Sequoyah was a skilled hunter who taught himself to track animals in the wild.

What did Sequoyah notice about English-speaking people who came to his shop?

• He noticed that they used marks on paper to record their thoughts and ideas, which he called 'talking leaves.'

• He noticed that they always brought gifts for him.

• He noticed that they spoke in a language he could not understand.

• He noticed that they wore unusual clothing.

Why did many people believe the Cherokee language did not need to be written down?

• Because the Cherokee tribe had grown strong and powerful without the use of writing.

• Because the Cherokee language was already written in English.

• Because the Cherokee people did not have any stories to record.

• Because the Cherokee language was too simple to be written.

How many symbols did Sequoyah create for the Cherokee language?