Tier 1 "listen" "think" "fought" 

Tier 2 "steep" "soaring"  "wading"

Tier 3 "mesa" (plateau of land)  "hogan" "native american home" "corral" (animal enclosure) barranacas (ravine/gorge) 

I think the tier 3 words are the most important in this book. They are used frequently to describe the surroundings of the native Americans. Tompkins advocates that Tier 3 words shouldn't always be taught in the classroom because they generally have less application than Tier 2 words but I think they could be used together with a history lesson about Native Americans. I think these are important to teach because students would have no idea what these words meant. Students sometimes know tier 2 words. These tier 3 words would probably be new to everyone and they help to understand the book and Native Americans 

A lesson to help students learn these words would involve drawing and writing together. 

1) Teacher would already have the specialized tier 3 words picked out from the book. 

2) students would be assigned a set of words. (there would be multiple sets of words so that only a limited number of students would do each set) 

3) students would look up the definition of the tier 3 words and right them out. 

4) students would draw/sketch a picture or scenario that involves the word that is being learned

5) once the students have completed this they would get into groups and share (they would get into a group with other students who don't have the same set of words they did) 

6) once the students have shared then the teacher can select students to come share their drawings and definitions. 

7) (optional) hang up the drawings on the board during the reading time of the novel.

This lesson could be used for the entire book or for X amount of chapters. A set of words isn't strictly needed you could have each student do one word instead of a set of words.