Lesson Plans

LESSON PLANS
Lesson Plan
A Faraway Home
Social Studies – Language Arts - Technology

“Readers make leaders!” – J.L. Panagopoulos ©

·       The story starts Monday, September 18, 1854 at Five Points
          New York City… As a documentary historical fiction writer
          it is my responsibility to make sure the information that I
          share is as accurate as possible. I do this by using primary
          and secondary source material and by doing historical
          research that teaches me about the past.

By using the Perpetual Calendar I was able to find out on what day specific things happened in the lives of the orphans.
Have your students visit: http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/4274/perpcale.htm
Using their birth year in the year search help them to discover what day they were born. My birth day is December 17, 1955 and I was born on a Saturday.
·       If a story is based on history with historical characters surrounding a historical event, what type of genre is it? My writing is not “just” historical fiction it is “documentary” historical fiction. What does the word “documentary” in this type of genre mean? (Check out my website: http://www.newadventuresinwriting.com - New Adventures in Writing.com for more information concerning genre and documentary historical fiction.)
·       Reading and Journaling go hand-and-hand. Recommend to your students that they write down questions they might have about the story as they read. Also suggest that they create a glossary of words that they might find confusing or interesting.
·       Have your students’ draw a picture of what they think Jack or some of the other orphan children might have looked like. You can email me some of their pictures and I will select a few to place on my website. (Pandex@prodigy.net web site: http://www.newadventuresinwriting.com once the pictures are posted it will be under “Special Pictures”)
·       Create a local history research/writing project. No matter where you live in the world you have local history and information. To do this project with your students ask them to write down five basic local history questions and find the answers:
1)   When was your city/town/village founded or incorporated?
2)   What were the names of some of the first settlers to your area?
3)   Why did these first settlers come to your area? Was it easy to get to? Was the land very fertile? Was there a specific resource that drew them to the area?
4)   Where did your county/city/town/village get its name?
5)   Where did the first settlers in your area come from? Did they travel to your area together? Were they family? Now, with these questions you can begin your research. Are there books or publications about your area that you can share with your students? Do you have a local historical society, genealogy society or museum in your area that you might be able to get a guest to come and speak to your class concerning local history? Does your school library or your local community library have plat map books that will show your students where the      first settlers lived and owned property?
Also, help your students to discover which Native Americans lived in your area and at what time period.
Make sure you teach your class about making research notes and recording the information they find for future reference and writing.
·       During your IP videoconference please make sure you have worked with your students for proper videoconferencing etiquette.
1.    Make sure your students have read A Faraway Home or A Place Called Home.
2.    Make sure your students have created questions to ask the author. If their question has been asked, make sure they have a back-up question.
3.  During the conference make sure your students sit quietly until it is time to ask their questions or to share their information.
4.    Make sure your students sit politely (no heads on tables, no tapping of pencils or hands thumping near the microphones) and listen to the author as she answers questions. Students may interact and respond to the author’s questions but they must be attentive to make sure     they can hear and participate.

A Faraway Home
Wordsearch

G E U G N B O F I D H D S K O

L I V E R P O O L E L E R C I

U V M A F H S F S T C B E A T

P C C O C T A C T R M I P J D

O E O R E R B H A O H S L L S

O D U E M H E C R I C A E O B

R H R E S L Q G V T G R H F P

C T R Y P T X P I F L A E T S

S S T L W B E O N Y A H W G H

V I E O T S E A G N N M W O Z

C S N A H P R O M A W I I H D

S L A V I V R U S B B E A L D

U Z M A T C H E S L O A V R Y

A P P L E S V F E A R A T O T

I A E M O H X K P F R J T H L


ALBANY      FARMERS     ORPHAN

APPLES   FEAR      POLICE

        BATH   FOOD SARAH

BED   HELPERS STARVING

BRACE   HELPLESS STEAMBOAT

CHURCH   HOME STREETS

CITY   JACK        SURVIVAL

DETROIT   LIVERPOOL TRAIN

DOWAGIAC   LOVE

FAMILY   MATCHES

Lesson Plan
A Place Called Home

Social Studies – Language Arts – Technology

“Readers make leaders!” – J.L. Panagopoulos©

This picture book story was written for the State of Michigan to help share the stories of America’s historical past.
The forts mentioned in this book along with Mill Creek are today living history museums located in the “Straits” of Mackinaw, Michigan.
·       Before you read this story show your students a map of the United States and ask them to identify the state of Michigan. Help them find the Straits of Mackinaw. What shape do they see when they look at the state of Michigan? What are the names of the lakes that surround the state? Those lakes are part of the Great Lakes of America. There are five Great Lakes in American, can your students name them? H.O.M.E.S is an easy word to remember and it will give your students a clue of the names of the Great Lakes:
H = Lake Huron
O = Lake Ontario
     M = Lake Michigan
                                                                  E = Lake Erie
   S = Lake Superior
What other states beside Michigan borders the Great Lakes?

·       In the book A Place Called Home the characters talk about a period of time during the American Revolution. Was your state one of the original 13 colonies? What were the names of the original 13 colonies? When did your state become a state?
Michigan was not one of the first 13 colonies and did not become a state until 1837; Michigan was the 26^th state to join the union.
Michigan, however, is surrounded by the Great Lakes and was prime territory for early settlement and development because of the transportation that the lakes made available to the settlers and explorers.
The first European (French) fur trader came to Michigan in 1610, his name was Etienne Brule.
“I had with me a youth of 15 who wished to go with the savages (Native Americans) to learn their language…to learn what their country was like, see the great lake, observe the rivers and what tribes lived in that region…so that on his return we might be informed…we asked him if this was agreeable to him for it was not my wish to force him but so soon as the request was made, he accepted the journey with great willingness. The youth was furnished with everything necessary…” Le Sieur Samuel De Champlain, founder of New France 1610.
The British first came to Michigan through the Great Lakes in 1712, when they led an attack against the French in Detroit at Fort Pontchartrain. Because the British came into what is now the State of Michigan, they brought with them the first steps of the American Revolution.
In 1759, after the French and Indian War, when the French surrendered to the British and forfeited their lands to British settlement, the forts throughout the Great Lakes became home to the British and the waterways of the Great Lakes became their highway of travel.
It wasn’t until 1796, thirteen years after the American Revolution (1775-1783) was over, that the British finally left what was to become the state of Michigan and the first American flag flew over Fort Detroit and Fort Mackinac.
Did your state have any involvement in the America Revolution? Were there any French or British forts in your state?
§       While writing this book I had an opportunity to work as an archaeological assistant at Fort Michilimackinac and I wanted to make certain that the pictures included in this book would reflect the forts, the mill, and the artifacts of this historic area of America.
          Have your students look at the pictures in the book and try to identify artifacts that                   might have been found at these historic sites.
1.    The pictures of the fort and mill are correct to the historic past.
2.    The use of the horses and sleds to pull the fort “pieces” across the Straits on the ice.
3.    The use of studded horseshoes on the horses that pulled the sleds across the ice.
4.    The birch bark Indian canoe and ornamentation on the Native American filling the canoe.
5.    The food products growing in the garden at the fort.
6.    The apple trees transported to the mill site.
7.    The yoke pieces used on the oxen.
8.    The cow bell and chicken bones were all found at the mill site by archaeologist.
9.    Buttons from the coats of the soldiers. Original mill pieces such as the blades and mill stones found in the mill pond. Remnants of the burned fort which were still visible up until the 1950s when the idea of reconstructing the fort was first considered.
·       For the fun of it use a small wading pool and fill it with sand. Next bury modern things that we use today in the sand and have them discuss which artifacts might survive time and why.
           Suggested things to bury:
1.    A plastic bottle, would it survive time and why? Time to talk about the environment and recycling?
2.    An apple
3.    A metal toy car
4.    A shoe
5.    A piece of paper
6.    Etc…
§       The research concerning the Campbell family was difficult to find because these were simple people that were not wealthy nor were they famous. Have your students think about two hundred years in the future and ask them in what ways will people in the future           know that they have lived.
1.    birth certificates (primary source documents)
2.    baptismal records
3.    social security records
4.    death records
5.    cemetery records
6.    diaries & journals
7.    personal letters
8.    photographs
These are all things a historical researcher might find in an archive that records the life of a person. Have your students start keeping a journal for the future. Make sure they record their full name, address, phone number, the full names of their parents, the name of their school, and the full name of their teacher.
In their diary/journal have them write down things about themselves that they would like people from the future to know about them. Have your students talk with their family to learn more about their past and record it in their diary/journal. By doing this they are creating primary source documents that perhaps someone 200 years in the future might use to write a book about them.
§       Consider creating a time capsule with the documents.
§       During your IP videoconference please make sure you have worked with your students for proper videoconferencing etiquette.
1.    Make sure your students have read A Place Called Home.
2.    Make sure your students have created questions to ask the author. If their question has been asked, make sure they have a back-up question.
3.    Make sure your students sit quietly until it is time to ask their questions or to share their information.
4.    Make sure your students sit politely (no heads on tables, no tapping of pencils or hands thumping near the microphones) and listen to the author as she answers questions. Students may interact and respond to the author’s questions but they must be attentive to make sure     they can hear and participate.

A Place Called Home
Word Search

S V B T G W F I J H L G N S S

M R N O I T U L O V E R A C N

C U U F A A E R Z G S W G O A

H A O E P T S K A T E A I T I

I R M P G E S B A O R G H L D

T J L P S A B H N L I O C A N

D E E H B A Y A L J F N I N I

S S O C C E C O S Z G S M D J

I E N A I D L R V O S L E D S

S S J O J U E L V R E B M U L

L G L T T I L E P A T R I O T

L E C A D T R S N E K C I H C

E A K L N N U N I F O R M S O

B R O Q O D W B Y K L L I M R

J S W R K I N G D N O P Y U N

APPLES GEARS PATRIOT

BELLS GOVERNOR POND

BOATS HATS       REVOLUTION

BUTTONS HORSESHOES SCOTLAND

CABBAGE INDIANS      SLEDS

      CAMPBELL ISLAND SLUICE

CANOE KING SOLDIERS

CHICKENS LAKE UNIFORMS

CORN LUMBER VOYAGEURS

FIRE MICHIGAN WAGONS

FORT MILL