Teacher's Guide Chapter Authors: Beth Mulvey and Mike Kuennen 5th Grade Teachers at
Chapter Overview: Two weeks after leaving the Pima Villages, the wagon train reaches the Colorado River, which is close to the spot where the buried father. (Feb. 19) Sallie meets a ferryman, Don Diego (Mr. Jaeger), who was also shot with an Indian arrow. He opened a stage station and also a ferry crossing. Mother mails a letter to Uncle George telling him that they hope to arrive in
Chapter Themes: Arriving in
Chapter Activities
- Language Arts
- Imagining the Ocean
- Students will write about what it is “To imagine what it would be like to see he ocean for the first time.”
- Standards Addressed
- (5)5.8 use expanded vocabulary in writing: a.) action verbs b.) adjectives c.) figurative language d.) transition words e.) synonyms/antonyms
- (5)6.8 produce writing with a voice that shows awareness of an intended audience and purpose [NS 6.5.6]
- Journal Writing
- Students will read back over what they have written about this entire book and write an overall reflection or epilogue about their experiences.
- Standards Addressed
- (5)5.1 participate in daily writing activities (e.g., journals, learning logs, reports)
- (5)3.3 identify historical events and cultural contexts as portrayed in literature [NS 3.5.3]
- Mathematics
- Journey Costs
- Students will estimate what a journey of this magnitude would have cost back at the time of the book. Students will also use a search engine and determine what a plane or train ticket(s) would cost now to make the journey for the Fox family. Would the $200 offered by Mrs. Fox have paid the cost either back then or now?
- Standards Addressed
- (5)B.2 use inquiry techniques (discussion, questioning, research, and data gathering) to solve mathematical problems [NS B.3-5]
- (5)D.6 identify, explain, and use mathematics in everyday life [NS D.3-5]
- Timelines
- Students will make a timeline of the first journey from
- Standards Addressed
- (5)5.1 organize and represent data using a variety of graphical representations including stem and leaf plots and histograms [NS 5.5.1]
- (5)1.25 use a variety of appropriate strategies to estimate, compute, and solve mathematical and real-world problems
- Social Studies
- Students will research
- Standards Addressed
- (5)3.9 describe physical and human features and cultural characteristics of places and regions in the
- (5)3.31 describe places in the
- Students will research and discover where the salt water lake is that Sallie talks about in her journal. How did this lake get there?
- Standards Addressed
- (5)3.3 read and derive geographic information from photographs, maps, graphs, and computer resources [NS 1.5.3]
- (5)3.20 investigate an ecosystem by asking and answering geographic questions [NS 3.5.5]
- Science
- Growing a seed
- Allie found and grew a walnut seed into a tree. Students will grow a seed (preferably a walnut) in class and chart its progress.
- Standards Addressed
- (5)1.5 create and use labeled illustrations, graphs (tables, line plots, stem and leaf plots, scatter plots, histograms), and charts to convey ideas, record observations, and make predictions [N5A1; N5A4]
- (5)4.3 investigate and describe how plants and animals require food, water, air, and space [L5B1]
- Sandstorms
- Sallie’s family suffered and survived a major sandstorm. Students will research sandstorms and decide what extra measures need to be taken to survive such a storm.
- Standards Addressed
- (5)3.3 investigate and describe various meteorological phenomena (flooding, snowstorms, thunderstorms, and drought) [E5A4]
- E5C Students understand that features on the Earth’s surface are constantly changed by a combination of slow and rapid processes.
Other Resources
Peterson, P. The bison and the people of the plains.
Sandstorm Info
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandstorm
http://www.weatherquestions.com/What_causes_sandstorms.htm
Salt Water Lake
http://www.saltonsea.ca.gov/thesea.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salton_Sea
2 comments:
I really liked the different types of activities that you used. They were not all sit down and use paper and pencil activities. I also liked that you have them comparing many present day things to past day things. I feel that sometimes students do not fully understand what it has to do with them. My favorite activity was the one where you have them find out if the $200 was worth it or not. The other one I really liked was having them journal throughout the whole book so that you know what they are thinking and they can then sum it up. Overall I think you did a great job!!!
It might be cool to have students create a movie about seeing the ocean for the first time. They could include pictures, sound, and a script and prepare it using iMovie, PhotoStory, or MovieMaker. Then, you could post these on the class website.
Writing an epilogue - that's incredibly original! Great idea!
You could extend the $200 activity to include an economics activity on inflation. How much would $200 be in the current economy and would the $200 be an appropriate offer?
It might be fun to have students experience hurricane force winds at the Lied Discovery Museum. Though the sandstorm's winds were not as high, the sand pelting their bodies surely made it as miserable.
I love the idea of researching salt lakes. Elementary-aged children are seldom given opportunities to learn about early history and this fits in beautifully.
Consider showing students pictures of California then and now as students do their comparisons. This would be a great way to bring in primary sources.
Excellent work, you two!
Post a Comment