Book: P is for Palmetto: A South Carolina Alphabet Book by Brittany Farr

Author: Carol Crane

“Road Trip” (Map Skills)

Before Activity:
Students will be asked to tell about any trips that they have taken or would like to take. We will see how far people in our class have traveled. We will brainstorm as a class what all is needed to find our location and to drive to the location. I will write out on the board the items that students name, such as a map, car and gas.
During Activity:
Students will be given a “Road Map” of South Carolina that shows cities, highways and interstates. They will be expected to plot a trip to a destination of their choice (choosing from Charleston, Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head Island). Students will work in groups of three to create their road trip. They will need to not only identify the routes they plan to take, but also mention where they plan on taking breaks to get food, use the restroom or fill up on gas. They will mark their destination on the map using a marker, with an X where they plan to make stops, an S at the starting location and an E and the ending location. They will create a picture of them at their ending location in which they include some of the physical features key to that area.
After Activity:
Students will compare their routes with those given on MapQuest, to see what similarities in routes were taken and then decide which route they would use when taking their trip. The map and student drawings will be posted for everyone to see the various trips taken.


Book: By the Shores of Silver Lake
Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder

“Free Land” (Internet Research)

Before the Activity:
I will introduce the idea of the Homestead Act, explaining the background information on the Act. I will talk about how the Homestead Act allowed Pa to afford land of his own, if they settled the land, made improvements and met some other criteria. I will explain that this is really helpful to a lot of families, because at one point there were requirements about how much land had to be bought and at a certain price per acre. We will talk about how 1880 was a peak year for homesteading with more than 47,000 claims, most of which where in Dakota Territory.
During the Activity:
We will visit the National Archives website to take a look at the case file for Laura’s dad, Charles Ingalls. I will pull it up on the Smart Board, so that students can try to read and examine the various aspects of the document, such as the list of improvements the Ingalls made. Students will then be instructed to use the National Archives website and various other websites to learn more about the Homestead Act of 1862. Students will research to find out what opportunities the Act provided, the idea of a squatter, problems with claim jumping, and the reason for building shanties instead of a traditional house. Students will include the advantages, disadvantages and dangers of homesteading. Students will create a 2 page report on homesteading, including information on the Act of 1862.
After the Activity:
As a class we will talk about the research findings and the reason behind the Homestead Act of 1862 and relate it to other events going on such as the Civil War.

European Exploration of the New World by Crystal Lake

Before reading Encounter, students will be broken into groups and given a task. Each group will complete a power point presentation that researches an explorer of the new world. The power point will include history of the explorer, major contributions, area settled and for what country, and what purpose the explorer had. The students will use two internet websites: Who Goes There: European Exploration of the New World http://library.thinkquest.org/J002678F/welcome.htmand Voyage of Exploration: Discovering New Horizons (http://library.thinkquest.org/C001692/english/index.php3?subject=home) to find their information. After the power point is completed, students will present to their classmates.