Titanic Unit Study (revisited)

I first created a unit study about Titanic many years ago, when my oldest son was about 9 and his brother and sister just little ones. Eight or so years later, we revisited the Titanic, this time with my youngest son at age 10 (the oldest is now 18). Click here to see our original Titanic unit study. It's much longer and goes into more detail. We did an abbreviated version this time around, with our last two now in 4th and 8th grades.

TITANIC UNIT STUDY {Take 2}

Reading
There are absolutely dozens of what look to be excellent books written about the Titanic. Here is a list of 225 of them on amazon.com. Below are the ones that we read.
* The Titanic: Lost and Found (nonfiction, easy reader)
* You Wouldn't Want to Sail on the Titanic! (nonfiction)
* Inside the Titanic (Giant Cutaway Book)
* Polar: The Titanic Bear. This is the true story--told from the POV of a stuffed bear--of one family's experience on the Titanic. This is such a wonderful story, with so many topics for discussion. Note especially the lifestyle of the rich and famous in the early 1900s.
Activity: Write a story from the POV of a favorite toy.
* Titanic: The Story of the Disaster in the Newspapers of the Day. This is a wonderful collection of newspaper articles dating from the launching of the Titanic through the sinking and its aftermath. It is very interesting to note, on the first several pages, how inaccurate the reports were. (This is a good time to discuss—briefly—how we can't always believe everything we read!)
* The Heroine of the Titanic. This is a fun story about Molly Brown.
* On Board the Titanic by Shelley Tanaka. This is a really excellent, comprehensive book about the disaster, told through the eyes of Jack Thayer, first class passenger, and Harold Bride, assistant telegraph operator.
* Titanicat by Marty Crisp. A true story about a ship cat and the boy she saved.
* The First and Final Voyage by Stephanie Peters. This is a short, graphic (as in comic book/text style) novel that my 10-year-old absolutely loved to read. I'm going to be looking for more historical novels by this publisher.
* Titanic by Martin Jenkins.
* Ghost Liners: Exploring the World's Greatest Lost Ships by Robert Ballard. Great book to finish off the unit. This explores not just the Titanic, but also other great ships that have been lost.

Movies
* National Geographic's Titanic: How It Really Sank. This was the best movie that we've seen about the Titanic disaster. Extremely engaging and informative. The kids loved it.
* Titanica: An Imax Presentation (95 min.)

Internet
* Eyewitness History: The Sinking of the Titanic. Read about the sinking from the perspective of a governess on board.
* Titanic Facts: True and Tragic
* Titanic: Hidden Expedition. This is a fun online game to find a treasure on Titanic.
* Encyclopedia Titanica. Loaded with information and stories.
* Discovery Channel's Last Mystery of the Titanic. Take a virtual dive, quizzes, hear video stories, and more.
* Escape the Titanic. My 10-year-old loved this game, although the premise of it is disturbing: As a third class passenger, the player is directed to "Escape from the sinking Titanic. Collect enough money to bribe the crew and get to the upper deck." Sigh.


Activities

• Family history: Make a family tree, going back as far as you wish. Be sure to write the surnames of your ancestors. Talk about whatever family history you know. Where did your ancestors come from originally? Point out the different countries on a map. Trace the route they may have taken over. Afterwards, search the passenger/crew list for names that belong to your child's family tree. The Encyclopedia Titanica has a fantastic list of all passengers and crew. We found our surname and a couple other names on our family tree. (You may like to find names of friends if you can't find any of your own family's names.) Talk about the names you've found. What class was the passenger in (first, second, steerage)? Where may they have been going? How might their lives have been changed after the disaster (particularly if one family member was lost and others survived).

* Class structure. Studying the Titanic provides a great avenue to discuss class structure. Ask your child if we still have a class structure today in the United States. He or she will most likely say "no." We launched into a long discussion about our own class system, ranging from homeless people to tycoons. We also briefly discussed the caste system of India.

* Science activity: Floating
Materials: 20 paper clips, foil, ruler, bucket of water
1. Have your child state why he believes heavy ships can float and what he thinks will happen with this experiment.
2. Cut two 12-inch squares from aluminum foil.
3. Wrap one of the metal squares around 10 paper clips and squeeze the foil into a tight ball.
4. Fold the four edges of the second aluminum square up to make a small one square pan.
5. Place 10 paper clips in the metal pan.
6. Set the metal pan on the water's surface in the bucket.
7. Place the metal ball on the water's surface.
8. Record what happens when in steps 6 and 7. The metal pan should float and the ball should sink. Have your child write an explanation of why this happened.
9. Discuss buoyancy and how it allows huge ships like the Titanic to float.
(At this point your kids will most likely want to test all kinds of different objects to see what floats and what sinks! Try to have them predict beforehand if an object will float or sink based on its density.)

* Lifeboat crisis:
• Discuss the issue of lifeboats and why they were such a factor in the number of people who died on the Titanic. Ask questions about what/who determined who got into the lifeboats.
• Figure out how many lifeboats there were on the ship and how many people each could hold.
• How many people would be without a lifeboat?
• How many lifeboats should there have been?
• How many people would be without a lifeboat

* Construct the Titanic! My 10-year-old wonderful model of the ship with black construction paper. He used about 8 sheets to make it about 3 feet long by taping the paper together. He cut out all the details around the outside of the ship and used a white gel pen, crayon, or chalk to make the windows, etc. Looks really great! A great book to read along with this is Inside the Titanic.

* Take an icy plunge! Fill a large mixing bowl with a lot of ice and add some cold water. When the water gets really, really cold, have your kids try keeping their hands in as long as possible. Discuss hypothermia.

* Visit the Titanic Museum! I know this is not an option for everyone, but if you are going on vacation to either Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, TN or Branson, MO, you have a fantastic opportunity to be immersed in all things Titanic. Here is my review of the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge.


Other Resources

• Titanic Lapbook by Hands of a Child. This looks fantastic! If you want to really delve into great detail, you might want to consider buying this!
• Titanic Unit Study on Homeschool Helper
• Titanic Coloring Book from Dover.
• Free Titanic Coloring Sheets.
• Dear America: Voyage on the Great Titanic and the Magic Treehouse Tonight on the Titanic and its nonfiction companion guide are books I would have liked my kids to read. My 13-year-old daughter, however, does not particularly like the Dear America books. She finds the diary style of the series to be repetitive and too formulaic. We loved the Magic Treehouse books a couple of years ago, but at 10, my son has lost interest in them. BUT if your kids enjoy these books, I think they could be a huge asset to studying Titanic.

The Titanic disaster still captivates people nearly 100 years later. Kids of all ages are fascinated by the ship, the people, and their stories. Whether you take a few days or a few weeks, I highly recommend taking some time to introduce your kids to this amazing slice of history.

American History

American History, Year One
American History, Year Two
Revolutionary War lapbook
U.S. Geography
Slavery Unit
Lewis and Clark Unit
Visiting Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown
Visiting Gettsyburg
Visiting Stones River National Battlefield

Apple Unit Study

I am hearing talk about apple orchards and wishing I were smelling some good New York apples, so this weekend seems the perfect time to repost my apple unit study. Take some time off with your little ones and enjoy the fall!

Apples speak “autumn” to me like nothing else. I was raised in a home where apples where as important as oxygen. My father is a fifth-generation orchardist, a retired fruit breeder and professor at Cornell University, a consultant, and partner of Cummins Nursery. Three of my four brothers have, in some manner, followed in my father’s footsteps. It’s only natural that we do an apple unit study every couple of falls. I have not written this out in my traditional unit study format but rather have listed activities, recipes, rhymes, books, and other resources. If you want a great apple read as a parent, I recommend Frank Browning's Apples. Admittedly, I'm partial to this book because my father is mentioned several times, but it is an excellent and lyrical book about apples.

Information and Activities
• Buy as many different varieties of apples as possible. We came up with a total of 14 varieties from 3 different produce markets. Make a chart with various information on each apple: color, number of seeds in each apple, taste, etc.. First count the seeds in each apple and then tasted one slice from each apple. Describe the apple and write down your reactions (sweet, sour, mushy, crispy, bland etc.). We each picked a favorite and recorded that as well.
Save a slice from each apple to see which will take the longest to brown. Be sure you label each apple slice (you can do this by putting the slice on a labeled piece of paper.
Save a couple of seeds from a few different apples. Take 1 seed from each apple and place inside of a damp paper towel piece. Label. With the other seed from each apple, place in slightly damp soil. Label. Discuss what might happen. Watch and record data over the next few weeks.
Look at the stickers from the apples. Where are most apples grown? Check here for more information about apple commerce.
• Apple Facts
• “An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away”
• History of the Apple
• Read Robert Frost’s “After Apple picking": Write apple poems using various formulas (haiku, cinquain, couplets, etc.)
• Take a field trip to an apple orchard. Watch cider being made.

Apple Recipe Ideas
• Apple pie: Mix all kinds of varieties after your science projects.
• Applesauce: (Peel, core and quarter about 8 apples. Add 1/2-1 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of water and 2 tsp. of cinnamon. Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes, mashing often with a potato masher. Cook until desired texture.)
• Fried Apples: (Cut apples into slices. Fry in butter with 1/2 cup of white sugar, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, and 1 T. cinnamon. Serve with biscuits.)
• Mini Pies: (one refrigerator biscuit per child, apple slices, cinnamon, sugar Have each student press out their biscuit. Take one apple from the filling and place to one side. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over the apple. Fold in half. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over the top. Bake according to the biscuit package and enjoy.)
• Baked Apples: Cut apple in half and core. Fill core hole with a dab of butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Put in microwave for up to 1 minute.
• Dried apples: Slice apples into rings and hang to dry for a week or more.
• Lot of recipes from FamilyFun.

Arts and Crafts
• Apple Mural/Acrostic: Make mural using apples to paint with. We just made a big sheet like wrapping paper with all kinds of apple prints. When dry, write A P P L E vertically down middle. Write words or phrases that describe apples by each one.
Ours:
A—autumn, aromatic
P—pretty pink petals
P—pie, Pink Lady
L—luscious
E—exciting, edible, excellent

• Enchanted Learning has all kinds of apple activities, from crafts to apple books, for all age levels.
• Carve apple heads. Soak in lemon juice and water for 1 hour. Hang to dry for 2-4 weeks.
• More apple craft ideas.

Books about Apples
Aliki. The Story of Johnny Appleseed
Anderson, LaVere. The Story of Johnny Appleseed
Asch, Frank. Oats and Wild Apples
Bennett, Denise. The Color Tree
Berger, Melvin. An Apple A Day
Blocksma. Apple Tree! Apple Tree!
Bourgeois. The Amazing Apple Book
Butler, Stephen. The Mouse and the Apple
Caseley. An Apple Pie and Onions
Cowley, Joy. The Apple
Curran, Eileen. Look At A Tree
Davies, Kay. My Apple
Demuth, Patricia. Johnny Appleseed
Dodd, Lynley. The Apple Tree
Eberle. Apple Orchard
Gibbons, Gail. The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree
Gleitner, Jan. Johnny Appleseed
Greenaway. Apple Pie
Greene. John Chapman: The Man Who Was Johnny Appleseed
Hale, Richard and Nicky Wilbur. Worm
Hall, Zoe. The Apple Pie Tree
Heuck. Who Stole the Apples?
Hodges, Margaret. The True Tale of Johnny Appleseed
Hogrogian, N. Apples
Hunt, Mabel. Better Known as Johnny Appleseed
Johnson, Hannah Lyons. From Appleseeds to Applesauce
Johnson, Sylvia. Apple Trees
Kellogg, Steven. Johnny Appleseed: A Tall Tale
Kozjak, Sarai. The Apple Tree That Would Not Let Go of Its Apples
Kurtz, Shirley. Applesauce
LeSeig, Theo. Ten Apples Up On Top
Lindbergh, Reeve. Johnny Appleseed
Little, J and Devries, M. Once Upon A Golden Apple
McMillan, Bruce. Apples: How They Grow
Maestro. How Do Apples Grow?
Marzollo, Jean. I Am an Apple
Micucci, Charles. The Life and Times of the Apple
Moon, Cliff and Bernice. Look At An Apple
Noble, Trinka Hakes. Apple Tree
Norman, Gertrude. Johnny Appleseed
Nottridge, Rhoda. Apples
Parnall, Peter. Apple Tree
Patent, Dorothy. An Apple a Day
Priceman, Marjorie. How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World
Rockwell, Ann. Apples and Pumpkins
Saunders Smith, Gail. Apple Trees
Scheer, Julian. Rain Makes Applesauce
Schneiper, Claudia. An Apple Tree Through the Year
Selsam. The Apple and Other Fruit
Silverstein, Shel. The Giving Tree
Slawson, Michele Benoit. Apple Picking
Thomas, Ulrich. Applemouse
Tryon, Leslie. Albert's Field Trip
Watson, Tom. Fox and the Apple Pie
Watts, Barrie. Apple Tree

Teacher Resources for Apples and Growing
Charles Micucci. The Life and Times of the Apple (Creative Teaching Press Apples)
Apples (Teacher Created Materials)
Paulette Bourgeois. The Amazing Apple Book


Finger Plays and Rhymes

Apple On A Stick
Apple on a stick, apple on a stick
I can lick it all day and not get sick.
Apple in a cup, apple in a cup
I can drink it all day and not fill up.
Apple in a crunch, apple in a crunch
I can eat it all day, it is so good to munch
Apple in a cake, apple in a cake
I can eat it all day with no tummy ache
Apple in a pie, apple in a pie
I can eat it all day and never cry.
Apple in a dish, apple in a dish
I can eat it all day, it's so delish!

Red Apple
A little red apple
Hung high in a tree
I looked up at it
And it looked down at me
"Come down, please" I called
And what do you suppose---
That little red apple
Dropped right on my nose!

Five Red Apples
Five red apples in a grocery store
Bobby bought one & then there were 4
Four red apples on an apple tree
Susie ate one & then there were 3
Three red apples. What did Alice do?
Why she ate one & then there were 2
Two red apples ripening in the sun
Tommy ate one, & now there was 1
One red apple & now we are done
I ate the last one & now there are none!

Five Little Apples Sitting On A Gate
Five little apples sitting on a gate.
The first one says, "Oh, my it's getting late.
The second one says, "Fall is in the air."
The third one says, "Don't worry my dear."
The fourth one says, "Let's run and run and run."
The fifth one says, "I'm ready for some fun."
Oooh, went the wind and out went the light
and the five little apples rolled out of sight!

Five Apples Sat on a Gate (Tune: Farmer in the Dell)
Five apples sat on a gate, five apples sat on a gate.
Heigh dee ho, dee high dee ho, Five apples sat on a gate.
The first apple said, "Hello", the first apple said, "Hello"...
Heigh dee ho, dee high dee ho, Five apples sat on a gate....
(continue counting apples down to one).

Climbing Up the Apple Tree
Climbing up the apple tree, (climb in place)
Swinging on a limb! (Raise arms above head, sway left and right)
If I hear a robin, I may (cup hand near ear)
Sing along with him! (sing tra la la)
And Robin, if you fly away, (Put hands over eyes)
Here's what I think I'll do: (Point with index finger)
I'll wish a pair of sparrow wings (gently flap arms at side and move around)
And fly away with you!"

Ten Red Apples
Here I have five apples. (hold up five fingers on right hand)
And here are five again. (hold up both hands)
How many apples altogether?
Why, five and five makes ten.

Eat an Apple
Eat an apple; (Bring right hand to mouth)
Save the core. (Close right hand in fist)
Plant the seeds. (Bend down touch hand to ground)
And grow some more. (Extend both arms out)

Picking Apples (Tune: Frere Jacques)
-use when picking up legos, blocks, etc.
Picking apples Picking apples
One by one
One by one
Put them in a basket
Put them in a basket
Oh, what fun! Oh, what fun!

All Around The Apple Tree
sung to the tune of Mulberry Bush
Here we go round the apple tree, the apple tree, the apple tree
Here we go around the apple tree
On a frosty morning.
This is the way we climb the ladder -pick the apples -wash the apples -peel the apples -cook the apples -eat the apples
On a frosty morning!

Here Is An Apple
Here is an apple(make circle with thumb and pointer)
and here is an apple(make circle with other thumb and pointer)
and a great big apple I see(Make circle with arms)
Now let's count the apples we've made (repeat above actions)
1- 2 - 3 !

Ten Red Apples
Ten red apples grow on a tree (Both hands high)
Five for you and five for me. (Dangle one hand & then the other)
Let us shake the tree just so (Shake body)
And ten red apples will fall below (Hands fall)
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10. (Count each finger)

Worms In The Apple Tree
(Tune: Kookaburra)
Look at all the worms in the apple tree,
Eating all the apples they do see,
CRUNCH, when they eat their lunch,
There will be no apples left for me.
Look at all the birdies, they do call,
Eating all the worms up, one and all,
SLURP, little birdies burp,
Guess there will be apples after all.

Apple Tree Rhyme
Way up high in an apple tree (hold arms over head)
2 little apple smiled at me (hold up 2 fingers to cheeks)
I shook that tree as hard as I could (pretend to shake tree)
Down came 2 apples. Mmmm, they were good! ( rub stomach and smile)

Apple Poem
Apples big,
Apples small.
Guess what?
I like them all.

A Little Apple Seed
(Tune: Eensy, Weensy Spider)
Once a little appleseed was planted in the ground
Down came the raindrops, falling all around.
Out came the big sun, bright as bright could be
And that little apple seed grew to be an apple tree!

Tiny Apple Seed
(Tune: Insey Weensy Spider)
The tiny little apple seed was planted in the ground,
down came the rain, falling all around,
out came the sun, as bright as bright can be,
and the tiny little appleseed became an apple tree!

Use a flannelboard with this. Make a small brown seed, about 10 blue raindrops, a big yellow sun and the tree with red apples on it.

Apples Are Falling
(Tune: Are You Sleeping?)
Apples are falling, apples are falling
From the tree, from the tree.
Pick up all the apples, pick up all the apples,
One. two, three; one, two,. three.
(Use appropriate motions for actions)

Two Little Apples
Two little apples hanging on a tree
Two little apples smiling at me
I shook that tree as hard as I could
Down came the apples
Mmmm were they good!

Apple Surprise
Way up high in the apple tree,
A little brown worm smiled at me.
I winked my eye, And what do you suppose?
A shiny, red apple dropped on my nose!

Five Red Apples
Five red apples hanging in a tree (Hold up five fingers)
The juiciest apples you ever did see.
The wind came by and gave an angry frown (Fingers flutter downward)
And one little apple came tumbling down (One finger falls)
Four red apples, hanging in a tree, etc.

Four Little Apples
Four little apples dancing in a tree, (Let four fingers dance)
They danced so long that they set themselves free. (Fingers fall)
They continued to dance as they fell to the ground
And there by some children these apples were found. "Oh!
Look at the rosy one! (Hold up one finger)
"It almost bounced!" "I'll take the red one!" (Hold up second finger)
Another announced.
The third child laughed as he chose the yellow one. (Hold up third finger)
"I'll take it to Mother, ‘cause she lets me have fun."
The fourth child put the last one on a tray (Put fourth finger in palm of left hand)
And carefully carried the green apple away.

Apple Tree
( Tune: Twinkle Twinkle)
Apple, apple tree so tall,
I can hardly wait till fall!
When your apples I can pick,
Fill my basket, eat them quick.
Apple, apple tree so tall, I can hardly wait till fall!
Apple ,apple tree so fair,
What do I see growing there!
Green and round and plump and sweet,
Soon they will be good to eat.
Apple, apple tree so fair,
What do I see growing there!

Do You Know the Apple Man?
(Tune: Muffin Man)
Do you know the Apple Man,
The Apple Man, the Apple Man,
Do you know the Apple Man,
Who likes to play with me?
Oh, he has a great big smile,
A great big smile, a great big smile,
Oh, he has a great big smile,
And likes to play with me.
Oh, he has a bright red face,
A bright red face, a bright red face,
Oh, he has a bright red face,
And likes to play with me.
Oh, he has a star inside, A star inside, a star inside,
Oh, he has a star inside, And likes to play with me.

Apple Roll Chant
5 little apples in the bowl
1 fell out and started to roll
It bumped the table and hit my feet!
How many apples left to eat?
4 little apples in the bowl...
3, 2, 1 little apple in the bowl.

Five Little Apples
Five little apples,not any more.(Count on fingers)
I give one to________(Child's name)
And now there are four.
Four little apples are what I see I give one to _____________,
And now there are three.
Three little apples for me and you.
I give one to_____________, And now there are two.
Two little apples: oh,what fun! I give one to ___________,
And now there is one. One little apple,only one.
I give one to _________, And now there are none.

Johnny Appleseed
Thank You Johnny Appleseed
We owe you quite a lot
For the apples that you planted
With a walking stick and cooking pot.
Your seeds were planted far and wide
Across our frontier land
A friendly word you had for all
You gave a helping hand.
Thank You Johnny Appleseed
We owe you quite a lot
For lovely trees and apples
And the lessons that you taught!

Climbing Up the Apple Tree
Climbing up the apple tree, (climb in place)
Swinging on a limb! (Raise arms above head, sway left and right)
If I hear a robin, I may (cup hand near ear)
Sing along with him! (sing tra la la)
"And Robin, if you fly away, (Put hands over eyes)
Here's what I think I'll do: (Point with index finger)
I'll wish a pair of sparrow wings (gently flap arms at side and move around)
And fly away with you!"

Criss-cross applesauce (make an X on the child's back)
Spiders crawling up your spine (finger walk up child's spine)
Cool breeze (blow on child's neck)
Tight squeeze (gently squeeze the child's shoulders)
Now you've got the chillies! (You get a funny feeling like goosebumps)

Apple Surprise
10 shiny apples, hanging on a tree.
"Whish" went the wind And they all fell on me.
I picked up one and started to laugh,
When I found a surprise after I cut it in half.

Apples in the Fall
Apples, apples in the fall
Some are big, and some are small,
I wish I could eat them all,
Apples, apples in the fall.

Picking Apples
(Tune: Paw-Paw Patch)
Pick the apples, put them in your basket,
Pick the apples, put them in your basket,
Pick the apples, put them in your basket,
Way down yonder in the apple orchard.

Apple Song (Tune: Rock a bye Baby)
This is the tree (tree picture)
With leaves so green (leaves for the tree)
Here are the apples (some apples to hang on tree)
That hang in between
When the wind blows The apples will fall (drop down the apple pictures)
And here is the basket to gather them all. (basket picture)

Apple Rhyme
Apples, apples, good to eat.
Apples, apples, juicy and sweet.
Pick them off a tree, buy them at a store,
Apples, apples, WE WANT MORE!

Apple Magic
In every single apple lies
A truly magical surprise.
Instead of slicing down, slice through
And watch the star appear for you!

5 Red Apples
5 red apples sweet to the core.
1 fell down and then there were four.
4 red apples sitting in a tree.
1 fell down and then there were three.
3 red apples one for you, and you, and you.
1 fell down and then there were two.
2 red apples shining in the sun,
1 fell down and then there were one.
1 red apple left all alone
1 fell down and then there were none.

On the Trail with Lewis and Clark

"We were encamped under a high hill when the morning fog cleared off. Ocean in view! Oh! The joy. The Pacific Ocean which we have been so long to see, and the roaring noise made by waves breaking on rocky shores may be heard distinctly."
~From the journals of Lewis and Clark, Nov. 7, 1805

We started out our new school year doing the second "half" of American History (see our first year here) on the trail with Lewis and Clark. The first surprising bit of information my kids (ages 7 and 11) learned: It's not "Lewis N. Clark."

I had visions of making field journals, collecting plant samples, and going through this Lewis and Clark for Kids book. My mother-in-law got this for the kids a couple of years ago during the 200-year-celebration of the expedition, and I've been looking forward to using it.

Except, well, I couldn't find it. Anywhere in this whole house. I am quite sure that I did not imagine that she gave us this book. I didn't actually discover that we were missing this book until we were halfway through our main nonfiction account: Lewis and Clark: In Their Own Words (by George Sullivan). This is a good nonfiction account of the Lewis and Clark expedition. It's not fancy, but it was a good spine to provide context for the rest of our reading.

I did find a Scholastic Lewis and Clark activity book at the library which looked promising, but we didn't use much out of it. This book relied heavily on the kind of tedious busywork that is often necessary in a large classroom: writing a front-page story about the return of Lewis and Clark, filling in charts, etc. We did make a salt-dough relief map as suggested in the book, and that was fun.
We also spent some time practicing nature journals, pretending that we were describing a plant or animal species to someone who had never seen them.

A couple of videos added a nice dimension to the study, although neither were outstanding. The kids definitely preferred the American Heroes and Legends series The Song of Sacagewea. Their comment about this: "Not the best but still good." The other video we watched was from the Explorers of the World series called Lewis and Clark. This is a pretty cheesy video series but they picked up a new tidbit or two. Their favorite line was when Lewis explained, "I was shot in the buttocks," and the student (who is talking to him--like I said, it's a cheesy video), says, "You got shot in the BUTT?" My assessment: someone needs to make a better movie for young students about Lewis and Clark. I am sure that the Ken Burns' PBS documentary Lewis and Clark is excellent, but it's more than we need at this level.

What my kids enjoyed most were the picture books. Our favorite was The Great Expedition of Lewis and Clark by Private Reubin Field, Member of the Corps of Discovery (by Judith Edwards, Illustrated by Sally Wern Comport). This is the account of the expedition told in the voice of Reubin Field, one of the Kentucky boys who went on the journey. This brings to life many of the events told about in the nonfiction Lewis and Clark: In Their Own Words, providing colorful details in a folksy narrative.

Another favorite was How We Crossed The West: The Adventures of Lewis and Clark by Rosalyn Schanzer. We loved this picture book which pairs selected quotes from the actual journals of Lewis and Clark with fun illustrations. Steven Kroll's Lewis and Clark: Explorers of the American West is a simple picture book but good to enhance the Lewis and Clark: In Their Own Words spine. The illustrations by Richard Williams are especially excellent in this book.

There are several other books for young readers that look fantastic but that our library doesn't carry:
The Lewis and Clark Expedition by Carol Johnmann
Plants on the Trail with Lewis and Clark and Animals on the Trail by Dorothy H. Patent
The Lewis and Clark Cookbook by Leslie Mansfield
Seaman's Journal by Patti Eubank (I wish we had this one at our library!)
Lewis and Clark and Me: A Dog's Tale by Laurie Meyers

The internet is loaded with Lewis and Clark websites, but I think these are among the best:
This one's especially fun: Go West Across American with Lewis and Clark. Very interactive.
Lewis and Clark at PBS
Lewis and Clark: Create Your Own Adventure
Journals of Lewis and Clark
Mapping the West with Lewis and Clark
Lewis and Clark Cyberhunt

Here are some free unit studies on Lewis and Clark that go into much more detail that we did:
Happy Homeschool
Easy Fun School
The Teacher's Guide
Mama Bear's Den
National Bicentennial Exhibition

Three weeks of Lewis and Clark was enough for my kids, but we could easily have stretched this into another month or so of deeper study! And this is one study that we can't easily enhance with a field trip along the trail…but hopefully someday!

September 25, 2006: Apple Unit

Apples speak “autumn” to me like nothing else. I was raised in a home where apples where as important as oxygen. My father is a fifth-generation orchardist, a retired fruit breeder and professor at Cornell University, a consultant, and partner of Cummins Nursery. Three of my four brothers have, in some manner, followed in my father’s footsteps. It’s only natural that we do an apple unit study every couple of falls. I have not written this out in my traditional unit study format but rather have listed activities, recipes, rhymes, books, and other resources. If you want a great apple read as a parent, I recommend Frank Browning's Apples. Admittedly, I'm partial to this book because my father is mentioned several times, but it is an excellent and lyrical book about apples.

Information and Activities
• Buy as many different varieties of apples as possible. We came up with a total of 14 varieties from 3 different produce markets. Make a chart with various information on each apple: color, number of seeds in each apple, taste, etc.. First count the seeds in each apple and then tasted one slice from each apple. Describe the apple and write down your reactions (sweet, sour, mushy, crispy, bland etc.). We each picked a favorite and recorded that as well.
Save a slice from each apple to see which will take the longest to brown. Be sure you label each apple slice (you can do this by putting the slice on a labeled piece of paper.
Save a couple of seeds from a few different apples. Take 1 seed from each apple and place inside of a damp paper towel piece. Label. With the other seed from each apple, place in slightly damp soil. Label. Discuss what might happen. Watch and record data over the next few weeks.
Look at the stickers from the apples. Where are most apples grown? Check here for more information about apple commerce.
• Apple Facts
• “An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away”
• History of the Apple
• Read Robert Frost’s “After Apple picking": Write apple poems using various formulas (haiku, cinquain, couplets, etc.)
• Take a field trip to an apple orchard. Watch cider being made.

Apple Recipe Ideas
• Apple pie: Mix all kinds of varieties after your science projects.
• Applesauce: (Peel, core and quarter about 8 apples. Add 1/2-1 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of water and 2 tsp. of cinnamon. Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes, mashing often with a potato masher. Cook until desired texture.)
• Fried Apples: (Cut apples into slices. Fry in butter with 1/2 cup of white sugar, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, and 1 T. cinnamon. Serve with biscuits.)
• Mini Pies: (one refrigerator biscuit per child, apple slices, cinnamon, sugar Have each student press out their biscuit. Take one apple from the filling and place to one side. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over the apple. Fold in half. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over the top. Bake according to the biscuit package and enjoy.)
• Baked Apples: Cut apple in half and core. Fill core hole with a dab of butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Put in microwave for up to 1 minute.
• Dried apples: Slice apples into rings and hang to dry for a week or more.
• Lot of recipes from FamilyFun.

Arts and Crafts
• Apple Mural/Acrostic: Make mural using apples to paint with. We just made a big sheet like wrapping paper with all kinds of apple prints. When dry, write A P P L E vertically down middle. Write words or phrases that describe apples by each one.
Ours:
A—autumn, aromatic
P—pretty pink petals
P—pie, Pink Lady
L—luscious
E—exciting, edible, excellent

• Enchanted Learning has all kinds of apple activities, from crafts to apple books, for all age levels.
• Carve apple heads. Soak in lemon juice and water for 1 hour. Hang to dry for 2-4 weeks.
• More apple craft ideas.

Books about Apples
Aliki. The Story of Johnny Appleseed
Anderson, LaVere. The Story of Johnny Appleseed
Asch, Frank. Oats and Wild Apples
Bennett, Denise. The Color Tree
Berger, Melvin. An Apple A Day
Blocksma. Apple Tree! Apple Tree!
Bourgeois. The Amazing Apple Book
Butler, Stephen. The Mouse and the Apple
Caseley. An Apple Pie and Onions
Cowley, Joy. The Apple
Curran, Eileen. Look At A Tree
Davies, Kay. My Apple
Demuth, Patricia. Johnny Appleseed
Dodd, Lynley. The Apple Tree
Eberle. Apple Orchard
Gibbons, Gail. The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree
Gleitner, Jan. Johnny Appleseed
Greenaway. Apple Pie
Greene. John Chapman: The Man Who Was Johnny Appleseed
Hale, Richard and Nicky Wilbur. Worm
Hall, Zoe. The Apple Pie Tree
Heuck. Who Stole the Apples?
Hodges, Margaret. The True Tale of Johnny Appleseed
Hogrogian, N. Apples
Hunt, Mabel. Better Known as Johnny Appleseed
Johnson, Hannah Lyons. From Appleseeds to Applesauce
Johnson, Sylvia. Apple Trees
Kellogg, Steven. Johnny Appleseed: A Tall Tale
Kozjak, Sarai. The Apple Tree That Would Not Let Go of Its Apples
Kurtz, Shirley. Applesauce
LeSeig, Theo. Ten Apples Up On Top
Lindbergh, Reeve. Johnny Appleseed
Little, J and Devries, M. Once Upon A Golden Apple
McMillan, Bruce. Apples: How They Grow
Maestro. How Do Apples Grow?
Marzollo, Jean. I Am an Apple
Micucci, Charles. The Life and Times of the Apple
Moon, Cliff and Bernice. Look At An Apple
Noble, Trinka Hakes. Apple Tree
Norman, Gertrude. Johnny Appleseed
Nottridge, Rhoda. Apples
Parnall, Peter. Apple Tree
Patent, Dorothy. An Apple a Day
Priceman, Marjorie. How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World
Rockwell, Ann. Apples and Pumpkins
Saunders Smith, Gail. Apple Trees
Scheer, Julian. Rain Makes Applesauce
Schneiper, Claudia. An Apple Tree Through the Year
Selsam. The Apple and Other Fruit
Silverstein, Shel. The Giving Tree
Slawson, Michele Benoit. Apple Picking
Thomas, Ulrich. Applemouse
Tryon, Leslie. Albert's Field Trip
Watson, Tom. Fox and the Apple Pie
Watts, Barrie. Apple Tree

Teacher Resources for Apples and Growing
Charles Micucci. The Life and Times of the Apple (Creative Teaching Press Apples)
Apples (Teacher Created Materials)
Paulette Bourgeois. The Amazing Apple Book


Finger Plays and Rhymes

Apple On A Stick
Apple on a stick, apple on a stick
I can lick it all day and not get sick.
Apple in a cup, apple in a cup
I can drink it all day and not fill up.
Apple in a crunch, apple in a crunch
I can eat it all day, it is so good to munch
Apple in a cake, apple in a cake
I can eat it all day with no tummy ache
Apple in a pie, apple in a pie
I can eat it all day and never cry.
Apple in a dish, apple in a dish
I can eat it all day, it's so delish!

Red Apple
A little red apple
Hung high in a tree
I looked up at it
And it looked down at me
"Come down, please" I called
And what do you suppose---
That little red apple
Dropped right on my nose!

Five Red Apples
Five red apples in a grocery store
Bobby bought one & then there were 4
Four red apples on an apple tree
Susie ate one & then there were 3
Three red apples. What did Alice do?
Why she ate one & then there were 2
Two red apples ripening in the sun
Tommy ate one, & now there was 1
One red apple & now we are done
I ate the last one & now there are none!

Five Little Apples Sitting On A Gate
Five little apples sitting on a gate.
The first one says, "Oh, my it's getting late.
The second one says, "Fall is in the air."
The third one says, "Don't worry my dear."
The fourth one says, "Let's run and run and run."
The fifth one says, "I'm ready for some fun."
Oooh, went the wind and out went the light
and the five little apples rolled out of sight!

Five Apples Sat on a Gate (Tune: Farmer in the Dell)
Five apples sat on a gate, five apples sat on a gate.
Heigh dee ho, dee high dee ho, Five apples sat on a gate.
The first apple said, "Hello", the first apple said, "Hello"...
Heigh dee ho, dee high dee ho, Five apples sat on a gate....
(continue counting apples down to one).

Climbing Up the Apple Tree
Climbing up the apple tree, (climb in place)
Swinging on a limb! (Raise arms above head, sway left and right)
If I hear a robin, I may (cup hand near ear)
Sing along with him! (sing tra la la)
And Robin, if you fly away, (Put hands over eyes)
Here's what I think I'll do: (Point with index finger)
I'll wish a pair of sparrow wings (gently flap arms at side and move around)
And fly away with you!"

Ten Red Apples
Here I have five apples. (hold up five fingers on right hand)
And here are five again. (hold up both hands)
How many apples altogether?
Why, five and five makes ten.

Eat an Apple
Eat an apple; (Bring right hand to mouth)
Save the core. (Close right hand in fist)
Plant the seeds. (Bend down touch hand to ground)
And grow some more. (Extend both arms out)

Picking Apples (Tune: Frere Jacques)
-use when picking up legos, blocks, etc.
Picking apples Picking apples
One by one
One by one
Put them in a basket
Put them in a basket
Oh, what fun! Oh, what fun!

All Around The Apple Tree
sung to the tune of Mulberry Bush
Here we go round the apple tree, the apple tree, the apple tree
Here we go around the apple tree
On a frosty morning.
This is the way we climb the ladder -pick the apples -wash the apples -peel the apples -cook the apples -eat the apples
On a frosty morning!

Here Is An Apple
Here is an apple(make circle with thumb and pointer)
and here is an apple(make circle with other thumb and pointer)
and a great big apple I see(Make circle with arms)
Now let's count the apples we've made (repeat above actions)
1- 2 - 3 !

Ten Red Apples
Ten red apples grow on a tree (Both hands high)
Five for you and five for me. (Dangle one hand & then the other)
Let us shake the tree just so (Shake body)
And ten red apples will fall below (Hands fall)
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10. (Count each finger)

Worms In The Apple Tree
(Tune: Kookaburra)
Look at all the worms in the apple tree,
Eating all the apples they do see,
CRUNCH, when they eat their lunch,
There will be no apples left for me.
Look at all the birdies, they do call,
Eating all the worms up, one and all,
SLURP, little birdies burp,
Guess there will be apples after all.

Apple Tree Rhyme
Way up high in an apple tree (hold arms over head)
2 little apple smiled at me (hold up 2 fingers to cheeks)
I shook that tree as hard as I could (pretend to shake tree)
Down came 2 apples. Mmmm, they were good! ( rub stomach and smile)

Apple Poem
Apples big,
Apples small.
Guess what?
I like them all.

A Little Apple Seed
(Tune: Eensy, Weensy Spider)
Once a little appleseed was planted in the ground
Down came the raindrops, falling all around.
Out came the big sun, bright as bright could be
And that little apple seed grew to be an apple tree!

Tiny Apple Seed
(Tune: Insey Weensy Spider)
The tiny little apple seed was planted in the ground,
down came the rain, falling all around,
out came the sun, as bright as bright can be,
and the tiny little appleseed became an apple tree!

Use a flannelboard with this. Make a small brown seed, about 10 blue raindrops, a big yellow sun and the tree with red apples on it.

Apples Are Falling
(Tune: Are You Sleeping?)
Apples are falling, apples are falling
From the tree, from the tree.
Pick up all the apples, pick up all the apples,
One. two, three; one, two,. three.
(Use appropriate motions for actions)

Two Little Apples
Two little apples hanging on a tree
Two little apples smiling at me
I shook that tree as hard as I could
Down came the apples
Mmmm were they good!

Apple Surprise
Way up high in the apple tree,
A little brown worm smiled at me.
I winked my eye, And what do you suppose?
A shiny, red apple dropped on my nose!

Five Red Apples
Five red apples hanging in a tree (Hold up five fingers)
The juiciest apples you ever did see.
The wind came by and gave an angry frown (Fingers flutter downward)
And one little apple came tumbling down (One finger falls)
Four red apples, hanging in a tree, etc.

Four Little Apples
Four little apples dancing in a tree, (Let four fingers dance)
They danced so long that they set themselves free. (Fingers fall)
They continued to dance as they fell to the ground
And there by some children these apples were found. "Oh!
Look at the rosy one! (Hold up one finger)
"It almost bounced!" "I'll take the red one!" (Hold up second finger)
Another announced.
The third child laughed as he chose the yellow one. (Hold up third finger)
"I'll take it to Mother, ‘cause she lets me have fun."
The fourth child put the last one on a tray (Put fourth finger in palm of left hand)
And carefully carried the green apple away.

Apple Tree
( Tune: Twinkle Twinkle)
Apple, apple tree so tall,
I can hardly wait till fall!
When your apples I can pick,
Fill my basket, eat them quick.
Apple, apple tree so tall, I can hardly wait till fall!
Apple ,apple tree so fair,
What do I see growing there!
Green and round and plump and sweet,
Soon they will be good to eat.
Apple, apple tree so fair,
What do I see growing there!

Do You Know the Apple Man?
(Tune: Muffin Man)
Do you know the Apple Man,
The Apple Man, the Apple Man,
Do you know the Apple Man,
Who likes to play with me?
Oh, he has a great big smile,
A great big smile, a great big smile,
Oh, he has a great big smile,
And likes to play with me.
Oh, he has a bright red face,
A bright red face, a bright red face,
Oh, he has a bright red face,
And likes to play with me.
Oh, he has a star inside, A star inside, a star inside,
Oh, he has a star inside, And likes to play with me.

Apple Roll Chant
5 little apples in the bowl
1 fell out and started to roll
It bumped the table and hit my feet!
How many apples left to eat?
4 little apples in the bowl...
3, 2, 1 little apple in the bowl.

Five Little Apples
Five little apples,not any more.(Count on fingers)
I give one to________(Child's name)
And now there are four.
Four little apples are what I see I give one to _____________,
And now there are three.
Three little apples for me and you.
I give one to_____________, And now there are two.
Two little apples: oh,what fun! I give one to ___________,
And now there is one. One little apple,only one.
I give one to _________, And now there are none.

Johnny Appleseed
Thank You Johnny Appleseed
We owe you quite a lot
For the apples that you planted
With a walking stick and cooking pot.
Your seeds were planted far and wide
Across our frontier land
A friendly word you had for all
You gave a helping hand.
Thank You Johnny Appleseed
We owe you quite a lot
For lovely trees and apples
And the lessons that you taught!

Climbing Up the Apple Tree
Climbing up the apple tree, (climb in place)
Swinging on a limb! (Raise arms above head, sway left and right)
If I hear a robin, I may (cup hand near ear)
Sing along with him! (sing tra la la)
"And Robin, if you fly away, (Put hands over eyes)
Here's what I think I'll do: (Point with index finger)
I'll wish a pair of sparrow wings (gently flap arms at side and move around)
And fly away with you!"

Criss-cross applesauce (make an X on the child's back)
Spiders crawling up your spine (finger walk up child's spine)
Cool breeze (blow on child's neck)
Tight squeeze (gently squeeze the child's shoulders)
Now you've got the chillies! (You get a funny feeling like goosebumps)

Apple Surprise
10 shiny apples, hanging on a tree.
"Whish" went the wind And they all fell on me.
I picked up one and started to laugh,
When I found a surprise after I cut it in half.

Apples in the Fall
Apples, apples in the fall
Some are big, and some are small,
I wish I could eat them all,
Apples, apples in the fall.

Picking Apples
(Tune: Paw-Paw Patch)
Pick the apples, put them in your basket,
Pick the apples, put them in your basket,
Pick the apples, put them in your basket,
Way down yonder in the apple orchard.

Apple Song (Tune: Rock a bye Baby)
This is the tree (tree picture)
With leaves so green (leaves for the tree)
Here are the apples (some apples to hang on tree)
That hang in between
When the wind blows The apples will fall (drop down the apple pictures)
And here is the basket to gather them all. (basket picture)

Apple Rhyme
Apples, apples, good to eat.
Apples, apples, juicy and sweet.
Pick them off a tree, buy them at a store,
Apples, apples, WE WANT MORE!

Apple Magic
In every single apple lies
A truly magical surprise.
Instead of slicing down, slice through
And watch the star appear for you!

5 Red Apples
5 red apples sweet to the core.
1 fell down and then there were four.
4 red apples sitting in a tree.
1 fell down and then there were three.
3 red apples one for you, and you, and you.
1 fell down and then there were two.
2 red apples shining in the sun,
1 fell down and then there were one.
1 red apple left all alone
1 fell down and then there were none.

February 5, 2006: The Silver Chair Activities/Review

It was my month to lead the book at our Chronicles of Narnia Book Club for kids 2nd-5th grades, and I found very little online for The Silver Chair. It's hard for me to pick my favorite Narnia book, but this one has always been right up there in the top three for me. We could have talked for hours about the book, but our time is limited to an hour and a half. I also had ideas for many other activities which we could not do in this time, but I will include them at the bottom.

The Silver Chair Study
Supplies:
Apples, hot chocolate, white paper, markers, raisins, brown sugar, tape
Discussion:
1. At the beginning of the story, why was Jill crying? Who was she trying to get away from? What did Eustace do to comfort Jill? (He told her about his adventures in Narnia)
2. Why did Scrubb decide that Jill’s idea of drawing a circle and standing in it to recite spells was wrong? How did they end up getting into Narnia?
3. Divide white board into 2 columns. On one side list as many adjectives as we can find to describe the surroundings at the school; on the other wide, list adjectives to describe the place Eustace and Jill saw when they went through the doorway.
4. What happened to Eustace right away? And who did Jill meet then?
5. The lion Jill saw invited her to come and drink if she was thirsty. Can you think of a Bible story this reminds you of? (John 4: The woman at the well. Jesus says, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Jesus is called the living water!
6. What task did Aslan then set before Jill? What are the four signs? (Write on white board.) What did Aslan say she should do so she would not forget the signs? Do you think it would be hard to remember these signs? Do you ever have trouble remembering things? What kinds of things do you have trouble remembering? Did Jill do what Aslan told her to do?
7. The children messed up on the very first sign. How did this happen?
8. Now let’s talk about Rilian and his mother. Who was Rilian’s mother? Describe what happened to her. So was the serpent that killed Rilian’s mother and the woman who Rilian visited before his disappearance the same person? What does this story remind you of in the Bible? The Bible says that Satan is very crafty and can appear as something beautiful. 2 Corinthians says that “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” Remember how in the Garden of Eden, Satan pretended to be Eve’s friend? Discuss.
9. So, Eustace and Jill met with the owls, and where did the owls take them? What is Puddleglum? What does a Marshwiggle look like? (At this point, I had children come up to the white board and take turns drawing their version of a Marshwiggle.)
10. What words would you use to describe Puddleglum? (gloomy, pessimistic, sad, funny, etc.)
11. What did the three see when they left the Marsh? Were these very smart giants? And then who did they encounter (the Lady of the Green Kirtle and the Knight.) Did Puddleglum trust these two? Where did these two tell Puddleglum and the children to go? What were Puddleglum and the children to tell the giants in Harfang?
12. At this point, was Jill still remembering the signs? Why did she stop rehearsing them? Do you think that the Lady of the Green Kirtle knew this would happen--hat they would fight and get distracted and forget what they were doing? Do you ever get distracted when your mom or dad tells you something to do? Do we get distracted from doing what God tells us to do?
13. Let’s talk about what happened at Harfang. Did you guess that THEY were to be the main dish at the Autumn Feast? Draw what you think the giants might have looked like.
14. They finally escaped from Harfang, and what happened when they heard the hunting party return? (Eventual answer—they got to the cave.) Have you ever been in complete darkness like they were? What was that like?
15, Who finally found them in the cave? What was the phrase that the warden kept repeating? What did you think about the earthmen? (At this point, read some descriptions of the earthmen, and have everyone draw what they think the earthmen might look like.)
16. The children and Puddleglum are taken to the Knight. Had they met him before? Who does he turn out to be? Did you think that he was Prince Rilian? What is it that the Knight finally says that convinces them to set him free? What was the first thing that he did when he was freed?
17. What did the Queen do when she came in and found them? What brave thing to Puddleglum do to break the enchantment that she was putting them under? What happened then to Rilian’s black shield?
18. Remember when Rilian and everyone started to leave, and they captured the gnome named Golg? What did Golg tell them? What did they tell Golg that made him so happy?
19. How did they finally get out of the cave?
20. What did the oldest Dwarf say about Northern Witches? (That they were always up to the same plan, just going about it in a different way.) Does this sound like Satan to you? Just as the Witches are always trying to get people to turn from Aslan, so Satan is always trying to get us to deny God.
21. What sad thing happens at the end of the book? Then what happens when Aslan takes Jill and Eustace back to the mountain?

Activities:
Talk about the hot meal they had at the end of the book. Make baked apples and hot chocolate. The easiest way to make baked apples is to cut an apple in half and take out the seeds. Let the kids put brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins, if desired on the apples. Put in mircrowave for 1 minute. This will be hot! Serve with "frothy" hot chocolate.

Cave exploration: We lined a dark hallway with a row of chairs (we do this club at a church). We turned off all the lights and had the kids crawl through the chairs. This gave them an idea of what it is like to crawl through tight spaces. After this, we led them down to the church basement with the lights on. Once they were settled in the room, I turned off the lights for a few seconds so they could experience darkness. Lots of great screams, and begging to do it again and again!

These were all the activities that we had time for. I would also liked to have had them make model teepees, like Puddleglum's, or to make a stuffed Puddleglum.

Titanic Unit Study

TITANIC UNIT STUDY

Written by and used in SmallWorld
Geared to 2nd-6th grade but can be adjusted and used with multi-ages

Day 1: Background

Reading
* The Titanic: Lost and Found (nonfiction)
* You Wouldn't Want to Sail on the Titanic! (nonfiction)

Internet: Eyewitness History: The Sinking of the Titanic. Read about the sinking from the perspective of a governess on board.

Activities
(arts and crafts, handwriting, research)
Begin writing a book about mistakes made surrounding the Titanic tragedy. What are some ways that the tragedy could have been prevented or lessened? What could have been done differently? The whole story of the Titanic is full of little mistakes that added up to a big disaster. We used the first two books (above) and websites for research.
To make this book, we folded construction paper in half for the cover and stapled plain white paper inside. We have titled the book Oops! The Titanic's Book of Hindsight. On each page, we describe one or two mistakes that were made by various participants. For instance, "Oops….I forgot my binoculars! The lookouts left their binoculars back in England." And "Oops…Do we have any more lifeboats? The Titanic's lifeboats only had room for 1,178 people." The kids can write and illustrate each page, according to his/her ability level.

DAY 2: Background
Video:
Titanica: An Imax Presentation (95 min.)--from library

Reading: Titanic Crossing (begin--this is a rather long fiction book)

Activities:
Do more work on the Oops! Book
Titanic sketch: Draw a sketch of the Titanic. Use lots of books as resources, and encourage your child to add lots of details. He or she may want to work on this over several days. We did this with about 8 pieces of paper taped together.


DAY 3: Getting Personal
Video: Titanic: The Truth Behind the Legend (55 minutes)--from library

Reading
Titanic Crossing
Titanic (Victoria Sherrow)

Activities:
• Add another page or two to the Oops! Book based on today's reading and watching.
• Family history: Make a family tree, going back as far as you wish. Be sure to write the surnames of your ancestors. Talk about whatever family history you know. Where did your ancestors come from originally? Point out the different countries on a map. Trace the route they may have taken over. Afterwards, search the passenger/crew list for names that belong to your child's family tree. (Titanic: Fortune and Fate has a nice passenger/crew list at the end of the book.) We found our surname and a couple other names on our family tree. (You may like to find names of friends if you can't find any of your own family's names.) Talk about the names you've found. What class was the passenger in (first, second, steerage)? Where may they have been going? How might their lives have been changed after the disaster (particularly if one family member was lost and others survived). This project will be continued on another day.


DAY 4: Passenger Stories
• Family history: Choose one of the names from your family tree. Write a story from this person's perspective. For instance, we found that the chief firefighter on the ship shared our surname. We wrote a journal-style essay of his last hours, from the moment that Captain Smith sounded the alarm until the ship went down (he was lost at sea). To spark ideas, I began each journal entry with a sentence, and then Jesse wrote several sentences on his own.

Reading:
Titanic: Fortune and Fate. This is a wonderful book with lots of photos, letters, mementos and personal effects from passengers and crew members.
Discussion: Class structure. This is a good time to discuss class structure. Ask your child if we still have a class structure today in the United States. He or she will most likely say "no." We launched into a long discussion about our own class system, ranging from homeless people to tycoons. We also briefly discussed the caste system of India.

Science activity: Floating
Materials: 20 paper clips, foil, ruler, bucket of water
1. Have your child state why he believes heavy ships can float and what he thinks will happen with this experiment.
2. Cut two 12-inch squares from aluminum foil.
3. Wrap one of the metal squares around 10 paper clips and squeeze the foil into a tight ball.
4. Fold the four edges of the second aluminum square up to make a small one square pan.
5. Place 10 paper clips in the metal pan.
6. Set the metal pan on the water's surface in the bucket.
7. Place the metal ball on the water's surface.
8. Record what happens when in steps 6 and 7. The metal pan should float and the ball should sink. Have your child write an explanation of why this happened.
9. Discuss buoyancy and how it allows huge ships like the Titanic to float. *
* At this point your kids will most likely want to test all kinds of different objects to see what floats and what sinks! Try to have them predict beforehand if an object will float or sink based on its density.


DAY 5
Reading: Continue reading Titanic: Fortune and Fate.

Activity: Graphing lives lost and saved
Using a passenger list, begin tallying statistics on passengers. We divided these into Lost and Saved, and then 1st, 2nd and 3rd class within each category. Our goal is to graph a few hundred names of each class passengers both lost and saved. We will spread this activity over several days, as the tallying becomes tedious after a few pages!

Reading:
Polar: The Titanic Bear. This is the true story--told from the POV of a stuffed bear--of one family's experience on the Titanic. This is such a wonderful story, with so many topics for discussion. Note especially the lifestyle of the rich and famous in the early 1900s.
Activity: Write a story from the POV of a favorite toy. For example, Jesse's story is about getting lost in the mountains, told from the viewpoint of his hermit crab.

Internet: Mary Jane's Q&A Page
Questions and answers about the Titanic, including myths and legends surrounding the disaster.


Day 6: The Sinking

Reading: Continue reading Titanic: Fortune and Fate. Begin reading: Titanic: The Story of the Disaster in the Newspapers of the Day. This is a wonderful collection of newspaper articles dating from the launching of the Titanic through the sinking and its aftermath. It is very interesting to note, on the first several pages, how inaccurate the reports were. (This is a good time to discuss—briefly—how we can't always believe everything we read!)
Read The Heroine of the Titanic. This is a fun story about Molly Brown.

Activity: We graphed another 50 names or so of the passenger list (saved or lost, which class). We then discussed our results (i.e., that so many more third class passengers were lost than either first or second).

Add another page or two to the OOPS book.
Activity: Lifeboat crisis:
• Discuss the issue of lifeboats and why they were such a factor in the number of people who died on the Titanic. Ask questions about what/who determined who got into the lifeboats.
• Figure out how many lifeboats there were on the ship and how many people each could hold.
• How many people would be without a lifeboat?
• How many lifeboats should there have been?
• How many people would be without a lifeboat


DAY 7
Reading:
On Board the Titanic by Shelley Tanaka
This is a really excellent, comprehensive book about the disaster, told through the eyes of Jack Thayer, first class passenger, and Harold Bride, assistant telegraph operator.

Movie:
Titanic (part 1)
I was able to record this when it was on television and edit out all of the sexually explicit material. I would NOT recommend allowing a child watch the unedited version unless you are right there to fast forward. Some parts are very inappropriate for children. However, the movie as a whole has some wonderful images, social customs, views of the ship, etc. We paused often to talk about various parts of the movie.

Activity:
Construct the Titanic! Jesse made a wonderful model of the ship with black construction paper. He used about 8 sheets to make it about 3 feet long by taping the paper together. He cut out all the details around the outside of the ship and used a white gel pen to make the windows, etc. Looks really great! A great book to read along with this is Inside the Titanic.


DAY 8
Reading: Skim the rest of Titanic: The Story of the Disaster in the Newspapers of the Day. I would have enjoyed reading this a lot more if we had time. Some of the stories in here are fascinating. We did take quite a while to read one near the end of the book that was written for Harper's Weekly. This is a narrative told by a passenger who escaped in one of the early lifeboats. These articles give a lot different details than some of the modern books.

Movie: Titanic (part 2)
Again, this movie should be watched with careful guidance. I had edited out quite a lot of material in the first part, especially. You know your child best. You should definitely watch the movie first yourself to decide if it is appropriate for your child.

Activity:
Take an icy plunge! Fill a large mixing bowl with a lot of ice and add some cold water. When the water gets really, really cold, have your kids try keeping their hands in as long as possible. Talk about hypothermia.


Day 9
Finish OOPS book.


RESOURCES
Books:
Nonfiction
Titanic: Lost and Found by Judy Donnelly
You Wouldn't Want to Sail on the Titanic by David Stewart
Titanic by Victoria Sherrow
Titanic: Fortune and Fate (letters, momentos, and personal effects from passengers and crew)
Polar: The Titanic Bear by Daisy Corning Stone Spedden
Heroine of the Titanic by Joan W. Blos
On Board the Titanic by Shelley Tanaka
Titanic: The Story of the Disaster in the Newspapers of the Day.

Fiction
Titanic Crossing

Videos:
Titanica: An Imax Presentation (95 min.)
Titanic: The Truth Behind the Legend (55 minutes)
Titanic (Leonardo di Caprio) --home edited version, about 3 hours

Internet Sites:
Eyewitness History: The Sinking of the Titanic.
Read about a young girl's account of the sinking.

Take a tour of the Titanic.

PBS Titanic

Mary Jane's Q&A Page, includes myths and legends surrounding the disaster.

November 17, 2005: Australia Unit Study

Australia Unit Study (younger elementary)

Below is a unit study we did on Australia several years ago. We repeated much of it again last year when we studied Australia in Sonlight 5. My kids LOVED this study. Enjoy!
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Unit Study on Australia
(Resource list at end of study)

Day 1
We started our unit by reading Australia: One the Other Side of the World. We then read Wombat Stew and decided to concoct our own Wombat Stew outside!! We read the book again as we created our stew. adding such ingredients as leaves, acorns, sticks, insects, etc..

Day 2
We started by reading Koala Lou and Possum Magic, both by Mem Fox. We watched an excellent PBS video, Hidden Worlds: Down by the Billabong. Later we made the Australian flag and read chapter one of Australia. After lunch we sang Waltzing Matilda, read the history of the song and its meaning, and talked about Banjo Patterson.

Day 3
We read an aboriginal folk tale, Whale’s Canoe, a couple of times and read the next couple of chapters of Australia. Later we began watching our next video.

Jesse spent some time on the Enchanted Learning website, looking at animals, flags, etc. He took a quiz on Australia and got all but one answer correct! For a couple of hours Jesse created aboriginal type art, making various lizards and an echidna costume. We reread several of our favorite Mem Fox books.

Day 4
Read Snap! by Marcia Vaughan.
This was our day to study Aborigines. We read The Peopling of Australia and Down Under: Vanishing Cultures.
We recorded the sections of Australia on our mark-it map and started the major cities. Day 5
Today we concentrated on the map of Australia. First Jesse outlined and filled in a map of the territories and major cities. Then he took a quiz (listed as for 6-9th graders) about the locations of cities and got all but one right, without looking at the map!
Our next project was to make an edible map of Australia. We made peanut butter cookie dough (Jesse was in charge of finding the right measuring cups and spoons) and shaped it into the continent. Later in the day we decorated the giant cookie with star sprinkles for the major cities, chocolate chips for the mountain ranges, and fish along the coastline. We divided it into territories with icing. When Daddy came home, Jesse told him the names of all the cities and then we ate it!
Jesse spent some time on the National Geographic Down Under website. He didn’t get enough time to explore it fully, so we’ll look at that again tomorrow.

Day 6
We read most of our picture books again before returning them to the library. Jesse made out an at-a-glance sheet of Australia facts.
Jesse perused Australian websites in the morning. At the Aboriginal bark art site, he got ideas for his own bark art and went outside to collect bark. We will also make bark out from the directions below.
Jesse read The Rainbow Serpent and we perused James Cook together.

To make Aboriginal Bark Art
1. First thing in the morning soak a pre-cut piece of brown paper with water.
2. Crinkle the wet paper into a tight ball, unroll it and set it out to dry.
3. Later, take the dry, crinkled brown paper and create artwork using red, black, yellow, and white tempera paints and a paintbrush.
4. The drawings should represent a story that the student is interested in.
8. The drawings should be in the same style as and use the same techniques as authentic Aboriginal drawings.
Day 7
Today we did our bark art paintings. They look awesome. We watched Wonders Down Under and then took a field trip to the zoo! We saw kookaburras and blue-tongued skinks. At home we read “My Grandma lived in Gooligulch.”

RESOURCE LIST Books:
Nonfiction/Historical
Australia: One the Other Side of the World by Penny Stanley-Baker. 1986. *****
Australia.by Emilie U. Lepthien (Children’s Press, 1982)
The Peopling of Australia by Percy Trezise
Speculates on how the Aboriginals came to live in Australia.
Down Under: Vanishing Cultures. By Jan Reynolds.
A day in the life of an Aboriginal girl. ****
Toad Overload: A True Tale of Nature Knocked Off Balance in Australia by Patricia Seibert *****
Excellent story of the cane toads in Australia.
James Cook: Across the Pacific to Australia by Clint Twist.
Details Captain Cook’s famous journeys.

Fiction:
Koala Lou by Mem Fox.
Possum Magic by Mem Fox.
Wombat Stew by Marcia Vaughan*****
This is our absolute favorite!! Wombat Divine by Mem Fox (great for Christmas, too)
Snap by Marcia Vaughan
Whale’s Canoe by Joanna Troughton
The Rainbow Serpent by Dick Roughsey. An Aboriginal myth.
My Grandma Lived in Gooligulch by Graeme Base. Hilarious!*****

Videos:
Hidden Worlds: Down by the Billabong
Nature of Australia: A Portrait of the Island Continent (There are at least 3 videos in this series)
Great Cultures, Great nations: Aborigine: Triumph of the Nomads
National Geographic’s Really Wild Animals: Wonders Down Under

Websites

Zoom School on Enchanted Learning: Australia
Includes music, stories, history and more.
http://www.EnchantedLearning.com/school/Australia/index.html
Tales from the Billabong: Stories and Games
http://www.fraynework.com.au/story/
History of the Aborigines
http://library.thinkquest.org/28994/abhistory.html
Great information, lots of photos!
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/downunder/
Australian lingo:
http://library.thinkquest.org/50055/aulanguage.htm
Australian Woolshed: Activities
http://www.auswoolshed.com.au/kids/woolly.html
Australia’s Unusual Animals
http://www.ozramp.net.au/%7Esenani/animaust.htm
Australian A-Z Animal Archive
http://www.aaa.com.au/A_Z/K.shtml
Aboriginal Bark Paintings
http://www.silverbushmusic.com/barkpain2.html
Animal Myths and Legends: Kangaroo Gets a Pouch
http://www.planetozkids.com/oban/kanpouc2.htm

Parent Resources
Good lesson plans here.
http://www.coe.wayne.edu/~mpettap/lesson/aussie.htm#day7