Social Studies and Children's Literature:

Book Title: Katie's Trunk

Author: Ann Turner Illustrator: Ron Himler

Publisher and Date: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1992

Curriculum Developer: Emily A. Hill

Summary: "Katie, whose family is not sympathetic to the rebel soldiers during the American Revolution, hides under the clothes in her mother's wedding trunk when they invade her home. "Katie's Trunk gives an exciting and thought-provoking glimpse of the beginnings of the American Revolution, made even more vivid because it is based on a true incident that happened to one of the authors' ancestors." (Katie's Trunk, Pg. Intro.).

Social Studies Relevance: This book would fit in nicely with a unit on the beginnings of the American Revolution and the study of the Boston Tea Party. It could also tie in the courage we all must have sometimes in life by ourselves or with our families. It could be an incredible tool for finding out what life was like back then and what the people had to deal with during the American Revolution.

Grade Level: 5th grade

Relationships to Social Studies State Core:

• Evaluate the causes and outcomes of the American Revolution.
• Create individually, or in a group, one or more of the following: Newspaper, Newsletter. Identify important persons, events, and themes in United States history: Revolutionary Period.

LESSON PLAN #1

Title of Lesson: Revolutionary War Journal

Objective: Given class presentations and activities, students will on a daily basis, record their thoughts and feelings about events and people during the Revolutionary War in a journal.

Materials needed: all different colors of paper to put together for a journal, cardboard pieces cut into a cover form, scissors, pencils, twine or rope, hole punch and examples of a journal to show the students.

Procedures:

• At the beginning of your unit of the Revolutionary War show the students an old copy of a journal (but don't tell them what it is). Ask them what they think it is. Give them hints about what it is: "In this book there is writing. You can write private stuff in here. It can be kept and read hundreds of years down the road." Once the students have guessed what it is, ask them what sorts of things they would write in their journal. If any one is keeping one now, maybe have them share the kind of things they write in them.
• Explain to them that back in the Revolutionary War and all other times in people's lives, journals were kept to express one's feelings or thoughts. These journals were hidden and later found and people have read them and learned about what it was like back then.
• Explain to them that while we are studying this time in history you would like them to keep a journal of certain events, make daily entries in their journals, and have a thought and question section.
• Pass out all the needed materials that the children will need. For their book they can design their own Revolutionary War cover or you can have them use one of yours. Each child should have two cardboard pieces, at least fifteen different pieces of colored paper, and some twine to tie the book together with.
• When the children have completed making their book, write on the board the titles that they should have every ten pages in their book. The categories are:
  • A. A "Daily Entry" Section that will include an answer to a topic that will be written on the board each day they come into the classroom. Some of the topics you could we are:
    • * Would you more likely be a Patriot or a Loyalist?

      * Would you use your voice, your pen, or your gun to fight for the things you believe in?

      * Who would you be more apt to be like if you lived during the time of the Revolutionary War?

      * What Revolutionary War leader would you have admired most, had you lived during the time of the War?

      * Do you think the Revolutionary War could have been avoided?

    B. An "Interesting Facts" section: Students can record any interesting facts that they find particularly interesting when we are studying the war.

    C. A "Thoughts and Questions" section: They can record their personal feelings or questions they may have concerning the war in this section.

• When you are explaining how to do these entries and things make sure you tell them to be as creative as possible because towards the end of your unit they are going to pull some of these entries of thoughts and facts and make them into a newsletter.

Evaluation: Periodically through out your unit, gather the journals together and look over them. Write comments in them and determine if the children have understood facts and stories you have shared with them.

*Adaptions were taken from: Revolutionary War Thematic Unit. Pg. 29 and 33.

LESSON #2

Title of Lesson: Trunks and the Revolutionary War

Objective:

• Students will be able to identify items in a class discussion on trunks and discover what things could have been stored in those trunks during the Revolutionary War.
• Students will identify positive and negative outcomes of Katie's decision to hide herself in her mom's trunk.

Materials Needed: copies of trunk picture for the children to write on, book Katie's Trunk, copies of the decision tree, overhead, transparency of decision tree and transparency markers.

Procedures:

• Pass out the worksheet containing a picture of a trunk on it. Begin by asking the children what the name of this object is. When they guess what it is have them for four or five minutes make a list on their trunk of what they would have put in there. When they are completed, list those ideas on the board. Allow a pretty good list to be built.
• When they have completed that, show them the picture from Katie's Trunk of Katie climbing in her mother's trunk, Ask them why they think she is climbing in there?After suggestions, ask the children to think back about the things that took place during the Revolutionary War. Ask them what would make Katie hide in the trunk?
• Discuss vocabulary with the students so that they may had a greater understanding of what those words mean when they come to them in the story.

  • *tory *parlor

• If you feel the need, have the children flip through and see what words they think they may not know and discuss them.
• Read Katie's Trunk.
• Pass out a decision tree paper to each child. This decision tree has one box labeled good consequences, below that in another box is the bad consequences. In the next column over is a another box again repeating the same things. Have the children get in groups of four and label the good and bad consequences of Katie running to the house and hiding in the trunk. Then have them label the good and bad consequences if Katie would have stayed in the woods, with her family. Give them 5-10 minutes.Bring them back together and do a group decision tree by having suggestions from each group's tree. Use overhead and transparency of tree to write on.

Evaluation: Examine the trunk and decision tree worksheets to see if students have identified things that go in a trunk and if they have discovered the good and bad consequences of Katie staying in the woods, or hiding the trunk.

LESSON #3

Title of Lesson: Up close and personal with Katie's Trunk

Objective: Given the story Katie's Trunk, the children will be able to write down two questions that are relevant to the Revolutionary War, that they would like to ask a character out of the book Katie's Trunk.

Materials: six students to play the roles of Katie, mother, father, Celia Warren, John Warren, Ralph. Six chairs, six easy costumes or features the children could wear or have to portray their character they are representing, have parents volunteer to make food that would have been eaten back during the Revolutionary War period.

Procedures:

• Upon completing the reading of Katie's Trunk, have the children return to their desks and write down one question (relevant to the Revolutionary War) each that they would like to ask certain characters, if they were here and alive now. As the teacher, I would collect their questions and hold them over night so they don't loose them.
• While observing the children in the classroom, observe those students that you think would be able to handle a role as a character, and could handle answering questions when they are asked. Choose six students that would fit the part and one by one ask them to be a character and explain what they will be doing. Ask them not to tell the others that they have been given a character part because it will be a surprise when each character is introduced.
• After the children have gotten their part, within the next few days have the children prepare some type of outfit that they could wear to represent their person. If they have problems getting a hold of things have them talk with you. Included in this lesson plan are ideas for what the children could wear.
• The day the children are going to perform, pass back the questions each child wrote to a character.
• Two or three days after you have assigned the parts, stand in the front of the class and explain that today is a special day because we have some visitors that were willing to come to school today and interview with us for a while. Begin by inviting each person out. One by one give each character an introduction and have the student take their seat in the front.
• Explain how excited you are to have them here today and that the floor will be opened up to questions and discussions about the American Revolutionary War. You as the teacher ask the character certain questions that have to do with the American Revolution. Then have the students refer to their sheets that they wrote questions down on, and have them begin asking their questions.
• After the interview is over make sure the students have a standing ovation for the characters and then excuse the characters to go change back into their clothing they wore to school.
• While they are changing explain to the children that you thought it would be fun to study the food that the people ate back during the American Revolutionary War period. Prior to this activity, you should have asked for volunteers to make food and assigned them where to bring it to, on the day you needed it.

Evaluation: Examine the questions to see if the students have identified two questions that should be relevant to the American Revolutionary War, that they could ask the characters.

Costume ideas for the six characters in the book Katie's Trunk:

• Katie could be wearing an old pioneer dress with snow boots and gloves.
• Mother could wear a shawl or even an old wedding dress (which could make interesting questions for the kids to ask about).
• Father could be wearing nicker pants and have a long pony tail on the back of his head.
• Ralph could be wearing same as the father but with shorter hair, wearing a jacket and carrying a backpack.
• Celia Warren could have two braided pony tails and a long dress.
• John Warren could be wearing the same things as the father, plus an old war hat and carry a cardboard shot gun.

Food to cook that was eaten back then:

• homemade bread, butter, and honey
• bean soup (all different kinds of beans)
• fresh apple and rhubarb pie
• homemade wine ( use homemade apple cider)

LESSON #4

Title of Lesson: Newsletter or Newspaper

Objective: As a result of researching background on the American Revolution, students will contribute appropriate articles and advertisements to a newspaper or newsletter from the time period before during and after the Revolutionary War.

Materials: topics to research, research materials, sample newspapers and newsletters, available library hours for research.

Procedure:

• Place students in cooperative learning groups and assign each group a topic.
• Each child within the group will find research material on their topic and write up a half page summary on their topic. (suggested topics are listen below.)
• The children that have been assigned the studying of advertisements need to take notes individually and then come up with a rough draft ad that could be put into a class newspaper or newsletter.
• When each individual has their task, bring them together in their cooperative group and have them share their summary.
• After the children have all shared, have them in their groups begin to put pieces of information they have gathered together into one article that will go into a newspaper or newsletter. They are required in their summary to have dates and places listed of where it took place.
• The children that are studying ads will discuss their individual studies and share their rough draft of an ad. When the children have completed this they may decide together as a group which ads to put into the newspaper. They all may go in or not.
• These ads and articles need to be approved by the teacher or other assistants to the teacher.
• When each group is complete have one person from the group share their group's article or ad that they came up with.
• Begin to put the newsletter or paper together as you would like to. There are many ways.

Evaluation: Examine the summaries, rough drafts and final articles and advertisements that will go in the newspaper or newsletter to determine if the students have reflected their important places, events, and ads that were taking place before, during, and after the American Revolution.

Return to Children's Literature Index

Topics the children can research:

• The Boston Tea Party
• The Stamp Tax
• The Tea Tax
• The Quartering Act
• The Townsend Act
• Boston Massacre
• Battle of Lexington and Concord
• Intolerable Acts
• The Battle of Bunker Hill
• Battle of Saratoga
• The Quebec Act
• The Royal Proclamation
• The Halifax Resolves

Famous People to research:

• Paul Revere
• William Pitt
• Ethan Allen
• Thomas Jefferson
• Thomas Paine
• Charles Morris
• King George the 3rd
• George Washington
• Patrick Henry
• John Singleton Copley
• Benjamin West
• John Dickenson
• John Adams
• Josia Quincy Jr.
• Nathan Hale

Advertisements the children could study up on:

• Selling items advertisements
• Doctor advertisements
• Agency advertisements
• Dentist advertisements
• they could even included obituaries in this category

Famous people and events were adapted from the following internet addresses:

.//users.southeast.net/~dixe/amrev/precede.htm

.//users.southeast.net/~dixe/amrev/people/htm