We are going to read Harriet Tubman: Guide to Freedom a story that describes the Underground Railroad and Harriet Tubman's role in helping free the slaves in the south in the 1800s. Before we read the story in our textbook, you are going to learn a little about The Underground Railroad and Harriet Tubman by watching a video, completing a web quest and completing an interactive journey on The Underground Railroad yourself.
Your assignment is to complete the web quest on Harriet Tubman. Follow the directions on the sheet and learn more about Harriet Tubman. You may write your answers on the back of the paper.
You just finished your independent reading book, now you are going to create a Book Trailer based on the book. A Book Trailer is a lot like a movie trailer--a short clip that pulls you into the book and makes you want to read it. The music, pictures and captions all spark the viewer's interest. Book Trailers are short--they either create the mood, sum up the theme or the main problem of the book. Today we're going to watch some Book trailers and discus how they were made and why they work. Click here to visit The Rundlett Library website to view more Isinglass Book Trailers.
Today we are going to make surveys using Google Forms. Think about some topic that interest you that you'd like to learn your classmates' views on. We will create a survey together and then you'll have a chance to create your own. Once you've decided on a topic, follow the directions below. After you have posted your survey on your blog, take of some of your friends surveys. You are required to answer your 3:00, 7:00 and 11:00 partner's surveys. I can't wait to see what you create. Remember choose a good topic that you can ask interesting, school appropriate questions about.
“It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and sons.” —Johann Schiller
We are going to read a nonfiction article about the Orphan Train which deals with an often-overlooked episode in American history, when many of our nation’s neediest city children were “placed out” west with new families. The orphan-train program was controversial, and while some kids went on to lead good lives in rural America, others weren’t so lucky. But in spite of their shortcomings, the orphan trains paved the way for today’s foster-care system.
This story has been paired with the moving story of one orphan train rider named Lee Nailling with a profile of a young African girl named Michaela who was adopted in Sierra Leone.
After you finish reading "The Orphan Train" and the profile of Michaela, and have taken the quiz complete this Compare/Contrast graphic organizer. (Click here to open the graphic organizer)
This segment from CNN features clips from a 2008 interview with one of the last surviving orphan-train riders.
Debate:
You read the play Frankenstein and discussed some of the ethical issues around the creation of the monster. We are now going to read the article “Should We Bring Back the Woolly Mammoth?” and consider the positive and negative potential consequences of cloning the woolly mammoth. Complete the chart on page 21 when you finish reading the article. Be sure to support your opinions with facts from the article.
Research: Working in groups, you will do additional research on cloning.
As you research, consider the following:
1. What does the source explain about how cloning works?
2. What benefits of cloning does the article present?
3. What drawbacks of cloning does the article present?
4. Based on what you read, what is one recommendation you would make to a scientist who is interested in cloning?
Each group will present their findings to the class.
You are learning about Frankenstein in Art class. We are going to learn about the time Mary Shelley lived and read a play version of her novel Frankenstein in Language Arts class.
Now you can take this online quiz to see how well you understood the story. Click here to take the quiz. Please email the results to me at scasassa@barnardschool.org
