characteristics of historical fiction it has the elements of a story: setting, characters, problem,...

Characteristics of Historical Fiction• It has the elements of a story: setting, characters, problem,

resolution of the problem, beginning, middle and end.• The story is realistic.• The setting is in the past.• Details about transportation, clothing, food preparation,

etc., fit the historical setting.• Many or all of the central characters are fictional.• The writer creates an interesting story by combining

imagination with facts about the historical setting and events.

Fact or Fiction?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15th, 1929.

Martin Luther King Jr. practiced his speeches in

front of a mirror before giving them in public.

Ms. Cieglo loves to sharpen pencils every day after school ends.

Ms. Cieglo teaches 2nd grade at Dicken Elementary School.

There are 19 second grade students in this

class.

Every student at Dicken likes dolphins.

Historical Fiction vs. Fiction

• The story is realistic

• The setting is in the past

• Details about transportation, clothing, food preparation, etc. fit the historical setting and events

• Many or all of the central characters are fictional.

• The writer creates an interesting story by combining imagination with facts about the historical setting and events.

Life in the 1830’s

There was no electricity, central

heating and air-conditioning,

running water, flush toilets,

automobiles, radio, washers and

dryers, plastics, processed foods,

antibiotics, aspirin, formal

education, etc.

The fastest thing most Americans knew was a race-horse.

Most working Americans lived on farms or in small towns.

All clothes were stitched by hand. Most people had one outfit for the week and one outfit or ‘Sunday Best’ for church.

Corn was the most commonly used food ingredient…corn meal in varying forms was

the basis of many meals well into the first half of the 19th

century.

Steamboats began to

dominate river trade and

travel on the Great Lakes.

They were faster than

previous flatboats.

Next Spring an Orioleby Gloria Whelan

This year 2008

1837: setting for Next Spring an Oriole

This year 2008

4

Lets Stop And Think…Why have the Mitchell’s left their home and

friends in Virginia to settle in Michigan?

How does each family member feel about the move to Michigan?

Papa is a surveyor. What does a surveyor do?

Do you think Papa will find any work surveying land in Michigan? Why?

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11

Lets Stop And Think…What personal things did each person in the

Mitchell family choose to take along?

Why do you think each person chose those particular things?

Did the Mitchell’s bring the same kinds of things we brought in our wagon?

On page 9-10 Papa says to Mama “And why should we go somewhere where everything is

already done? I’d rather have a hand in it.” What does this mean?

Early Native American Trails

Chapter Two

As I read, pay close attention to how the

rain impacted the Mitchell’s journey.

15

Lets Stop and Think…

Was the rainfall we just read about a good thing or a bad thing? Why?

Why do you think Mama made sketches of the things she saw

along the trail?

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23

Lets Stop and Think…

What do you know about the Potawatomi from their encounter

with the Mitchell family?

Why was it more serious for the Potawatomi girl to have the measles than for Libby to

have them?What do you think would have happened to her if the Mitchells had not been there

to help?What do you think Papa meant when he said “They have little reason to (trust us). First white man buys the Indians’ land for a pittance, and now I hear tell

they want to round up all the Potawatomis and take them west of the Mississippi”?

Deep Michigan Forests

Chapter Three

As I read, pay close attention to see what

you can learn from the LaBelle Family about life in Michigan in the

1830s…

26

30

34

Lets Stop and Think…

Why did Mama and Libby cut their hair off when they discovered they had lice?

How would you describe the LaBelles? What details in the book tell you this?

Do you think the Labelles get very many visitors? Why or why not?

Why do you think clearing the land to farm is such a difficult task?

Do you think Papa has more in common with trappers, or settlers? Why?

Writing in Your Journal

What kind of occupation would you have? A trapper, a settler (farmer), or something else?

What kinds of encounters would you have with Indians? Would you be kind to them or treat them like the government did?

How would you use the natural resources of the forest?

Did the weather affect how your journey is going?

Did anyone get sick on the trail? What happened to them?

Chapter Four

As I read, picture in your mind the place where

the Mitchell family decided to settle and build there home.

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38

Lets Stop and Think…

How did the family decide where to put their cabin? What things did they need to consider

before deciding where it should go?

Make a Prediction:

Now that the logs are cut and they’ve decided where to put the cabin, how will they get it built?

Chapter Five

As I read, picture the house building as it is

described and listen for all you can learn about the Potawatomi way of

life.

45

Building a Log Cabin

notch

corner man

slide

shakes

47

48

Lets Stop and Think…

Why do you think the Mitchells’ friends and neighbors came to help them build

their cabin?How are Libby and Taw-cum-e-o-qua alike? How

are they different?

Why would da government agent want to send the Potawatomi families “far away from their homes”?

How does the Potawatomi way of life differ from that of the settlers? What are the reasons for these

differences?

Log Cabin

Potawatomi Home (Wigwam)

Chapter Six

As I read this chapter, listen for all the plants and animals that are

mentioned. Think about what they could

look like.

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55

58

59

60

Lets Stop and Think…

What did Taw-cum-e-go-qua teach Libby about surviving the Michigan winter?

Which of the animals and plants that they mentioned were used for food?

What was important about Papa’s discovery of the oriole nest?

Centers Groups1) Word/Picture Matching Game: Alyssa,

Tomas, Ryan, Michael, Margo

2) Writing in Journals: Anthony, Jason, Libby, Isabelle, Carter

3) Making “Old” Paper: Maya, Quetez, Robert, Grant

4) Building Log Cabins: Sophia, Austin, Maggie, Falynn, Aidan

Writing in Your JournalWhere are you going to build

your home?

What type of home will you build?

How are you going to build it? Who will help you?

Will your friends be all settlers or some Indians too?

What kinds of animals will you see?