1st book Teacher's Guide Sample Test Fun with Illustrations Worksheet |
Our books are fiction. They are stories about characters we have created, but they are historically accurate and realistically portray the times, places, and circumstances in which they're set. We were news reporters before we became novelists, so we're committed to informing our readers, not just entertaining them. Our books ...
As a teacher, you can rely on our descriptions of geographic and social settings, historic time periods, societal norms and values, and references to real places, historic events, and well-known people. What your students read in our books will not contradict what you teach them in class or what they read in their textbooks and other reputable sources. These books are well suited for exploring the social and cultural history of Kentucky and are particularly relevant to the state mandate to teach Kentucky history in fourth grade. Although they are primarily intended for third to sixth-grade readers, they are also enjoyed by older readers who like "gentle fiction." We are not teachers and do not mean to tell you how you should teach or what you should teach. The tests, assignment ideas, and suggested class projects on this page are simply resources that may save you time and effort if you choose to use them. They were developed, tested and/or used by teachers like you who were willing to share their work. We hope you find these resources and our books useful. Rebecca & Marie |
2nd book |
Download a Teacher's GuideWe've put together a handy, helpful packet of background information for you and assignment ideas, discussion questions, and sample tests you can use with your students. And, it's all in a single pdf file you can download. Then, you can copy, print, or modify any or all of it to fit your students and your personal teaching style. The Teacher's Guide for Road to Pleasant Hill is 14 pages and includes:
Our teacher's guide for `Tis a Gift isn't finished yet, but it will be available soon. |
Shall we come to your class?All three of us -- co-authors Rebecca and Marie; illustrator Pam -- love talking with young readers about our books and how they were developed. We also enjoy talking about broader aspects of writing and illustrating. If you and your students would like to talk with us, invite us to come to your class. It could involve one, two, or all three of us and it could focus on a single narrow topic or a more diverse bouquet of ideas. The format could be a formal pedagogical presentation, an informal discussion, a hands-on workshop, or some combination of these. We don't have canned presentations that we pack up and take on the road wherever we go. We'd work with you to develop a program to specifically serve you and your students. It could be a drop-in, one-period classroom visit, a half or full-day workshop, or a more intense multi-session "author or illustrator in residence" mini-course conducted throughout an entire academic term. And, you wouldn't have to be the only teacher involved. We'd be thrilled to work with a group of teachers to develop a program that would cut across classes to serve several different age groups and/or subject matters. Send us an e-mail and let's open a discussion of possibilities. | ||
Kentucky's Shaker villagesClick for a one-page overview of the Shakers. (Also included in our 14-page Teacher's Guide.)
Our books are set in the Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill near Lexington, Kentucky. Readers who go there can see the actual locations and still-existing buildings described in the stories. They can even walk some of the same routes taken by the characters. The village's website contains current and historic information about the village and the activities that occur there.
The Shaker Village at South Union, near Bowling Green, Kentucky, and its website are further resources for understanding Shaker culture and its lifestyles. Visitors here will also see Shaker characteristics -- large "family residences" for communal living," separate doorways and staircases for each sex, special purpose outbuildings, etc. -- in its surviving buildings even though they aren't exactly the same, nor in the same arrangement, as those at Pleasant Hill. And, there are other Shaker villages outside of Kentucky. The Shaker Historic Trail website maintained by the National Park Service has information about them. |
How about a field trip?There are no Shakers living in Kentucky today but the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill still exists as a living history farm. A visit will let you see the places described in our books and better understand Shaker life. Before Road to Pleasant Hill was published, we field-tested the manuscript with 4th-graders from Berea Community School in Berea, Kentucky. During classroom discussions these students told us they cared about the characters, could picture Shaker life in the 1830s because of our descriptions, and loved the action scenes. After our visit they asked for, and were subsequently taken on, a class trip to the living history museum at the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill. After that trip, their teacher Jennifer Green wrote: "The kids were very anxious to visit the village and see first-hand where Betsy had lived. Many children commented on the buildings they saw and (related them to) scenes from the book. |
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