Novel Notes

It is important to understand the time period in which a novel is set. Two excellent places to start are The History Channel, which provides an extensive list of online resources and The History Place.

If the story is set in America, visit the American Memory: Historical Collection of the Library of Congress. This site features wonderful primary source and archival materials (prints, photos, documents, motion pictures, and sound recordings) related to American culture and history.

Cyberguides Teacher guides and student activities for core works of literature. A terrific collection of web-searching activites that lead to a student product. These activities might be done with small groups or used for enrichment or extra credit activities.

  • The Costume Page- Costume History View the fashions from various periods in history.

  • Odin's Castle of Dreams & LegendsLovers of history and legends prepare to spend hours and hours exploring the rooms of this castle.

  • The Best of Young Adult Literature features teaching units on Hatchet, A Day No Pigs Would Die, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry , and That Was Then, This Was Now.

  • Writing a Critique of a Novel
  • Writing a Comparison-[Movie vs. Novel]

    • Across Five Aprils,

    If you come across a link in this section that is no longer active, please email me at jesmith@earthlink.net

    Check out The Civil War Home Page , American Civil War: Resources on the Internet, Civil War Resources on the World Wide Web , and Letters from an Iowa Soldier in the Civil War. Still another good site is Selected Civil War Photographs, a collection of over 1,000 photographs depicting military personnel, battles, and other scenes from the Civil War.

  • The Letters of Felix Voltz Read the letters of a drummer boy in the 187th New York Volunteer Regiment during the Civil War. Teachers seeking to provide their students with information about this period should consult Lesson Plan: The Civil War and The Drummer Boy, A Poetry Lesson . Students may learn about the Civil War using the resources of the Internet in The Civil War - An Internet Lesson. Be sure also to visit A Nation Divided - The U.S. Civil War 1861-1865.

    • Moccasin Trail, Bendigo Shafter, and Shane

    If you come across a link in this section that is no longer active, please email me at jesmith@earthlink.net

    Look at The Oregon Trail, a project developed by students of Monroe Middle School in Monroe, Wyoming, and The Oregon Trail. Be sure to visit the Old West, a fabulous collection of links to the myths, legends, and realities of the American West. Two other important site are Native American Sites and Native American Cultural Resources on the Internet. For more on this time period, check out Pioneer Spirit.

    A Stitch in Time

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    Explore Salem's Maritime History and the city's colorful history when you Take the Tour.
    -Learn about author Ann Rinaldi.
    -The Poetry and Prose of Quilting"
    - Quilting with Children
    - World Wide Quilting Page
    - The Poetry and Prose of Quilting
    -Projects for A Stitch in Time
    - All - in - one Background for A Stitch in Time.
    -Read On the High Seas . . . a poem by Brian J. (4/97)
    - A Critique of A Stitch in Time by Laura F. (4/97)
    -The American Revolution and Colonial Times

    Good Night, Mr. Tom

    I've pulled together the best links from the resources below and placed the ones that relate to this novel on a new page, Background for Good Night, Mr. Tom

  • BBC Online History = World War ll This is a wonderful resource for information about the evacuees. There are audeo clips of news report and programs and remembrances of the evacuees.
  • Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky - Zach often uses phrases and lines from this famous nonsense poem.
  • WW1l Evacuees Registry Read the true recollections of men and women who like Willie were send away for safety from their homes during the midst of the war.
  • What Did You Do in the War, Grandma? An oral history project about women's roles during WWII by students in South Kingston, Rhode Island. To get an overview, first read Women and World War II by Dr. Sharon H. Strom and then be sure to read some of the individual interviews.
  • Dad's War: Finding and Telling Your Dad's WWll Story A wonderful collection of links to all types of information regarding WWll.

    • No Promises in the Wind

    If you come across a link in this section that is no longer active, please email me at jesmith@earthlink.net

  • Webquest: The Great Depression
  • Riding the Rails
  • Teachers will find Lesson Plans for the Great Depression a valuable site. The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute sponsors the New Deal Network which seeks to educate students about the Roosevelt era and its legacy. It has classroom activities and an excellent page of Online Resources for Teachers and Students.

    • Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
    and
    To Kill A Mockingbird

    If you come across a link in this section that is no longer active, please email me at jesmith@earthlink.net

    For background information about the Great Depression, see the material listed under No Promises in the Wind.

    The Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement contains photos and a brief overview of the people and events which shaped the Civil Rights Movement.

  • Cassie Logan's grandparents had been born into slavery. The American Memory Collection of the Library of Congress has some wonderful primary source material Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1939 . Read the interview with Sarah Frances Shaw Graves, Age 87 and be sure to read the entire nine pages by clicking on "Read the rest of the Interview" at the bottom of the page. Then click on "View this item" for a copy of the complete, original document. When you finish the first page, click on "Next Page" in the bottom right corner. This nine page interview is a powerful piece of oral history.

  • For To Kill a Mockingbird, explore the following: Harper Lee & To Kill a Mockingbird
    To Kill a Mockingbird - Spine Phrase Poems
  • The To Kill a Mockingbird Student Survival Guide
  • To Kill a Mockingbird, Then and Now
  • Growing Up in the 1930s
    . - "A Man Does What He Must. . ." - Writing Topic
    - "A Ripple of Hope" - Writing Topic
    - Point of View - The Trial - Essay
    To Kill a Mockingbird -Acrostic Phrase Poems

    • Johnny Tremain

    If you come across a link in this section that is no longer active, please email me at jesmith@earthlink.net

    The Revolutionary War: A Journey Towards Freedom is an excellent reference tool for students, teachers, and anyone interested in learning more about the American Revolution.

  • A Cyber Guide to Johnny Tremain - There are some excellent ideas, but not all of the links were active when I last checked them out.
  • Johnny Tremain/Letter Writing Topic - A letter explaining the difference between being proud and being conceited.
  • Just Imported from London
  • A "Revolting" Alphabet -Here's a scavenger hunt activity which can then be developed into a Hyperstudio project or a quilt
  • The Freedom Trail - Virtual Visitor Center
  • Minute Man National Historic Park
  • Minute Men. Militia, and the Continental Army
  • Daily Life in the Colonies
  • Life in Colonial Virginia
  • The New England Primer
  • The American Revolution This site contains a very large collection of links to explore.
  • Paul Revere - BiographyThis site from the Paul Revere House has a number of interesting links.

    • Ms. Smith's Bookstore.

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    Last updated on October 5, 2002.

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