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  • The Nonfiction Minute
    • Minutes to Browse July 1
    • Minutes to Browse
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​Hard Crackers in Hard Times

Jim Whiting
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Kids today sure are spoiled!  They have no idea what their ancestors went through to protect their freedoms.  This is a good article to give students some perspective, and help them to practice asking good questions and looking for good answers.  Think about using this piece to hone their research skills.


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Social Studies
Civil War Connection
  • What other foods were eaten during the Civil War?  How do they compare to modern military foods?
History of Hard Tack
  • Does anyone still use hard tack?  When?  Where?  Why?
STEM
Refrigeration
  • Graph (or find a graph of) the use of hard tack in the military over time and the increase of refrigeration methods over time.  Is there an explainable correlation?
  • Is there a connection between modern refrigeration (or other food preservation methods) and the use and eventual disuse of hard tack? 
  • Explore the potential of worms as protein.   
  • Are insects a potential solution to a food shortage?
Research Skills
Asking questions
  • This piece opens the door to a million questions.  Consider using this piece to have a discussion about the difference between informational fact-finding questions and more challenging, researchable questions (like those that may be produced by looking at where there is still use of hard tack in the world today and why). 
Finding sources
  • Can you find sources for some of these facts?
  • Are there other facts you would have included?  Left out?
Music
Music in Civil War
  • Who was Stephen Foster?
  • Can you find other things he wrote?  Anything we still know today?
Nutrition/FCS
  • What is the nutritional value of hard tack?
  • What do you have to add to a hard tack diet to have a balanced diet?
​© Karen Sterling, 2017 - May be used for educational purposes without written permission
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  • The Nonfiction Minute
    • Minutes to Browse July 1
    • Minutes to Browse
      • by Subject
        • English/Language Arts
        • Social Studies
        • STEM
        • Art
        • FCS/ Nutrition
        • Health & Wellness
        • Music
        • Research Skills
  • For Teachers
    • T2T Tutorial
  • AOC/Authors on Call
    • Class ACTS-Authors Collaborating with Teachers and Students
  • Print Collection
  • Contact Us
  • Help Us Out
  • Vicki Cobb's Blog
  • iNK Home
  • iNK Thinkers
  • Links for Nonfiction Minutes for the iNK Think Tank presentation
    • About
  • iNK Fall Launch books
  • Holiday