English/Language Arts
Explore vivid verbs
Froze, bombarded, silenced, seiged, rained. Word choice matters, and Author Warren makes masterful use of these vivid verbs to paint a picture for her reader. Have your students locate these words and substitute the words they would typically use in their writing.Have students start scouring all of their reading for image and emotion producing verbs and start a class list of “Verbs to Consider” when writing to excite your readers.
Social Studies
Explore geography and military strategy
Time to get out the maps. Have your students take a closer look at Vicksburg and its proximity to the Mississippi River. Why was Grant’s strategy so successful? What were the potential advantages and disadvantages? Should the presence of woman and children have influenced the decisions each side was making? What other physical features can play a role in military strategy?
Explore US Generals and the presidency
Have students explore the correlation between military service and the presidency. How many US presidents served in the military? What were their ranks? Have students gather data and discuss the best method of presenting that data visually.
STEM
Explore geographical features and how they are formed
Have students explore the science behind the formation of caves and rivers. Check out this activity from the National Park Service to imitate the formation of caves. The Missouri Botanical Gardens has set up this site to explore how rovers are formed.
Explore vivid verbs
Froze, bombarded, silenced, seiged, rained. Word choice matters, and Author Warren makes masterful use of these vivid verbs to paint a picture for her reader. Have your students locate these words and substitute the words they would typically use in their writing.Have students start scouring all of their reading for image and emotion producing verbs and start a class list of “Verbs to Consider” when writing to excite your readers.
Social Studies
Explore geography and military strategy
Time to get out the maps. Have your students take a closer look at Vicksburg and its proximity to the Mississippi River. Why was Grant’s strategy so successful? What were the potential advantages and disadvantages? Should the presence of woman and children have influenced the decisions each side was making? What other physical features can play a role in military strategy?
Explore US Generals and the presidency
Have students explore the correlation between military service and the presidency. How many US presidents served in the military? What were their ranks? Have students gather data and discuss the best method of presenting that data visually.
STEM
Explore geographical features and how they are formed
Have students explore the science behind the formation of caves and rivers. Check out this activity from the National Park Service to imitate the formation of caves. The Missouri Botanical Gardens has set up this site to explore how rovers are formed.
© Karen Sterling, 2018 - May be used for educational purposes without written permission