“Daniel Boone Early Pioneer Days”
Lesson Summary:
Early settlers had to work very hard. However, they did find time to play. Many times, they gathered together to help each other, and then made a party at the end of their work day. These work days included, quilting bees, husking bees, corn shellings, house raisings, stump pullings, harvestings, and threshings. It was a time to catch up on the family news, with a big dinner, and often ended with story telling and dancing. Dances were held outdoors, as well as, indoors. Sometimes, dances were held in barns. The dances were kind of like square dancing and folk dancing.8
Objective:
The children will enjoy a simple dance routine while singing the song, “Shoo Fly.”
Procedures:
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1. Couples form a single circle.
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2. Children join hands and take four steps toward the center of the circle.
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3. Couples take four steps back to original position.
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4. Take four steps forward and four steps back backward.
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5. Children keep hands joined while one couple lifts hands to form an arch.
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6. Couple on the opposite side starts across leading everyone else, keeping hands joined under the arch.
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7. Everyone continues to hold hands, keeping the circle intact with all of the players facing out. All players walk backward during this part.
“Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier”
Lesson Summary:
The story film portrays Davy Crockett as a legendary woodsman, grinning down a bear and wrestling it too, tackling an alligator, Indian fighter and leader of the fight for freedom at the Alamo.
Objective:
The children will be able to utilize the information they have gathered from their study of Davy Crockett and early pioneer days, and write an evaluation concerning the authenticity of the Disney film, “Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier.”
Procedure:
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1. Mr. Friday will open his pioneer box containing the Disney version of “Davy Crockett.” He will tell the children to listen carefully to the content of the story while viewing the film.
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2. The children will take notes in their journals while viewing the film. Each child will give an evaluation of the film at the end of their journal. “Do you feel that the content was portrayed accurately? Why or why not?”
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3. The children will gather in groups of four or five, discuss issues related to the film, and, report back to class. Discussion will center around the following questions:
1. Do you feel the Disney film gives you enough facts about Davy Crockett and the early settlers?
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2. Why do you think the Indians were hostile towards the early settlers? Do you feel that all of the tribes were hostile? Why or why not?
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3. Do you think either group (early settlers or Indian) had a right to be angry? Why or why not?
“Johnny Appleseed”
Lesson Summary:
It becomes very hard to differentiate between fact or fiction when it comes to the story of Johnny Chapman (Johnny Appleseed). Johnny Appleseed is best known for the person who distributed apple seeds across the early Midwest. Along the way, stories became tall tales as they state how he talked to the animals while nursing them back to health. Once a cow told Johnny that her master was starving her, and one time Johnny helped a wolf who was caught in a trap, and then would not leave his side even though he was capable of making it on his own. Even the bears liked to rub his back, and the wolves rubbed his beard.
Objective:
Mr. Friday will share a guided reading of the story, Johnny Appleseed by Jan Bleiter and Kathleen Thompson.
Procedures:
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1. Mr. Friday will open a discussion by asking the children what they remembered about the cider mill on the Bishop Farm. Why do you think the cider mill was important to Johnny?
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2. Mr. Friday will assist in reading the story, Johnny Appleseed. The children will talk about parts that they liked or disliked.
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3. The children will complete a fan book, (fan fold a large piece of paper) sequencing the story and illustrating their pictures with crayon and magic markers.
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4. Johnny Appleseed puppets will be used for retelling the stories in class.
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Footnotes
1. The World Book Encyclopedia.
2. Burns, Paul and Hines, Ruth. To Be A Pioneer.
3. The World Book Encyclopedia.
4. Faragher, John Mack. Daniel Boone
5. The World Book Encyclopedia.
6. Moseley, Elizabeth. A Discovery Biography: Davy Crockett.
7. The World Book Encyclopedia.
8. Burns, Paul and Hines, Ruth. To Be A Pioneer.