Back to all Ideas for Teaching Activities
Time : 1860’s
Location : Canada – Atlantic Ocean – New York
Life Lessons : Learns she can help others & understands that she enjoys it.
Realizes that she should have faith in what she knows.
Maps: Where is Vancouver Island? How did it get that name? Find Nanaimo on a map. Why did sailing ships come into Nanaimo Harbour? What were they shipping out of there?
Find New York on a map.
Scurvy: (Chapter 11 Page 45 Stormy Weather) Susan takes Jason an orange because she’s learned in history class that sailors used to get scurvy.
o Symptoms of scurvy? o What caused it? o Why Oranges? o Rum as the cure. Navy culture.
Tea: (Chapter 15 Page 72) Loose leaf in 1860s.
o What does it look like.? o Why sold in tins? o Find pictures of tin examples o Difference between Green, Black, White, and Oolong? o Where would a Rajah Blend tea be from?
Art: (Chapter 13 Page 65) Draw the tin described in the book – Rajah Blend o Draw the Faraday tin (Chapter 25 Faraday’s Teas Page 143)
Tea: There is so much fun that could be had with the whole culture of tea.
o Make and serve tea in the classroom o Where is it grown now, how is it harvested? o How it is sold now?. Bags, leaves, powder, drinks (Snapple, iced tea etc.) o Japanese tea ceremony (if you have Japanese children in the class) o Different ways of brewing in various cultures – Samovar, British, different flavorings.
Sailing ships: (Chapter 13 At the Library, Page 66 & Chapter 17 Caught Page 87)
o Discuss the difference between the ship Jason is traveling on and the clipper ship which passes them. o Why were they different? Different purposes. Need for speed. o Clipper ships and the whole culture of the race to get the tea to market is a fascinating and exiting story. o What are belaying pins? What were they used for? (Chapter 15 The Value of Tea Page 76)
Sea Shanties: Singing or listening to them.
What were they for? They are work songs which kept everyone in step.
Immigration: ( Chapter 11 Stormy Weather Pages 50, 51)
o The conditions on an immigrant ship. Poor food, living conditions, lack of toilets, Differences in classes of passengers. o British enclosure of the commons. Briefly mentioned, but it was a huge disruption to society and led to a lot of the immigration. o Industrial Revolution. Also briefly mentioned. This was a time of huge changes in the lives of the population.
Orphans: ( Chapter 20, page104)
o What is a orphan? o How did society deal with them then & now?
Mrs. Horace Blackwood: (Chapter 23 Where to? Page 127)
o Does this woman have a man’s name? Why is she using a masculine name on the sign? It allowed Susan to find the name on the masthead of the newspaper
Growing Crystals: It is a fun activity to set up and grow crystals in the classroom.
Judy tells Susan how.
