WATER RAT TEACHER GUIDE |
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| This Winslow Press Teacher Guide has been designed to be of use to the classroom teacher by offering enrichment activities and discussion materials to complement Water Rat! These activities can help students to better understand and enjoy the story as well as assist teachers in implementing strategies and experiences that support their district's learning standards for language arts. |
| The Guide presents a story synopsis and outlines pre-reading activities. It also presents some concepts related to the story and includes: a brief discussion of related curriculum areas; a list of vocabulary words; class discussion questions; and independent study ideas related to Water Rat! The activities are designed to cover a range of language arts skills development that meets the needs of multiple learning styles. The final part of the Guide lists additional resources (books, museums, reference materials, related Internet Web sites) for both teachers and students. |
| The interdisciplinary activities were developed to support the New York State Learning Standards for English Language Arts. The Standards can be downloaded from the New York State Education Department's Web site at http://www.nysed.gov/rscs/stds/contents.html. If you have questions about specific standards applied to these activities, please call Winslow Press at 800-617-3947. |
| We hope this Teacher Guide will be a useful and positive part of your teaching experience! |
| Sincerely, Diane F. Kessenich Chief Executive Officer and Publisher |
| Introduction
Water Rat represents a moving close-up of a significant time in the American colonial experience. Events in Fast Landing, Delaware, in the year 1748 are seen through the eyes of Matt, an orphan boy, who meets life's challenges with courage in this historical novel. A sense of the period is gained as the reader moves through the issues and conflicts with the well-drawn characters portrayed in the story. There is mystery, adventure and heroism galore, as Matt helps capture menacing pirates and then defeats his archenemy, the wicked tavern keeper, Eli. Matt earns his right to a bright future and the esteem of the people he meets and comes to care about in the course of his adventures. The historical fact of marauding pirates provides the backdrop for the story of Water Rat. The colonists in the lower counties of Delaware (at this time still a part of Pennsylvania) were angered when pacifist Quakers in Philadelphia refused to send armed militia against the pirates who prowled Delaware Bay, attacked merchant ships and preyed on the villages. This is the story of how the brave colonists freed themselves from the pirate menace. The theme chronicles one boy's triumph over his handicap, tyranny and injustice to emerge a hero. |
| Background Matt's World: The Delaware of Water Rat In Brief: Delaware's Geography Delaware is situated between the Atlantic Ocean and the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake on a finger of land known as the Delmarva Peninsula ("Delmarva" combines the word "Delaware" with "Maryland" and "Virginia," parts of which states cover two-thirds of the peninsula). Most of Delaware's territory lies along the Atlantic coastal plain and is dotted with freshwater lakes and ponds. The state has about 28 miles of Atlantic coastline running from its southern border (with Maryland) up to the mouth of the Delaware Bay, at Cape Henlopen. The Delaware Bay coastline is home to a variety of wetlands, many of which are now federally protected. Rich in wildlife, especially during the colonial era, they provided both settlers and natives with food and with trading goods. The shoreline and salt marshes fostered a sizable fishing industry, while the interior of the state had excellent farm land and orchards, and lumbering was widespread and profitable. Towns like New Castle, situated on the Delaware River in the north of the state, were ideal ports for trade. Native Americans in Delaware Prior to the arrival of the first Europeans, the area that would eventually become "Delaware" was inhabited by many Native American tribes, the largest of whom were the Lenni-Lenape (meaning the "ordinary people"). The Lenni-Lenape, who would later be called "the Delaware," were a part of the Algonquian family, an eastern group of related tribes who shared similar customs and languages. Several other Native American groups lived in the area, including the Minqua (Iroquois peoples also known as "Mingo"). The Lenape had a reputation among their neighbors as a peaceful tribe, and other tribes often brought their disputes to the Lenape to be settled. Some believed the Lenape to be the source of all Algonquian tribes. As a sign of respect, these tribes called the Lenape "Grandfathers,"and the Lenape referred to them as "Our Grandchildren." Lenape children were taught to live as peacefully as possible and to treat both friends and strangers with kindness. However, the Lenape custom was to avenge any wrong to one's family, and under such circumstances, violence (and even murder) was condoned by their justice system. Women had important roles in tribal government, and the Lenape traced their ancestry through the maternal line. Matt's friend, Quinn, around whom some crucial events in Water Rat revolve, is a Shawnee, not a Lenape. It is noted that Quinn is alone: his tribe has moved westward. We usually think of the Shawnee as a midwestern and western tribe, but they originally resided in the Ohio Valley as well as in portions of West Virginia and Pennsylvania (including the regions later known as Delaware). An Algonquian tribe, the Shawnee were driven from these areas in the mid-to-late seventeenth century, apparently by the Iroquois, who were then in the process of defeating and assimilating other tribes in the region. Little is known about the specific reasons for the Shawnees' expulsion from their homelands, but presumably their ongoing wars with the Iroquois forced them to leave. They moved their settlements towards the south and midwest but did not surrender their claims to the eastern territory, returning often to hunt. A group of Shawnee who had migrated to Illinois after the Iroquois wars soon left the area and headed into Eastern Maryland, where they were found by a Lenape (Delaware) hunting party. The Lenape, using their influence as "grandfathers," persuaded the Shawnee to move up to Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley and settle there, intervening with the Iroquois to ensure their safety. Thus, many of Quinn's people (and most likely Quinn himself) were able to remain close to their homelands for a few decades. By the time of Water Rat, however, the Shawnee had been pushed out again-this time by the white settlers. In 1737 the colony of Pennsylvania cheated the Lenape out of their remaining land in the Lehigh Valley, and with the Lenape debilitated and forced (for the most part) to move on, the Shawnee had to leave as well. Quinn was living apart from his people and his culture but had chosen to stay in what he considered his native land despite the isolation he must have felt. Although he dies early in the story, he is a forceful character, one who has a profound (and continuing) effect on his friend Matt. Today there are no more than 1,500 Native Americans living in Delaware, according to Dennis Fradin (The Delaware Colony), and few of those are related to the tribes who lived there three and four hundred years ago. The Europeans Arrive Henry Hudson, in the service of the Dutch East India Company, sailed into what is now called Delaware Bay in 1609. He was the first European known to have visited the area. The following year, a British captain, Sir Samuel Argall, entered into the same bay while en route to Virginia. He named the bay after Baron De la Warr, then governor of Virginia; the name was later spelled Delaware. The Dutch and English contested the region from the time of its discovery. In 1631, under the sponsorship of the Dutch West India Company, Dutch settled Zwaanendael ("Valley of the Swans") near the present-day town of Lewes. They established a good relationship with the local Lenape, who hoped that the Dutch would become their allies against a rival tribe. Zwaanendael's future was looking bright, but just one unfortunate incident between the two cultures led to a tragedy. The Lenape were largely unfamiliar with metal, and any metal object was of great interest to them. A young Lenape took a tin shield, bearing a coat of arms, from the stake on which it was mounted outside the Dutch fort. So outraged were the colonists by this theft that they put great pressure upon the chief of the young man's village to punish him. The chief, anxious to appease the settlers (whom he wanted as allies), had the young man put to death. In the Lenape tradition of vengeance, his shocked and angry friends retaliated by attacking the colonists and destroying the settlement of Zwaanendael. In 1637Ð38 Peter Minuit led two ships in a joint venture of the Netherlands and Sweden to establish the first permanent European settlement in Delaware, Fort Christina, named in honor of the Queen of Sweden. This settlement was built on the site of modern Wilmington. The Dutch soon withdrew from this project to focus on their settlement of New Amsterdam on the Hudson River. However, Dutch interest in this region of Delaware remained strong, and in 1651, Peter Stuyvesant, governor of New Netherlands, established Fort Casimir on the Delaware River at present-day New Castle. The Swedes captured Fort Casimir three years later, but Peter Stuyvesant regained it in 1655 and also managed to seize Fort Christina. This marked the destruction of Sweden's power base in the New World, though the Swedish colonists kept their property and continued to practice their Lutheran faith. The English gained control of the Dutch holdings in 1664, but the Dutch again recaptured these outposts for a short time in 1673. During this period they set up three district courts that initiated Delaware's division into three counties. The next year, the English took back control and governed until the American Revolution. The duke of York (later James II) annexed the region to New York, land granted him earlier by Charles II. In 1682 the duke of York transferred his claim to William Penn, who had no access to the ocean from his new colony of Pennsylvania. The three counties of Delaware thus became the three lower counties of Pennsylvania: New Castle, Sussex, and Kent. The inhabitants of Delaware were not happy at this turn of events, because they considered the Pennsylvania Quakers "radicals" and they did not want to have their affairs settled in far-away Philadelphia. Incidents in Water Rat reflect the real and constant conflict between the Delaware colonists and the Philadelphia Quakers regarding the use of force to protect settlements and to keep the waterways safe for commerce. When the three counties were promised the right to separate assembly, they finally accepted the Penn Charter in 1701. Delaware remained largely autonomous until the Revolution. Although there were many loyalists in Delaware just prior to the American Revolution, the colony supported independence, with two of its three delegates to the Continental Congress voting for independence. Delaware signed the Declaration of Independence and in 1776 became a state (the second smallest of the present fifty). In 1787 it became the first state to ratify the new Constitution of the United States. Matt's World: Life in the Delaware Colony The world of the Delaware colony as Matt, the protagonist of Water Rat, knew it was both limited and rough. The climate of the Chesapeake region was hot and humid, always a breeding ground for epidemics (such as cholera and malaria) that swept through the colonies on a regular basis, killing entire families. The mortality rate was high, running from 25 to 50 percent depending on time and place, and the average life expectancy would have been about 45 years. In her book on colonial America, Dale Taylor points out that statistics for this period are difficult to interpret and vary widely. A large number of women died in childbirth or of childbirth-related illnesses, and a similar number of infants died at (or shortly after) birth. There were many orphans in the Chesapeake area, especially in the early days of colonization, who were customarily sent away to live with relatives. However, as an orphan without living relatives, Matt had virtually no rights and no protection under either the laws or the customs of the colony. Since he received none of the help and concern one might have expected his parents' friends and neighbors to offer, indentured servitude would have been probably the best and most likely means of survival for a boy in Matt's position. As an indentured servant, he would have worked long and hard for no pay but with the knowledge that he would at least have room and board and that when his contract was up, he would, unlike the slave Mingo, be completely free. However, as both an indentured servant and a child, he would have been regarded by the law as property, not as a person. Matt himself was not indentured; he simply received room and board in exchange for hard labor. Indentured servitude was a common part of colonial life-it was, in fact, the means by which many immigrants were able to afford the trip from Europe to America. People would pay for their passage on a ship by signing an "indenture" with the captain, who would then sell it to a colonist on arrival in America. By signing an indenture, you were essentially signing away your labor and your time for a specified number of years. You were, like a slave, not legally "free," although unlike a slave, you knew that this situation would last only for a predetermined time. Nonetheless, there were some parallels between the life of an indentured servant and that of a slave. Neither had any social or legal rights, and both could be physically exploited and abused with impunity by their masters. When slaves were first brought to the colonies in the seventeenth century, they were sold as indentures; this process gradually evolved to the point that slavery became legally established, though in the meantime some communities of free blacks formed in the colonies. Indentured servants who ran away or attempted to evade the terms of their contracts could, in some colonies, have their periods of service doubled. In other colonies, they could legally be punished with death. Masters often regarded slaves as being more of an investment than indentured servants because a servant only belonged to you for a few years, but a slave and that slave's children were yours for a lifetime. Also, indentures arriving in this country had an especially high mortality rate-exposure to unfamiliar local diseases combined with relentless physical labor (as well as poor food, housing, and clothing) was lethal to many of them. Often, their masters would have preferred to acquire colony-born slaves. Eli was cruel to both Mingo and Matt, although he probably regarded Mingo as the more valuable piece of property. The farmers and landowners of Delaware prospered during the 1700s, making the most of the colony's bountiful natural resources. Many landowners relied on slave labor for the success of their farms. The Dutch had begun shipping slaves to Delaware as early as the 1760s, and the practice became entrenched over the course of the next century despite the strong opposition of some colonists. During this period, the concept of childhood was very different than it is now. The way that Matt was treated, prior to meeting the Campbells, would have raised far fewer eyebrows than it would today. "Childhood" as we now know it (as a time in which a child is, in theory at least, protected by adults and free of adult responsibilities) was a relatively short period, usually ending at around age five or six. This was the point at which most children, except for those of the very wealthy, were expected to assume substantial responsibilities and roles within the family. At this age, boys were "breeched," taken out of the tunics or dresses they had worn since birth and given breeches to wear. Their hair, usually grown long until this point, would be cut off (or shaved), and they might be fitted for wigs, though this could depend on social status. Matt, even if he had not been orphaned, would almost certainly not have worn a wig on a regular basis. By the age of six, children were already helping out with chores and learning such skills as knitting. Adults felt less sentimental about the nature of childhood and, in some cases, perhaps, less compassion towards the very young. It wasn't economically feasible to do so-children's help was needed in most areas of domestic life. Most household goods and much clothing had to be made from scratch, and all foods had to be grown (or raised) and prepared. (Tracy Barrett's Growing Up in Colonial America describes the role a child would play in the process of making a simple linen shirt, from planting and growing the flax to finally stitching the garment.) Household work done by children might include caring for younger siblings, helping to make soap and candles, cooking, weaving, sewing, tending to livestock, and working in the fields or gardens. Many of the games and sports children played in eighteenth-century North America are still played by children today. Skating, wrestling, and boxing were popular, as were hopscotch, marbles, Blind Man's Bluff, and hide and seek. Board games like backgammon and dominoes were also played, often with the deliberate goal of teaching thinking skills. Schooling was a haphazard experience for many children, and there was not much in the way of organized education (below the university level) in the colonies during Matt's childhood. The Quakers ran some public grammar schools, offering instruction in such subjects as writing, account-keeping, mathematics, grammar, and navigation and surveying. For the most part, however, the course your early education took was a matter of luck and social class. If you were a boy, you might learn to read and to do some math as part of your apprenticeship to a trade. You would learn these (and other "basic" skills) to the extent that they were necessary to your job. Job requirements could range from the most primitive to extremely sophisticated, depending on the work. If you were a girl, you would be taught reading and embroidery at home, assuming there was someone to teach you. You would also acquire a variety of household skills, from dyeing or cleaning fabrics to making cleaning solutions and even medicines. Those children, male and female, whose parents could afford it might be tutored at home, and their education would include some instruction in Greek and Latin. The Bible was the one book found in most households or communities, and it was thus a basic textbook. Higher education was not considered a necessity nor was it affordable to most of the population. During the first half of the eighteenth century, an average of fifty people (men) per year graduated from universities in the colonies. Many males completed apprenticeships and took up careers in textiles, woodworking/carpentry, pottery, metalworking, navigation/shipping, leatherworking, and other necessary businesses. They might also become fishermen or merchant sailors or work farms for themselves or for others. The colonists who made up Matt's world were mostly Scotch-Irish farmers, fishermen, and merchants. It might be interesting to speculate on Matt's future. Would he stay connected to the marshes somehow, or, if he continued to live with the Campbells, take up a more genteel occupation? As students learn more about the colonial period, speculation about the past and future lives of characters in Water Rat will provide fuel for many rich discussions on a variety of social, historical, and other topics. Sources Consulted for This Section Include: *Barrett, Tracy. Growing Up in Colonial America. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press, 1995. *Fradin, Dennis. The Delaware Colony. Chicago: Children's Press, 1992. *Hakim, Joy. From Colonies to Country. "A History of US" series, Book 3. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993. *Kent, Deborah. America the Beautiful: Delaware. America the Beautiful series. New York: Children's Press, 1991. Sultzman, Lee. "Shawnee History," one of a projected set of "compact tribal histories" which can be found at http://dickshovel.netgate.net/shaw.html Taylor, Dale. The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in Colonial America.
Cincinnati: Writer's Digest Books, 1997. |
| Knowledge: List all the events you can think of that led to Matt's seeking refuge with the Campbell family. |
| Comprehension: In this story, Matt both fears and hates Eli yet continues to stay with him. Why is this so? |
| Application: How does Matt demonstrate to Tom his superior knowledge of the creek and the marsh area? |
| Analysis: How does the author's description of the pirate captain make him appear so menacing that you can feel Matt's terror? |
| Synthesis: Matt struggles with his feelings throughout the story. His relationships affect him deeply. Describe one such relationship. |
| Evaluation: Suppose you were Matt. What would you consider your greatest triumph in this story? |
| Pre-reading Activity and Introduction to Chapter Reviews As a pre-reading
activity to motivate and involve students, discuss the colonial period with
the class to determine their understanding of the times during which the
story takes place. Encourage them to discuss other books they have read
about this period.
Water Rat Chapter Reviews: Introduction Students vary widely in background and experience. Since Water Rat takes place in another time and culture, some of its terms and vocabulary may be unfamiliar to the young reader. However, many of these words will be readily understood in the context of the story as it unfolds. The section that follows contains a synopsis of each chapter, a list of vocabulary, and questions to encourage discussion and critical thinking. Encourage your students to use words that are unfamiliar in sentences (after they look up their meanings in a dictionary). To deepen their understanding, let them ask their own questions and explore issues. |
| Water Rat begins in colonial Delaware in the year 1748. Matt, a fourteen-year-old
orphan with a limp, is gathering wood and desperately trying to stay out
of the way of his master, the drunken tavern keeper Eli. When a fearful
Matt stumbles and drops the logs, Eli kicks him in the side with his heavy
boot.
After a while, Matt rises and stacks the scattered logs by the fireplace. Then he straightens the tavern, which has been left in disarray by the rough group of trappers who have been in the night before. When Mingo, a black man who is Eli's slave, comes in, he offers sympathy to Matt about the rough treatment. Matt hints that he might not stay around much longer. Mingo cautions him about being foolish, and the two continue with their chores. When a stranger comes into the tavern to discuss business, Eli gives Matt and Mingo the rest of the day off.
|
Vocabulary
| limped | dawdling | glared |
| tremors | belched | helter skelter |
| glanced | stomped | paneling |
| fetching | pewter | platter |
| waterman | trapper | departed |
| startled | flicker |
Discussion Questions
Predicting Outcomes
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Mingo helps Matt take his skiff out but declines an invitation to go fishing. Both are puzzled by Eli's decision to give them the afternoon off. Matt's idyllic time on the river is shattered when two boys on the dock call him "Water Rat." With hurt feelings, Matt rows on, yearning to stay with his only other friend, Quinn, an Indian who lives in an old shack hidden in the marsh. He glides past Dr. Campbell's house, "Journey's End," on Campbell's Creek. Matt continues to enjoy the April sunshine and catches a large shad. When the sun goes down, the fog rolls in and a large ship appears suddenly, moving slowly in the fog, and then suddenly disappears. |
Vocabulary
| dingy | coasting | scanning |
| skiff | tilted | oarlocks |
| gear | hummocks | sloops |
| portside | navigated | guffawed |
| receded | silhouetted | bartering |
| jibs | bows | prit |
| mainsail | wake | shad |
Discussion Questions
Predicting Outcomes
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After his experiences with the mysterious ship and the fog, a shaken Matt returns to the tavern, fearing the worst from Eli. Matt is surprised when Eli suggests that they eat the shad for supper. After Mingo, Matt, and Eli finish eating, Eli goes down into the root cellar, where Matt and Mingo are not allowed. Matt tells Mingo about the large ship appearing suddenly out of the fog. Mingo relates a local tale about a ghost ship and cautions Matt against telling anyone about the mysterious ship he has seen.
|
| trudged | slope | peg |
| shad | sniggered | filleted |
| knob | skillet | rivulets |
| stubbled | rickety | lye |
| duel | cruising | herb |
| amulet | pallet |
Discussion Questions
Predicting Outcomes
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When Matt enters the general store with a list of items to get for Eli, Mr. Hazard, the proprietor, is waiting on Mrs. Campbell, the surgeon's wife. After she leaves the store, Matt hears a scream. He rushes outside in time to save Mrs. Campbell from a dreadful accident when her frightened horse rears. A grateful Mrs. Campbell promises Matt that she and her husband will help him if he ever needs it. He has only to come to their home, "Journey's End."
|
| gusting | swirls | picket |
| shingles | resembled | sturgeon |
| trout | perch | ginger |
| nutmeg | cloves | mace |
| rafters | harness | molasses |
| calico | homespun | linen |
| lard | sprouted | spectacles |
| annex | hind | hooves |
| plunged | traces | bridle |
| lunged | bolted | weavers |
| apologized | spooked | jeered |
Discussion Questions
Predicting Outcomes
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Eli, in a drunken rage, orders Matt to stop his tavern chores and take out his skiff in order to satisfy Eli's craving for fresh fish. Once out on the water, Matt decides to go down the twisting waterways of Indian Gut to visit his friend Quinn in the marsh. Matt asks Quinn to allow Matt to live with him in order to get away from Eli. Quinn is reluctant, saying that he might leave and follow the rest of his people, the Shawnee. When Matt tells Quinn about the strange ship he saw in the fog, Quinn warns Matt of the dangers of the marsh. Quinn calls Matt's attention to an eagle soaring overhead. They both watch the eagle in silence.
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| propped | askew | hankering |
| impulse | reaches | thatched |
| roof | ramshackle | glade |
| scrub | oak | musty |
| ash | currents |
Discussion Questions
Predicting Outcomes
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|
To avoid an oncoming storm, Mr. Barrett, a tannery owner, stops at the tavern. He removes his heavy saddle bags before Matt stables his horse. Eli is pleased to have so fine a gentleman in his tavern and acts in a very hospitable manner. Mr. Barrett drinks heavily and finally passes out, slumped over the table. When Matt awakens later that night, he sees a light that shines from the tavern window. He peers in through the window and sees Eli removing gold from Mr. Barrett's pouch. When lightning flashes at the window, Eli looks up and sees that Matt is a witness to the robbery. An enraged Eli runs after Matt, cursing and threatening him as he runs. Matt flees in the storm, escaping in his skiff, with Eli's threats echoing in his ears.
|
| humid | thunderheads | loomed |
| waistcoat | presumed | cravat |
| brandy | stall | tannery |
Discussion Questions
Predicting Outcomes
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Last night's terror fills Matt's thoughts. He will never go back to the tavern. Exhausted and starving, Matt remembers Mrs. Campbell's promise to him. As he heads for Journey's End, vultures circle overhead. He is met with a hostile and suspicious reception from the Campbells' son, Tom. Mrs. Campbell's coachman, Sam, arrives at the scene and assures Tom that Matt had indeed saved Mrs. Campbell's life and that she has offered to help Matt if ever he needs it.
|
| prickle | instinctively | dugout |
| vulture | doggedly | sauntered |
| foredeck | pangs | optimism |
| wharf | liquor | consciousness |
| piling | squaring | windlass |
| bedraggled | hesitated | suspicious |
Discussion Questions
Predicting Outcomes
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Mrs. Campbell comes out of the house to greet Matt and, dismayed by his appearance, insists that he be given a bath and some clean clothes before he comes into the house. She requests that Tom supply Matt with some of his outgrown clothing. A clean and presentable Matt is about to join the family in the dining room when Mrs. Campbell tells him that he is to eat in the kitchen, as only the family eats in the dining room. Later, an exhausted Matt sleeps fitfully in a small room under the eaves of the Campbell house. |
| descending | blurt | snagged |
| evaded | burly | resentment |
| conscious | britches | mutton |
| whetted | ajar | retreated |
| shrilled | exhausted | eaves |
| landing | muffled | indistinctly |
| vaguely |
Discussion Questions
Predicting Outcomes
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|
When Matt goes downstairs the next morning, he overhears two male voices discussing the marauding pirates who threaten the safety and peace of mind of New Castle. The pirates had nothing to fear from the peaceful Quakers, and they were taking advantage of that fact. Letty, the Campbells' daughter, is very friendly and introduces herself to Matt. When Dr. Campbell enters the room he greets Matt warmly and makes him feel welcome. After the Campbells leave the house, Matt takes some food and puts it into a bundlehe plans to take enough food to last a while and stay with Quinn. He leaves Journey's End in his skiff and arrives at Quinn's to find that his friend has been shot in the head and is dead in the water by his dugout. A vulture circles overhead as Matt lowers Quinn's dugout canoe to cover his dead friend's body. Matt heads back to Journey's End to enlist Dr. Campbell's help in burying Quinn. |
| maneuvered | balefully | cumbersomely |
| emphasis | plunder | raptly |
| blackguards | peace-abiding | stocky |
| murmur | majestically | billowing |
| beckoning | bulges | stern |
| horizontally | spasm | spewed |
| contorted | grimace | ebbed |
| prow |
Discussion Questions
Predicting Outcomes
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|
An angry Tom tackles Matt and calls him a thief when he returns to Journey's End. Dr. Campbell appears on the scene and orders Tom to stop fighting. When Dr. Campbell asks Matt to tell him what the matter is, the distraught boy pours out the story of finding Quinn's body. Dr. Campbell reassures Matt that he has done the right thing by returning to Journey's End for help. Since Quinn's death is a murder, Dr. Campbell sends Tom off to fetch the sheriff. Matt can only reply "I don't know" when Dr. Campbell asks him why he stole the food and ran away. He then tells Matt to take the food from the boat and give it to Maria before it spoils. After he has attended to a patient, Dr. Campbell makes plans with Matt to go back to the marsh and bury the body. The field hand, Cato, brings news of a fire in the marsh, and Matt realizes that it is Quinn's hut that's on fire. |
| straddled | impact | sternly |
| belligerent | reluctantly | heaves |
| sullenness | lark | glimmer |
| pursued | migrated | prying |
| clenched | arrogant | scythes |
| pianoforte | harvesting |
Discussion Questions
Predicting Outcomes
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Matt, Dr. Campbell, and Sam set out to recover and bury Quinn's body. They sail in the shallop and trail the skiff behind to use in the narrows. A black column of vultures swirls overhead as they approach the spot where Quinn's body lies in the water. Dr. Campbell tells Matt to guard the shallop while he and Sam retrieve Quinn's remains in the skiff. There is very little left of the decayed body, so Quinn is buried in his dugout in the marsh waters while Matt, Sam, and Dr. Campbell observe a moment of silence. Matt looks towards the sky for an eagle to carry Quinn's soul to the heavens. |
| hoisting | tarp | musket |
| yonder | hauled | pallor |
| raucous | hovered | protruding |
| scuttled | ballast | ruffling |
|
Discussion Questions
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Matt helps with the last of the harvesting after returning from Quinn's burial. Dr. and Mrs. Campbell questioned Matt about his reason for stealing the food and about his relationship with Eli. After hearing his story, they then ask Matt to stay on at Journey's End. |
| lashed | abruptly | mahogany |
| secretary | dominated | expectantly |
| indentured | respond | tenant |
| shifted |
Discussion Questions
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Matt overhears Cato telling Quash that a whippoorwill is a spirit "wailin' for all the things he's left undone in life." Dr. Campbell examines Matt's shriveled leg and explains that it has atrophied and that there is no way to repair the damage. Dr. Campbell urges Matt to bear up, telling him that there are worse things in life and that he should be thankful for his good health and make the best of it. In dismay, he leaves the doctor's office and runs into Letty, who tells him she is glad that he's staying at Journey's End. She offers to teach him a tune on the pianoforte to cheer him up, but he declines. Letty shows him a secret hidey-hole, in which the family hides valuables, near the fireplace. |
| interludes | alternating | sawhorses |
| mourning | grieving | soberly |
| threshing | probed | flexing |
| atrophied | absorbing | fret |
| dismissed | approached | eavesdropping |
| springhouse | hidey-hole | valuables |
| rudeness | indicated | reeded |
| pilaster | chimney | breast |
| expressive |
Discussion Questions
Predicting Outcomes
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The constant rain is making everyone irritable. Sam observes to Matt that the master's son (Tom) doesn't like him, and Matt responds that he doesn't like the master's son, either. Dr. Campbell tells Matt that he will talk to Eli the next time he's in town. Dr. Campbell is sure that Eli will understand Matt's situation, but Matt knows better. Dr. Campbell and Sheriff Evans are discussing the problems that the colonists are having in forming a defense to protect the coast against pirates. The Quakers refuse on religious grounds to pay their share of the cost of forming a local militia. The conversation turns to Quinn's death, and Matt hides in order to listen as Dr. Campbell explains the sequence of events at Journey's End and the details surrounding Quinn's death, as well as Matt's relationship to Quinn. The sheriff then tells the doctor that Mr. Barrett, the tannery owner, has written him a letter complaining of being robbed at Eli's tavern. When Eli was confronted, he accused Matt. When he hears this, Matt is sure that no one will believe him, and he hides from the sheriff. |
| irritable | plank | scowled |
| card (verb) | span | flailed |
| chaff | admitted | situation |
| militia | undefended | reputation |
| revenge | abused | predecessor |
| clatter | panic | scapegoat |
Discussion Questions
Predicting Outcomes
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Matt hides in the attic storage room in order to avoid being questioned by the sheriff. Tom searches for Matt in the crowded attic, with no success. Matt remains hidden until he can venture back to his room. Under cover of darkness, he attempts to slip from the house, when he is caught by Tom. Dr. Campbell appears on the scene and helps Tom apprehend Matt. Dr. Campbell questions Matt about the robbery, and Matt defends himself, retelling the story of Eli's treachery. He explains that he witnessed the robbery. Dr. Campbell believes Matt and makes plans to join the sheriff in confronting Eli when Mr. Barrett arrives. Matt decides to stay on at Journey's End. |
| attuned | recess | suffocated |
| filtered | cast-offs | hodge-podge |
| jutting | shallow | indentation |
| launched | frantic | gloom |
| crate | materialized | passed |
Discussion Questions
Predicting Outcomes
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Tom continues to torment Matt, even calling him "Water Rat." A neighbor, Mr. Pratt, arrives and seeks Dr. Campbell to aid in the delivery of his child. Dr. Campbell and Tom have gone to town on business, so Mrs. Campbell leaves Lucinda and the baby with the neighboring Carpenter family and takes Maria with her so that she can help with Mrs. Pratt's delivery. Matt is to care for the girls, Letty and Prudence. Shortly after Mrs. Campbell's departure, Quash breathlessly arrives at the house to inform everyone that pirates have come ashore. Matt remembers the hidey-hole and the girls are quickly hidden there. Quash attempts to hide in the cornfield but is captured. Matt creeps under the doctor's desk to await the intruders. |
| hissed | seethed | avoid |
| merged | barley | rye |
| smokehouse | fodder | penned |
| culled | milling | hoe |
| proclaimed | blundered | mantelpiece |
| concealed | wailing | sniveling |
| adjusted | glimpse | positioned |
| scrambled |
Discussion Questions
Predicting Outcomes
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The pirates, finding the door locked, know that someone is inside the house and shortly come upon Matt. They question him about the whereabouts of the family. They ransack the house and throw the Bible into the fireplace. The captain asks Matt if Dr. Campbell is a surgeon, and, when Matt says yes, vows that he and his men will return for the doctor. Accompanied by Matt, the pirates carry their booty towards the shore. On their way, they slaughter a calf. While attempting to place it in the sloop, Matt loses his balance and the calf sinks into the creek. The annoyed captain decides to leave the clumsy Matt behind and sails away. |
| tread | reverberating | boisterously |
| thudding | erupted | winced |
| wavering pewter | ransack | brandishing |
| gimpy | porcelain | scornfully |
| temple | jawline | quivering |
| capered | swarthy | anguished |
| shambles |
Discussion Questions
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Matt escapes from the pirates, all because he lost his balance and let go of the calf. Vowing to return for the doctor, the pirates set sail. Matt returns to the house and releases the grateful girls from the hidey-hole. Cato returns as do Dr. Campbell and Tom. Dr. Campbell thanks Matt for his quick thinking. He expresses concern for Quash's life when Matt tells him that Quash has been kidnapped by the pirates. The rest of the inhabitants of Journey's End all gather for a prayer of thanksgiving. |
| rigid | rampage | high-tailed |
| dismounted | swatted | deeds |
| outbuildings | cautioning | parlor |
| retrieved | intoned | concentrate |
Discussion Questions
Predicting Outcomes
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Dr. Campbell returns from town with news of another pirate raid. He also has guns and ammunition ready in anticipation of the pirates' return. Dr. Campbell instructs Matt in the use of the musket. Matt now realizes that the ghost ship is the pirates' ship, and he understands the reason for Quinn's death. Matt tells Dr. Campbell that the pirate captain has said they will return for the surgeon. Dr. Campbell believes that they will return and suggests that since Matt knows the waterways so well, he would be a good scout. |
| curtly | prime | flintlock |
| complicated | procedure | dismay |
| recounted |
Discussion Questions
Predicting Outcomes
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When the sheriff arrives, Matt's fears return. Dr. Campbell finds Matt and reassures him, saying that the sheriff is there because of the pirate raid. Tom appears to be more friendly towards Matt, and Mrs. Campbell invites him to join the family in the dining room. Matt continues to go crabbing, and he keeps a watchful eye for the pirate sloop. Mr. Marvel from Sherburn hears Matt's tale of the pirates' raid, and he then tells similar tales of the pirates' evil deeds. The men make plans to get help for their community. |
| resumed | vantage | demanded |
| uproar | tallying | determination |
| taunts | prospect | awkward |
| goal | horizon | gaunt |
| bushel | scrabbling | introduced |
| fortify | drafted | grisly |
| crabbing |
Discussion Questions
Predicting Outcomes
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The hot, sleepless nights bring memories of Quinn to Matt. Tom and Matt have grown surprisingly closer since the pirates' raid. Good news arrives, announcing that the governor has promised to send a warship to rout the marauding pirates. Weeks pass without the ship's arrival. Dr. Campbell is angry because the Assembly keeps making promises on which it doesn't deliver. While out fishing, Matt observes an eagle, which reminds him of Quinn. When he glances down Herring Creek, he spots the pirate sloop. |
| charred | jammed | nestled |
| nicked | feathered | tidings |
| sympathy | lashing | confounded |
| debris | soared | mirage |
| gliding | sinister |
Discussion Questions
Predicting Outcomes
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Dr. Campbell is out on an emergency call, so Matt shares with Tom his news about finding the pirate ship. Tom wants to go with Matt to discover how the pirate sloop got down the creek. Convinced his father will never let him go because it's too dangerous, Tom persuades Matt to say that they are going fishing. A troubled Matt lies in bed and wonders whether the whippoorwill and the eagle are messengers from Quinn. |
| overwhelming | suspended | gesturing |
| eerily | intently | twilight |
| tang |
Discussion Questions
Predicting Outcomes
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Spotting the pirate sloop, the boys are puzzled as to how the large ship can maneuver in such a narrow space. Catching the reflection of a shiny object, they investigate and discover the pirates' secret. They come upon a large raft, which the pirates conceal with marsh grass and which can be moved aside to allow the pirate sloop to go in and out on a high tide. After they find the shiny object, which is a gold coin, Matt and Tom hastily depart as the water rises. |
| sprawled | flats | egret |
| daintily | stalked | scanned |
| threaded | hastily | relaxed |
| lapsed | meandered | retraced |
| violently | route | familiar |
| tyke | wedged | fumbled |
| hefted | estuary |
|
Discussion Questions
Predicting Outcomes
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With the news of the discovery of the pirates' hideaway, Dr. Campbell instructs Tom to ride to Appoquinimink with a message informing the authorities of the discovery. Tom returns in late afternoon, with word that Captain Howard and his warship will arrive the next day and that the captain wants the boys to guide him to the pirates' lair. Dr. Campbell decides that Matt will go and Tom will stay with the family. While Tom is rounding up the runaway horses, Matt sees a small boat headed for the dock. |
| expedition | performed | alerting |
| mucking | flushed |
Discussion Questions
Predicting Outcomes
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Mingo informs Matt that Eli is in cahoots with the pirates. Eli has exchanged information about shipping with the stranger who had appeared often at the bar for cargoes and whiskey. Mingo is worried that Eli will tell the stranger about the warship and that he, in turn, will alert the pirates, and they will escape. |
| skirting | cahoots | astonishment |
| reassured | account | alarming |
| slightest | distressed | gingham |
| perched | ambush | intercept |
| depressing | tiller | thwacked |
| gaping |
|
Discussion Questions
Predicting Outcomes
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After Matt sinks the lone pirate's small boat, he returns to Journey's End and finds that Tom has been injured and is unconscious. Dr. Campbell will not be able to leave his son, so Matt will have to open the entrance to the channel by himself. Letty offers to help, and for the first time since his father died, Matt's loneliness lifts. |
| vanished | casting | rendezvous |
| threshold | unconscious | concussion |
| collapsing | relieved | savored |
| dissolve |
Discussion Questions
Predicting Outcomes
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Dr. Campbell, Matt rows to the warship and picks up Captain Howard in his skiff. The captain directs Matt to where his armed men are waiting in boats. As Matt leads the flotilla up the creek, he tells the captain about Eli, and the captain vows to question the tavern keeper. With great difficulty, Matt clears the entrance to the channel. Captain Howard transfers to another boat and leads the sailors to do battle with the pirates. As Matt waits, the cannons roar, and shouting fills the air. Soon the triumphant sailors return with their pirate prisoners, including the pirates who had raided Journey's End. |
| stashed | extinguished | grate |
| bulwarks | vessels | confident |
| muster | identical | doused |
| swiveled | suppressed | anticipation |
| cautiously | retrieved | convoy |
| flotilla | phosphorescent | makeshift |
| forlorn | staccato | swarm |
| salvo | glint |
Discussion Questions
Predicting Outcomes
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Captain Howard arrives at Journey's End to congratulate Matt and to inform the Campbells that the pirates are prisoners. He presents Matt with two pistols taken from the pirate captain and assures the Campbells that Quash has been found. The sheriff brings in Eli, who admits spying for the pirates but denies robbing Mr. Barrett. Unafraid, Matt gives details of the robbery, and Eli finally confesses and is taken away. The Campbells urge Matt to stay with them, and Matt realizes that he has reached his own journey's end. |
| shimmering | swayed | tricorn |
| cache | callused | furtively |
| disreputable | incredible | beamed |
| conviction |
Discussion Questions
Predicting Outcomes
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This section extends the young reader's scope by providing learning activities that promote creativity, problem solving, and critical thinking abilities. Suggestions are included for independent study on topics of special interest to the child that grow out of reading Water Rat. |
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One: It is the year 1750. You are an orphan living in a run-down section of London with an elderly aunt who is your only living relative. Your aunt has taken care of you since your parents died six years ago. Now that you are fourteen, you must seek your own way. You are glum because for several weeks you've been looking for work but to no avail. You pause to read a poster on the wall of a tavern near the seaport. The poster tells about the opportunities in the colonies for young men and women who will sign on as indentured servants. The terms of the agreement call for seven years of service. Your passage will be paid on a ship sailing in a fortnight. You will learn a trade, be given room and board, and be paid a small salary. This salary will be held and given to you when you leave the service of your master after the agreed-upon number of years have been completed. It sounds like a good venture, since you have to make your own way in the world. Yet you hesitate, because stories have been drifting back from the colonies that many indentured servants never even reach the New World but die on the terrible sea voyage, during which they live in horrible conditions. Those who do survive often have their wages confiscated so that they leave service with very little but the clothes on their backs. Help solve the dilemma. Should you remain in London or try to seek fame and fortune in the New World? How can fair treatment be assured before embarking on the journey? Two: Matt has been living in security and comfort with the Campbell family for several years after the capture of the pirates. One day a messenger brings a letter from an uncle in Boston whom he didn't know existed. It seems that this uncle, Samuel Carpenter, has long been seeking Matt's whereabouts. His uncle is a very wealthy shipowner and wants Matt to come to Boston, attend a fine school, and eventually take over his shipping business. Though it sounds exciting and Matt thinks it is wonderful to have a blood relative, he is loath to leave the Campbells, whom he has come to love. Dr. Campbell points out all the advantages of this unexpected opportunity and suggests that Matt think about it. They love him like a son, but they do not want to stand in his way when opportunity beckons. What should Matt do? |
Be a Trouble Shooter Worksheet
Interdisciplinary Activities
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Water Rat presents a colonial American theme around which teachers can plan interdisciplinary learning activities at various ability and talent levels and in multiple areas of interest. The following suggested activities enable students to follow through on experiences independently, with a partner, or in a small group. Students can practice sharing ideas and seeing the viewpoints of others. The major content focus is drawn from the arts, science, math, and the social sciences. Activities are fused with the language arts to help students integrate factual knowledge with creative expression and problem solving. Students can involve themselves in many areas of skill development, thus enhancing and deepening their learning. Language Arts Journal Writing Travelers in colonial times endured many hardships. Write entries in your journal describing your journey from New Haven, Connecticut, to Fast Landing in Delaware. Tell about the different modes of travel you used, stops you made on the way, and the different people you met. Skills: Use details and personal experiences to convey information in journal writing; personal response to literatureThink of how alone Matt often felt during the story. Write a journal entry about a time when you felt alone. What was happening to you? Why did you feel that way? Skills: Use details and personal experiences to convey information in journal writing; personal response to literatureJob-Offer Letter You are the proprietor of an inn on a much-traveled route between Philadelphia and New Castle. You are in great need of reliable help. Write a letter to a young cousin persuading him or her to come and work with you helping to run the establishment. Make your offer attractive but give a realistic view of what daily life in the inn is like. Skills: Present information clearly in letter format.Geography You work as a surveyor for the Dutch East India Company. You have been asked to get people to come to the New World and settle in Delaware. You have explored the area and surrounding region, charting the waterways and drawing maps for the company. You know from personal experience that the climate is mild and the land is fertile. The forests are abundant; the waterways are extensive, and there is plentiful sea life. Using your knowledge of the geographical conditions of this region, write an advertisement that will convince people to leave their homes in Holland and move to the New World. Before you begin this task, you may want to consult atlases, encyclopedias, and other resources. Skills: Gather information from various sources, investigate, select and relate ideas.Locate a map of the Middle Atlantic states in an atlas or encyclopedia. List all the major waterways you see. Create your own map of the region, highlighting these waterways. Next, locate major towns and cities. Where are these populations located in relation to the rivers and waterways? Do some research, gathering data on reasons why towns grew and prospered in certain locations. Teach a lesson with your map and research. Skills: Gather and interpret information from reference works and maps; select appropriate information and present clearly in oral form. Pretend you work for the Chamber of Commerce in the state of Delaware. Design a brochure that explains why modern industries should locate their businesses in the state. Why is Delaware such a desirable location? Skills: Gather, interpret, select and relate information in a concise form designed to persuade.History If time travel were possible and you were a reporter for Time magazine, whom would you choose to interview as "Person of the Year"? The colonial era has been selected and the Person of the Year candidates are listed below. William Penn Write a biographical sketch of your choice. You may add to this list and you may have to do some research, as some of the candidates are not as well known as others. Skills: Select a focus, gather information, and present clearly from a particular point of view; use details, anecdotes, and examples to produce an informative and accurate sketch.Math Early Money Due to harsh British regulations, Delaware and the other colonies faced a currency shortage. They were not allowed to mint their own coins, and the export of British coins to British colonies was also forbidden. Foreign coins were used whenever possible. The colonists owed great debts to their British creditors. It was not until the Revolution that the Assembly authorized the printing of paper notes, and later the Second Continental Congress authorized an issue of $3,000,000 in currency. By the late 1700s, coins were used for the majority of transactions, but money was in short supply. By 1796, the young U.S. Treasury had issued coinage in a variety of denominations, some of which no longer exist. These denominations were: half cent Using only these denominations, list the coins you would use to purchase the following items: (Rule: Use the fewest possible coins for each item.)
Brainstorm more items (and their fictitious prices) with the class to continue the activity. Skills: Gather information and make effective use of details to evaluate and determine worth of items.Music Water Rat is to be made into a musical. Using a familiar tune, write the lyrics to a song, and explain at what point in the story it should be sung. Skills: Understand elements of literature and use them to create a song.People in colonial times often composed ballads about news or current political events which they sang to the tunes of popular melodies. These ballads were often called broadsides, because they represented an attack on an opponent's views and were sung in taverns or other popular gathering places. Many clever colonists used broadsides as a way to gain popular support and win people over to their point of view and also to express their displeasure with English rule. Write a broadside to gain support for raising a militia to protect colonists from pirate raids. Skills: Understand elements of literature and use them to create a song; present a point of view in a song designed to persuade.Science Ships and Navigation The colonies were dependent on ships, not only for transportation but for many of the goods and materials they needed to survive in the New World. Do some research and find out as much as you can about the science of navigation. What makes a ship seaworthy? How did mariners chart their courses? How did the tides affect their sailing schedules? Skills: Gather, interpret and select information.Make a chart of the kinds of ships (and others, if you wish) mentioned in Water Rat. (Sloop, schooner, skiff, dugout, etc.) Explain how certain ships or boats were used for a particular purpose. Illustrate each ship or boat (you can visit a museum or a boatyard). There are many resource books available on this topic. Skills: Use information to create a chart; present information clearly in a variety of forms.Ecosystems Today we have legislation to help protect fragile ecosystems such as the salt water marsh. Imagine that you are an ecologist trying to locate as many species of plants as you can in the salt water marsh located near Fast Landing in Delaware. Many plants and much of the wildlife in this area are threatened with extinction due to an overzealous builder who has obtained waivers from the Wetlands Act in order to develop the area for commercial purposes. Make a chart of all the plant and animal life, including the migrating birds that use the marsh as a flyway. Use your information to explain how the delicate balance of the ecosystem will be destroyed if the builder wins her variance. Skills: Gather and interpret information appropriate to purpose; interpret and present information in a chart; use evidence to explain and persuade; present arguments to promote certain views or actions.Herbs Herbal remedies are very popular today, but this was not always the case. In the recent past, such notions as using herbs for medicinal purposes were frowned upon by the medical establishment. However, in colonial times most families planted herbs in their gardens for medicinal purposes as well as for food seasoning. Many grew from seeds colonists had brought to the New World, but many seeds came from Native Americans, who used them for medicinal purposes. Research herbs and the ways in which they were used by the colonists. You can plant an indoor herb garden, using small containers, clay pots, or even egg cartons as planters. [Note to teacher: Be sure to supervise (no toxic plants), and have the children label, care for and make research notes on their gardens. They can also make sketches of the plants.] Skills: Gather and interpret research; select and use strategies to apply information.Social Studies The News People in colonial times were very anxious to keep up with all the politics, current events and official messages of the day. Before newspapers became popular, a town crier rang a bell in the streets, and when a crowd gathered, he told them news and recited, briefly and in a loud voice, official proclamations. Town officials and the town crier were for the most part dependent on the messengers on horseback, who swiftly carried news and proclamations from colony to colony. Research an important event in colonial history (such as the Stamp Acts). Take notes on your research to make sure you have all of your facts straight. Pretend that you are the town crier. Use a bell to summon your audience. When they have gathered around, tell them about this new regulation. Skills: Gather, use, present and evaluate information; adjust oral presentation to meet criteria. |
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Life in the Past and Present Life in colonial Delaware was very different from life today. Referring to Water Rat, list several events that could only have taken place during that time period. Then list other events from the book that could also happen today.
Skills: Gather, interpret and present information in a chart.Trades Here is a list of some trades that were popular in colonial days: furniture maker You have just finished your apprenticeship with a skilled craftsperson. You are going to move to a nearby town and open your own shop. Design a sign for your new business and write an advertisement for the local newspaper describing the services you will provide. Skills: Present information in a variety of forms; use persuasive writing for advertisements.Social Studies and Language Arts Cause and Effect Some events in the story caused other events to occur. List as many cause-and-effect situations as you can from Water Rat.
Skills: Selects, presents and relates ideas in a chart; uses inference to understand and compare ideas and events; conveys information on cause and effect. |
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Listing Worksheet
Map Skills Worksheet
Extended Learning Opportunities
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Amos, William H. and Stephen H. The Audubon Society Guide: Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. The Audubon Society Nature Guides. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1985. Field guide to the flora and fauna of Atlantic coastal habitats; illustrated with color photographs, especially good coverage of birds. Features section on salt marshes. Barrett, Tracy. Growing Up in Colonial America. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press, 1995. For adults as well as children, an excellent source of information on everyday life in the coloniesfood, games, clothing, chores, houses, and more. Berkin, Carol. First Generations: Women in Colonial America. New York: Hill & Wang, 1997. For adult readers, a study of American women during the 17th and 18th centuries. These are the stories of "unknown" women who helped to create this country. Includes the stories of slaves, revolutionaries, Native Americans, businesswomen and others. Brown, Dottie. Delaware. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 1994. For students, simple overview of facts about the state, including history, landmarks, and natural environment. Fradin, Dennis. The Delaware Colony. Chicago: Children's Press, 1992. For students, an engaging and well-illustrated history of Delaware's growth as a colony. Fradin, Dennis Brindell and Judith Bloom Fradin. Delaware. From Sea to Shining Sea series. Chicago: Children's Press, 1995. For students, an overview of Delaware's history, geography, environment, etc. More detailed than the Brown book. Gates, David Alan. Seasons of the Salt Marsh. Illustrated by Edward and Marcia Norman. Old Greenwich, CT: The Chatham Press, 1975. Basic book about the cycle of life in East Coast tidal salt marshes. Examines habitat from season to season and the flora and fauna that live there. Illustrated appendix. More useful for teachers. Hakim, Joy. From Colonies to Country. "A History of US" series, Book 3. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993. This is part of the ten-volume "History of US" series, a "storyteller's history of our nation written for young people from 9 to 99." Definitely suitable for both students and teachers, it takes on the establishment of the colonies, the politics of the times, etc. Very reader friendly, extensively illustrated. Offers students suggestions for further reading (all of which appear to be fiction). Haloke, David Freeman. Everyday Life in Early America. New York: Harper and Row, 1988. Though this book's primary focus is the 17th century, it may be useful to teachers as background information on the workings of colonial society. Describes life on farms and in homes, gets down to basics like tools and machinery and discusses housing, health care, "manners and morals," issues of race and the education of children. Hoobler, Dorothy and Thomas. The African American Family Album. American Family Albums series. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. For readers at varying levels, this is a valuable book, following the stories and contributions of African Americans throughout this country's history. Kalman, Bobbie. Colonial Life. Historic Communities Series. New York: Crabtree Publishing Company, 1992. Extensively illustrated guide to 18th-century life in this country. Discusses the colonial family, the lives of children, clothing and customs, etc. Also features a discussion of slavery and ends with a special section on prejudice. Kalman, Bobbie. Early Stores and Markets. Early Settler Life Series. New York: Crabtree Publishing Company, 1992. Resource for students and teachers; extensively-illustrated guide to different businesses typical of 17th and 18th-century American towns; reader friendly, excellent. Kalman, Bobbie. Historic Communities. Historic Communities Series. New York: Crabtree Publishing Company, 1993. Takes a look at the settlement and development of early American communities, from their physical structures to social structures. Well illustrated, good for both students and teachers. Kalman, Bobbie. The Kitchen. Historic Communities Series. New York: Crabtree Publishing Company, 1993. About the cooking and eating habits of colonial Americans. Learn how food was gathered, preserved, cooked, served, etc. Discusses the importance of the kitchen in daily life. Good for both students and teachers. Kent, Deborah. America the Beautiful: Delaware. America the Beautiful series. New York: Children's Press, 1991. Introduces the geography, history and culture of Delaware, with many illustrations and photographs. Kricher, John C. Seashores: A Simplified Field Guide to the Seashores of North America. Illustrated by Gordon Morrison. Peterson First Guides series. New York: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1992. From birds to mollusks to coral to fish . . . also the habitats, intertidal zones, northern vs. southern coastal areas, etc. Lincoln, Margarette. The Pirate's Handbook: How to Become a Rogue of the High Seas. New York: Cobblehill Books (Dutton), 1995. Good for teachers and advanced students; contains biographical information about famous pirates (men and women), pirate-related activities and projects for young people, information about pirate ships, clothing, etc. Excellent, generously illustrated. Lyman, Nanci A. The Colony of Delaware. Colony Series. New York: Franklin Watts, 1974. A history of Delaware from its founding until its ratification of the Constitution in 1787. Meltzer, Milton, Ed.. The American Revolutionaries: A History in Their
Own Words, 1750 Newman, Richard, and Marcia Sawyer, Ph.D. Everybody Say Freedom: Everything
You Need to Know About African-American History. New York: Penguin/Plume,
1996. The first chapter, "From Jamestown to the American Revolution:
1619 Ofosu-Appiah, L.H. People in Bondage: African Slavery Since the 15th
Century. Minneapolis: Runestone Press, 1993. A global history, goes
back to pre-colonial Africa; Chapter 3 is called "Slavery in the
New World Colonies" and touches on how slavery functioned as an institution
in (North and South) American colonies, and on "the slave's position
in these colonial societies." Good resource for teachers; this chapter
in particular provides a brief, clear overview of some basic information.
Patent, Dorothy Hinshaw. Eagles of America. Photographs by William
MuÐoz. New York: Holiday House, 1995. For students and teachers, a look
at the lives of America's two eagle species: the bald eagle and the golden
eagle.
Perl, Lila. Slumps, Grunts, and Snickerdoodles: What Colonial America
Ate and Why. Illustrated by Richard Cuffari. New York: Clarion Books,
1979. Fun book for teachers and students; talks about regional and common
foods and their preparations; where people got their food from; how foods
were stored, shipped, cooked; traditions around the preparation and/or
consumption of certain foods. Includes 13 period recipes.
Peterson, Helen Stone. Abigail Adams. Illustrated by Betty Fraser.
Discovery Biographies Series. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1991.
For grades 4 Platt, Richard. Pirates. Eyewitness Books; a Dorling-Kindersley
Book. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994. Beautiful reference/resource, illustrated
guide to all aspects of pirate life. Suitable for students and teachers.
Porter, Frank W. III. The Nanticoke. The Indians of North America
series. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. Teachers, older kids.
Detailed study of the lives and culture of the Nanticoke tribe of same
general area. Relationship with colonials/settlers (deals with racism,
etc.).
Potter, Joan, and Constance Claytor. African Americans Who Were First.
New York: Cobblehill (Dutton), 1997. For readers in grades 4 Rinaldi, Ann. Finishing Becca: A Story About Peggy Shippen and Benedict
Arnold. American Colonies Series. New York: Gulliver Books, Harcourt
Brace & Co., 1994. Appropriate for readers in the 5th Rood, Ronald. Wetlands. Illustrated by Marlene Hill Donnelly.
HarperCollins Nature Study Books. New York: HarperCollins, 1994. For students
(and teachers), a good introduction to the inhabitants/ecosystem of an
environment like the one Matt lives in.
Seattle, Chief of the Suquamish and Duwamish Indians. Brother Eagle,
Sister Sky. Illustrated and Adapted by Susan Jeffers. New York: Dial,
1991. Illustrated adaptation of Chief Seattle's (c.1790 Sherrow, Victoria. Phillis Wheatley. New York: Chelsea House Publishers,
1993. The life and times of poet Phillis Wheatley, brought from West Africa
as a slave in the 1760s, who became the first African American woman to
publish her poetry.
Shomette, Donald G. Pirates on the Chesapeake. Centerville, MD:
Tidewater Publishers, 1985. Learn about pirate activity in Chesapeake
Bay during colonial times.
Terkel, Susan Neiburg. Colonial American Medicine. Colonial America
series. New York: Franklin Watts, 1993. Excellent, clear history. Includes
discussion of common illnesses and their treatments, medicines in use;
role of healers in colonial American society; "recipes" for cures;
medical facilities; medical inventions/advances of the period. Nicely
illustrated resource for teachers and older students.
Wagoner, Jean Brown. Abigail Adams: Girl of Colonial Days. Childhood
of Famous Americans. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1992. For ages 8 Warner, John F. Colonial American Home Life. Colonial America
series. New York: Franklin Watts, 1993. Another good basic resource for
students and teachers, covers: homes; clothing; food; work; school; "Getting
the News"; amusement. Black and white illustrations are pretty good. Accessible,
covers the lives and lifestyles of both colonists and Native Americans.
Wilbur, C. Keith, M.D. Pirates and Patriots of the Revolution: An
Illustrated Encyclopedia of Colonial Seamanship. Illustrated Living
History series. Old Saybrook, CT: The Globe Pequot Press, 1984. Friendly
format, incredibly detailed, information on seemingly everything about
seafaring life of the period. Covers topics from navigational equipment
to knots to battles at sea; readers can also learn about types of ships
used, colors and signals, captains, superstitions, and even "surgical
practices." Text is hand-lettered, and every topic is heavily illustrated
with drawings and diagrams.
Zeinert, Karen, Ed. The Memoirs of Andrew Sherburne, Patriot and Privateer
of the American Revolution. Hamden, CT: Linnet Books, 1993. Learn
about fourteen-year-old Andrew's life at sea, in his own words.
Periodical
"Pirates." Cobblestones. Theme Issue, 14:6, June 1993. (Cobblestones
is a history magazine for students in grades 4 and up; each issue is focused
on a specific topic, and many are concerned with the colonial period in
U.S. history. Cobblestones updates its index annuallycopies are available
by calling 1-800-821-0115. Cobblestone Publishing, Inc., 7 School Street,
Peterborough, NH 03458-1454.)
Series
Sourcebooks on Colonial America, a series of "American Albums
from the Collection of the Library of Congress." Series Editor: Carter
Smith. Brookfield, CT: The Millbrook Press. Very good for students; simple,
spare design, full of basic information. Generously illustrated, friendly
format. Titles in the series are: Governing and Teaching, The Explorers
and Settlers, Battles in a New Land, The Revolutionary War, Daily Life,and
The Arts and Sciences.
Video
The Wetlands. A WQED production in association with the National
Wildlife Foundation. New York: New Video, 1994. 1 videocassette, 60 min.
"Explores swamps and marshes through the stories of people working
to protect the land they love." VIDEO 333.918 W
Internet Resources
Pirates! Designed by teens, this site offers a thorough and well-organized
look at many aspects of pirate life and legend, including pages on Pirate
Facts, Pirate Vocabulary, Pirate Ships, and other relevant and interesting
topics. Teacher Resources are also offered. http://despina.advanced.org/16438/index.shtml
National Geographic: Pirates. Aimed at kids, this site features
the story of Blackbeard and links to "Pirate Ports," as well as an
interactive adventure in which kids can choose their own "pirate
names" and search for missing treasure. There is also a list of recommended
"Books for Buccaneers." http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pirates/maina.html
Pennsylvania State History. The state of Pennsylvania's Web site
offers a (text-heavy) history of the colony/state. Relevant links: "Pennsylvania
on the Eve of Colonization" and "The Quaker Promise: 1681 Quakers in Brief. All text, this site contains a history of the
Quakers. http://www.cryst.bbk.ac.uk/~ubcg09q/dmr/intro.htm
The Geddy Family Homepage. This kid-friendly site gives us a picture
of the daily life of a colonial family, from their house to their finances
to their leisure time activities. Includes a bibliography. http://www.history.org/places/geddy/geddyhdr.htm
Slavery. http://www.stratfordhall.org/ed-slavery.htm
Indentured Servants and Transported Convicts. http://www.stratfordhall.org/ed-servants.htm
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