Journeys in Time and Places in Time

Journeys in Time and Places in Time

Journeys in Time are stories of change – of pilgrims and pioneers, soldiers and children, explorers and adventurers building new lives and finding new worlds. Places in Time features twenty sites that have shaped our national story. Each stopping point is a bird's-eye view of a moment in time.

Enrichment Activities
Internet Resources

Enrichment Activities

• Put Yourself in the Past
  Encourage students to imagine themselves in each of the forty stories in these two books. Ask them to think about who they would be (what role they would play), what they would do, what they would wear, how they would feel. Ask them to write their own stories as part of their favorite scene in Journeys or Places.
  
  
• Seeing History as Stories
  Each of the stories in these books is a true story: these are factual, not fictional, accounts. As much as possible, however, the authors wrote the stories in a narrative form. To help students see history as story, have them analyze the stories in Journeys and Places as they do a piece of literature. Ask: Who are the main characters? What is the setting? What is the plot?
  
  
• Analyzing Pictures
  Have students examine the art in Journeys and Places and record their observations. You might tell your students that historians often examine one part of a picture at a time. This helps them to notice the smaller details. They can organize their observations under three headings: "Observations of People", "Observations of Things," and "Observations of Activities."
  
  Then lead the class in a discussion exploring what can be learned from their observations. Ask questions such as: What can we learn from the clothing, the modes of transportation, the buildings, or the various activities observed?
  
  Finally, help students put themselves in the art. Discuss what would be wrong if they were in the picture (their clothing, or their belongings, watches, backpacks, hats, hair clips, or barrettes, for example).
  
  
• Traveling Along
  One of the discoveries made by the authors was that the "simpler" a map is, the more abstract it is. Rather than being easy to read, it is more difficult for young viewers to understand. A map is a picture of a place. The more there is to look at, the more you understand about that place. Encourage students to "read the landscape" in Journeys and Places to see the impact that geography had on the lives of people in the books.
  
  
• Student Stories

  
  Finding a Story
  Have students choose a story that they care about: it can be the true story of someone they know, the true story of a famous person, or a story that they make up based on historical fact. To find good stories in their own families, suggest that they interview some elders – the older the better!
  
  

  Telling the Story in Words
  You'll have more fun (and so will your students) if you open up the possibilities for telling the stories. In addition to written stories, students could tell the story aloud, videotape their interviews, write plays, or use words in any other genre that appeals to them. However the story is told, impress upon students the importance of careful research in making their stories historically accurate.
  
  

  Telling the Story in Images
  Using Journeys and Places as examples, help students decide whether to make a Story Map of a journey or a place from the past. For map and visual reference, students can use Websites such as the ones below.
  

Internet Resources

Maps
Grade Levels: All
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/gmdhome.html
http://nationalgeographic.com

Images
Grade Levels: All
http://www.corbis.com
http://www.altavista.com
http://google.com (click on "images")
https://www.loc.gov/