Tall Tales & U.S. Geography Week 3

Finishing up tall tales and American frontier legends from the Southeast and the Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys, and moving into the Midwest region.

Monday, April 1

• recall our field trip, Mike Fink, and his friendship with Davy Crockett; listen to Ballad of Davy Crockett recorded by Fess Parker
• rough draft summary and illustration, add Mike Fink to MLB
• pass out Blank United States Maps, read off the states in order of statehood, have children color each state as it joins the Union so that they can see Westward Expansion happen (update: when I wrote to this TpT teacher to leave feedback on her product and tell her how we were using her blank U.S. map, she updated the product to include a new map which shows the states numbered in order of statehood!)
• read The Story of Johnny Appleseed by Aliki
  

Tuesday, April 2

• sing the "Johnny Appleseed" blessing from This is the Way We Wash-a-Day (CD track 56) or The Singing Day (CD track 27)


• read Johnny Appleseed: The Story of a Legend retold and illustrated by Will Moses
  
• rough draft summary and illustration, add John Chapman to MLB
• use pp.15-16 of States and Capitals to take notes on the states and capitals of the Midwest Region (10 states)
• recall Westward Expansion, look at maps
  Territorial Expansion of the United States
  series of overhead transparencies, 1968

  Pioneer Roads and Trails - Westward Development of the U.S.
  vintage Britannica Junior encyclopedia

  Routes in the West
  series of overhead transparencies, 1972

  Indian Lands in the United States (PDF)
  modern resource from the Bureau of Indian Affairs

• look at Native American Tribes of Illinois then and now

Thursday, April 4

• do state identification activity on pp.4-5 of Blank United States Maps
• look at my beautiful and freshly arrived USA Puzzle Map
• read Big Paul Bunyan and His Blue Ox, Babe: A Tall Tale of the Forests of Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota as told by Loggers in the Lumber Camps from Olive Beaupre Miller's Tall Tales book

Friday, April 5

• play Here Is... Where Is game with the United States Control Map (unlabeled version this time for more practice in state identification)
• read Paul Bunyan by Steven Kellogg
  
• review the geography of the Great Lakes region with the Waseca Biomes North America Biome Puzzle and the North America Stencil
• rough draft summary and illustration, add Paul Bunyan to MLB
• read The Sad Story of Febold Feboldson and His Enormous Load of Sand: A Popular Tale of Nebraska from Olive Beaupre Miller's book

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