Grade 5:  Linking Coast to Coast

Dear Students:

You are invited to join our staff of historians to interpret primary source documents concerning the American family farm.

1. Examine the artifacts listed below and draw some conclusions about the history of the American farm and what its future may be in our country.
2. Use the guiding questions to help draw your conclusions.
3. Share your ideas with your fellow historians.
4. Read The American Family Farm, a photo essay by George Ancona and Joan Anderson, to determine whether your conclusions are valid.
5. Write a poem about farming and its history.

Examine the Artifacts

Use the guiding questions with each artifact to help you examine it and draw conclusions about the Nashua River and its future.

1. The Northern Great Plains, 1880-1920
Guiding Questions:
• What does this Web page show? When were the photographs in this collection taken?
• What states are located in this region of the United States?
• What is the purpose of this collection and how large is it?
2. A Sod House and Barn
Guiding Questions:
• What would it be like to live on this farm?
• What could you do for fun here?
• Would you like to live here?
3. A Rural School House
Guiding Questions:
• How is this school the same as our school?
• How is it different?
• What might be fun about this old-fashioned school?
4. Threshing Machine
Guiding Questions:
• When was this picture taken?
• What kind of information was written on the back of this picture?
• What are these machines? What kind of work do they do?
5. Hay for the Goats
Guiding Questions:
• Does this look like fun?
• Do you think that the goat enjoys this activity?
• Are the boys playing or working?
6. Another Sod House
Guiding Questions:
• Why would the Library of Congress want to publish this picture on its Web Site?
• Are the people in this photo famous, or is there some other reason for using this picture?
7. Bison
Guiding Questions:
• What is the "Rosebud?"
• What is the common name for this animal?
• Would you see this animal on a modern farm today?
8. Fourth of July Celebration
Guiding Questions:
• How is this celebration the same as our 4th of July celebrations today?
• How is it different?
• How is this town the same as our towns today?
• How is it different?
9. Blacksmith and Tools
Guiding Questions:
• Name the tools that you recognize in this photo.
• How are these tools used?
• How many of these tools are still used today?

Discuss Your Conclusions

1. With others in the class, discuss your conclusions about each artifact.
2. Using the Artifact Analysis Matrix, record the class's conclusions on a large piece of paper.

Read the Story

1. Read The American Family Farm by Joan Anderson and George Ancona.
2. Check the completed Artifact Analysis Matrix. Are your conclusions about the American family farm and its future valid?

Write a 5-W Poem

1. Answer the 5-Ws:
• who,
• what,
• where,
• when,
• why, and sometimes
• how.
2. Use exact words and phrases from the story. Try to match your "answers" to both the story and the artifacts.
3. Create your own 5-W poem using the words and phrases that you have selected. The poem may be created using one of the following methods:
• Write your own poem.
• Write a verse from selected pages; then put your verse together with verses from the rest of the class to tell the story.
• Work with 1-2 other students to write a group poem.
• Work with 1-2 other students to write a verse; then put the group's verse together with verses from the rest of the class to tell the story.

Rough Draft	Final Draft
Who:  Willie Adams What:  lives with his wife, Linda, daughter Shonda, son Cedric, and his mother, Rosie Where: behind the towering pines of Georgia Why: grandfather did what was necessary to hold onto the land Verse Two follows . . .	Change by Amy, Josh, and Tonya Behind the towering pines of Georgia lives Willie Adams with his wife, Linda, daughter Shonda, son Cedric, and his mother Rosie. Grandfather did what was necessary to hold onto the land. Verse Two follows . . .