Students will write a critique of a movie or theater production shown in the 1800’s

•Summarize story line.

•Summarize main characters, plot, setting.

•Include opinion of movie or show – use thought of it at the time

•Give rating out of four stars

Students will create their own newspaper advertisements featuring a product from the 19th Century.

Use persuasion in advertisements.

Authentic product or invention from 1800’s

Sufficient information –show what you learned

Description and cost of item

Picture of item

Sell it!!

Students will create a graphic that shows ethnic information of a region of the U.S. during the 1800’s.

Choose a state or region of the U.S. during one decade (10 year span) of the 1800’s

Graphic shows the ethnic makeup of the region’s population at that time (ethnicity means French, Italian, English, German, etc)

If you find other data that is interesting, clear it with me before using in graph

Include a key if necessary

Clearly show your interpretation of the data.

Find a term that was commonly used in the 1800’s but may not be familiar today

Ask various people what they think the word means and record the answers

Select four for the final copy

Include name and response of those four only

Include the true meaning of the word

Students will write a short letter describing the benefits or detriments of an invention of the 1800’s.

A clear statement of your position

Include reasoning for your view

Choose topic for clear argument in short amount of space

Write it as a person living in the era

First and last name, town you live in – remember S.D. was not a state until 1889

Begin with “Dear Editor”

Students will write an interview of a 19th century person.

oWrite questions as if you are talking and answers as if given by the person

oAvoid ‘yes’ o ‘no’ questions

oAvoid generic / boring questions

oBe creative / Find information you don’t know

oYou may use a tone in the answers that you have perceived through research (ex. Well-educated, Irish accent, slang)

Students will write a birth announcement about a 19th Century person.

•Full name (first, middle, last)

•Parents’ names (include mother’s maiden name if possible

•Location of birth (town, state)

•Date of birth

•Older siblings – if any

Birth Announcement Example

A girl, Mary Martha, was born on Thursday, April 5, 1845 to Peter and Margaret (Johnson) Smith of Plainview, Kentucky. Mary joins her sister Anna and brother John at home.

Mary Martha Smith

Students will write a persuasive essay.

Research a person from the 1800’s

Tell why that person is important / unique / or worth knowing

Include a # of examples, facts, statistics

Remember that this is NOT a news article – it is a PERSUASIVE essay

Essay format / longer than letter

Include details about the person

Students will write about a problem they would like another to answer. Students will then respond to that problem.

Find a social problem of the 1800’s (gambling, prostitution, slave-selling, etc.)

Write to Dear Gabby about a specific issue that could be a problem for a person in the 1800’s

Use a creative name, not own

Respond thoroughly to problem

Be creative in problem and response

Humor with limits

Students will write a news story based on an invention from the 1800’s.

Students will use Journalistic Questions

Peer Edit and Self Edit

Inform the public about an invention that just came out – write it in the time

Can include details of the inventor, the inventing process, the invention, and its uses

Remain objective – no opinions unless direct quote from observer

Students will write an obituary for a person who lived in the 1800’s.

Include details of birth / parents / etc.

Include details of person’s life – school, jobs, marriages, hobbies, activities, accomplishments

Details of death (optional)

Survivors – if any

Details about memorial or funeral service and burial

Include a picture

Students will write a complete story about a sports-related topic or a past time of the 1800’s.

Full length story (include a draft and editing)

Topics: an athlete, a sport, a team, a past time, results of an event, description of an event, current sports issue

Story may be an account of a fictitious or real event that took place during this time