1

by�Gloria�Whelan

Preparing�your�notebookAnyone who wants to learn a book (not just read it) should keep a notebook. Any type of notebook will do, even paper stapled together.

The first page of any notebook gets lots of wear and tear and frequently rips out, so it’s a good idea to skip the first page. Beginning on the second page, number the pages of your notebook (both fronts and backs of pages) up to page ten. You can continue numbering pages later as you use them.

Page one will be your title page. Write the title of the book and the author’s name here. Once you finish reading the book, you’ll be asked to come back to this page and draw a picture for it, so leave some space.

Page three will be your table of contents. Label the top of this page “Table of Contents.” Use your notebook to answer questions and complete activities in this document. As you do, continue numbering your notebook pages and label them with the chapter numbers. Then add the title and page number to your table of contents.

A glossary is a dictionary for a specific book. You’ll be creating a glossary for Next Spring an Oriole. Go to the back of your notebook and count

inward five pages. Label this page “Glossary.” Throughout this document you’ll be given words to add to your glossary. You’ll need to look up the definitions for these words and

write them down too. When you look up words in the dictionary or on

dictionary.com, the first definition may not be the one used in this book. Be sure to write down

the definition that fits this story.

Next Spring an Oriole

Create�a�Glossary

Anything typed in blue...

...is a hyperlink. Just click

on it to go to a website!

A Baltimore oriole—hear one sing here.

Books�like�this�one�

which�combine�fictional�characters�

doing�things�that�could�have�really�happened�and�describing�real�events�

from�history�are�known�as�historical�

fiction.

Please report broken links to Ms. Cookie

© H

agit

Berk

ovic

h - F

otol

ia.c

om

2

© s

apie

ha -

Foto

lia.c

om

In your notebook, leave some space for your table of contents. Label page seven “Chapter 1,” and answer the following questions there. Be sure to add it to your table of contents too.

1. Libby’s papa hears you can buy land in Michigan for $1.25 an acre. How big is an acre? Go to this site to find out. What do

they compare an acre to? Write the answers in your notebook.

2. Tape or glue a copy of the map of Michigan onto page eight of your notebook (you can find it on page seven of this document). Google a map of Michigan to find out where Detroit is located and

mark it on the map. What is the name of the river Libby sees in Detroit? Label the river on your map. Find Pontiac and add it to your map too.

3. Go to this document (it’s a PDF, so you may have to download it to view it) to learn more about Michigan. Read “The Editor Says” box on the table of contents page. How many pioneers came to Michigan between 1830 and 1840? Be sure to scroll down to page five to see what Detroit looked like in 1836!

4. If the Mitchells bought 80 acres for $100, Check Mr. Mitchell’s math. How much per acre did they pay? You found out how big an acre was for question #1. Now that you know they bought 80 acres, figure out exactly how much land that is (you can use a calculator for this).

5. Libby says it’s staying light a long time because it’s June. Go to this site

(requires Flash Player, so it may not work on IOS devices) to see how the rotation and orbit of

Earth affects seasons and daylight. Watch the entire introduction. At what angle is the Earth tilted? In

what two ways is the Earth moving?

This is Virginia which is on the Atlantic

coast. The Tidewater country, where

Libby’s mama is from, is dark green on

this map. Can you guess why it’s called

Tidewater country? Find out here. Was

your guess correct?

Wiki

med

ia C

omm

ons

Wik

imed

ia C

omm

ons

A thrush

Imagine taking everything you’d need in one wagon and moving across the country. Most wagons were only about 10 feet long and 3 and a half feet wide. How big is your bedroom by comparison? See a list of items pioneers had to choose from. What would your list look like?

© n

anja

n - F

otol

ia.c

om

Molasses is a thick syrup made from sugarcane or sugar beets.

plantationschoolmaster

daftlonesome

Add these words and their meanings

to your glossary:

��Chapter�1

© pzAxe - Fotolia.com

3

1. Tying a dead tree to the wagon and Mama and Papa climbing in the back of the wagon increases the weight and increases the friction. This helped keep the wagon from slipping and sliding. Read about friction here. What does friction do to a moving object? Press “Next” to read the next page on the website. How does friction help us walk?

2. The heavy rainfall can be both good and bad. Think about how different Michigan would be if it didn’t get lots of rain. Name some good things that come from the rain. Name some bad things that happened because of the heavy rainfall.

3. Why do you think “when the Indians get the measles it is much more serious”?

4. This book takes place in 1837. Seven years earlier, in 1830, the United States Congress passed a law called The Indian Removal Act. Watch this video about it. Who was the president at the time? To what area did the government want the Native Americans to move? What was this horrible event called?

A scalloped edge

To sluice is

to rinse with water.

A musket

A shift is a short, sleeveless dress that hangs from the shoulders.

Before they had the modern water proof fabrics we have today, people oiled their coats to help keep them from getting wet, usually with linseed oil.

Chapter�2

© s

apie

ha -

Wikimedia Commons

© Louella Folsom - Fotolia.com

“Girdling” a tree means cutting all the way around the bark which causes it to die.

Wik

imed

ia C

omm

ons

To ford

a stream

is to cross

it.

Add these words and their meanings

to your glossary:

scoldcoaxed

fondpittance

furrows

© mikelaptev - Fotolia.com

4© s

apie

ha -

Foto

lia.c

om

1. What did Libby mean when she said Mr. LaBelle had a funny way of saying his words?

2. What did Mr. LaBelle mean when he said Voltaire didn’t mind if his supper was cooked or uncooked or if it walked on two legs or four?

3. Find out where Saginaw is and add it to your map of Michigan. What modern day highways follow the same routes as the Saginaw Trail? How about the Grand River Trail, the St. Joseph Trail and the Old Sauk Trail?

4. Watch this video or read the transcript to learn what it was like inside a cabin. This one is in Iowa, but all were similar. Describe it. What was kept going constantly? What was the center of the pioneer home?

5. What do you think Libby’s mother meant when she said, “We have come too far and left too much behind us”? What are all the things so far that have changed for them? Use specific examples from the book.

Add these words and their meanings

to your glossary:

prodigiousanxious

Chapter�3

A mink hat

© Pakhay Oleksandr - Fotolia.com

Want�to�know�why�

the�LaBelles�named�their�bear�Voltaire?�

Find�out�who�he�was�

here.Bedclothes

are coverings for a bed such as blankets and sheets.

© W

arre

n R

osen

berg

- Fo

tolia

.com

Wikimedia Commons

A Potawatomi man from about 1870.

A North American porcupine

What�is�a�surveyor?�Watch�this�video�to�learn�about�it.�It’s�a�Youtube�video�so�it�may�not�work�at�school.�Get�your�parents’�permission�first�at�home!

Watch�this�Youtube�

video�to�learn�more�

about�lice.

5

1. Libby says they were always hungry the days it was raining because they couldn’t “keep a fire going in the rain.” Why did having a fire matter? How is that different from today?

2. How did the Mitchell family decide where to build their cabin? Describe their thoughts and choices in

deciding. Be specific when you answer.

3. Research a Potawatomi birch bark house. Draw a picture of one in your notebook.

4. Go to this site to learn about log cabins. What materials and tools did they use to build them?

5. Look at the drawings on this site. How long were cabins? If they didn’t have glass, what did pioneers use for windows? What did they put on the dirt floor to harden it?

6. Why do you think Taw-cum-e-go-qua walked away from the children without saying anything?

7. Libby’s mama said they would “muddy the chinks.” Where are the chinks? With what do they fill them? Go back to the drawing from question #5. What else was used to fill the chinks?

gathering to perform a task or have a contest like building a cabin or

A bee is a community

a spelling bee.

Build�your�own�log�cabin�here.

Wikimedia Commons

This shows how the logs were cut to fit at the corners of the cabin.

Library of Congress

Petticoats were worn under a skirt or dress.

Chapters�4-5A heron

Wikimedia Commons

Add these words and their meanings

to your glossary:

eagerstride

clammysod

© Evgeny Skidanov - Fotolia.com

6© s

apie

ha -

Foto

lia.c

om

1. Watch this video about flying squirrels. What do they say would be a better name for them?

2. Why do you think Taw-cum-e-go-qua knows how to find and plant food and Libby doesn’t, even though they are about the same age?

3. Libby’s father thinks he’ll have work when the railroad comes through Saginaw next summer. What year does this story take place? What year will it be the next summer? Go to this site to find out about the history of Saginaw. What year did the railroad really come to Saginaw? What’s the difference between when Libby’s father thinks it’s coming and when it really did?

4. Why do you think the Indians felt “such talk embarrassed them” when the Mitchells tried to thank them for the food?

5. See an oriole nest here. Draw a picture of one in your notebook.

6. Draw a picture for your title page.

A crayfish

© Vera Kuttelvaserova - Fotolia.com

© Perytskyy - Fotolia.com

Add these words and their meanings

to your glossary:

cruel

How are water striders able to walk on water? Find out here.

See muskrats in this video.

© Uryadnikov Sergey - Fotolia.com

Wikimedia Commons

Beechnuts

© Andrzej Tokarski - Fotolia.com

Chapter�6

© Anatolii - Fotolia.com

7

Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons

Print this page and tape or glue it into your notebook on page 8.

8

Works Cited

"All About Birds." Baltimore Oriole, Sounds,. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2014. <http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Baltimore_Oriole/sounds>.

"Andrew Jackson - Trail of Tears." SchoolTube. N.p., 5 May 2012. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.

<https://www.schooltube.com/video/10ab73bc9f1d4dc89014/Andrew%2520Jackson%2520-%2520Trail%2520of%2520Tears>.

"Baltimore Oriole." National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 1996-2015. Web. 14 Oct. 2015.

<http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/baltimore-oriole/>.

Bonsall, Isaac. Native American Man. 1870-1880. Photograph. Western History/Genealogy Department, Denver Public Library, Denver. Library of Congress. Library

of Congress. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.

Brezinski, Davis. Baltimore Oriole. 2000. Photograph. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia, 5 Sept. 2009. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.

Brown Bess Carbine. 2004. Photograph. Antique Military Rifles. Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia, 4 Sept. 2009. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.

Brundige, Ann. "Log Cabin." LogCabinLink. Ann Brundige Studios, 2008. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://annbrundigestudio.com/annieZips/logCabin/LogCabin.pdf>.

Carr, Karen. "Voltaire." Kidpede - European Philosophy for Kids! Portland State University, n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.

<http://europe.historyforkids.org/philosophy/voltaire.htm>.

DeYoung, Don, Dr. "Water Striders-Walking on Water." AM Articlemanager. Answers, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.

Dobler, Brian. "Muskrat Morning." Vimeo. N.p., 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.

Dori. Great Blue Heron 7224. 2009. Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia, 22 July 2009. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.

"Dr. Itchy: Emily Finds Out She Has Headlice." YouTube. YouTube, 04 Sept. 2009. Web. 19 Mar. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAE458NjsrQ>.

"Earth in Motion." Astronomy Connections. The Public Broadcasting Service, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.

<http://pbs.panda-prod.cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/media/assets/wgbh/ess05/ess05_int_seasonsgame/index.html>.

Flora, Stephenie. Oregon Pioneers. N.p., 2007. Web. 16 Feb. 2014. <http://www.oregonpioneers.com/wagon.htm>.

Infoplease. Pearson Education, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2014. <http://www.infoplease.com/askeds/big-acre.html>.

"Interior of Settler Cabins." The Iowa Pioneer Experience. Iowa Pathways, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.

<http://www.iptv.org/iowapathways/artifact_detail.cfm?aid=a_000648&oid=ob_000239>.

Kimberlin, Joanne. "What's in a Name? Tidewater, Hampton Roads." PilontOnline.com. The Virginian-Pilot, 15 June 2005. Web. 15 Feb. 2014.

<http://hamptonroads.com/2009/06/whats-name-tidewater-hampton-roads>.

Lamiot. AnnelageAnnélationGirdling1LilleLamiot3. 2007. Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia, 17 Dec. 2007. Web. 1 Mar. 2014.

"Log Cabins." ILoveHistory. Utah Department of Heritage and Arts, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://www.ilovehistory.utah.gov/place/built_environ/cabin.html>.

Mason, Phillip P. Michigan's Indian Trails. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikimedia, 1 Nov. 2012. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Michigan%27s_Indian_trails.png>.

Michigan History for Kids, Spring 2004. Lansing: Michigan History, Michigan Department of History, Arts & Libraries, Spring 2004. PDF.

Musser, Karl. Virginia Painted Relief. Digital image. Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia, 9 Oct. 2008. Web. 14 Feb. 2014.

Nelson, Ken. "Westward Expansion." History: The Log Cabin. Technological Solutions, Inc., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.

<http://www.ducksters.com/history/westward_expansion/log_cabin.php>.

One-room Log Cabin. Detail of Wall Corner Showing V-notching on round Logs. - William & Lucina Bowe Ranch, One-Room Log Cabin, 100 Feet Southwest of

House, Melrose, Silver Bow County, MT. N.d. Photograph. Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American

Landscapes Survey, Melrose, Montana. Library of Congress. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.

9

"Packing Your Covered Wagon - Little House Pioneer Activity." Packing Your Covered Wagon - Little House Pioneer Activity. Laura's Prairie House, n.d. Web. 18

Mar. 2014. <http://www.laurasprairiehouse.com/crafts/packingyourcoveredwagon.html>.

Reinbold, Matt. Catharus Ustulatus -North Dakota. 2009. Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia, 22 Aug. 2009. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.

"Station:  Saginaw, MI Menu." Station:  Saginaw, MI Menu. Michigan's Internet Railroad Museum, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.

<http://www.michiganrailroads.com/RRHX/Stations/CountyStations/SaginawStations/SaginawArea/SaginawMI.htm>.

"Stunning Footage of Flying Squirrels. [VIDEO]." Wimp.com. BBC, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.

"Surveying the Land." YouTube. Bureau of Land Management, 28 Oct. 2009. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEYQaLEW3xk>.

Tranquil Garden. Crinoline Petticoat. N.d. Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia, 25 Dec. 2007. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.

Vickers, Tim. Water Strider. 2008. Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia, 8 Dec. 2008. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.

"What Is Friction?" BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2014. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/science/physical_processes/friction/read/3/>.

Whelan, Gloria. "Welcome to GloriaWhelan.com!" Welcome to GloriaWhelan.com! N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. <http://gloriawhelan.com/about.htm>.

10© Africa Studio - Fotolia.com

Because of Winn-DixieCharlotte’s WebHatchetThe Lemonade WarIndian in the CupboardManiac MageeNumber the StarsThe Power of OneTuck EverlastingPedro’s Journal

Early American history/social studies

Sarah, Plain and TallBud, Not BuddyAl Capone Does My Shirts

Internet explorations:George WashingtonAbraham LincolnMartin Luther King, Jr.

Colonial America/Revolutionary WarSign of the BeaverMy Brother Sam is DeadChainsBlood on the River

California history/social studiesIsland of the Blue DolphinsBy the Great Horn SpoonEsperanza RisingPasquala

Texas history/social studiesThe Boy in the Alamo

Teachers, if your students enjoyed this book project, check out my other Internet projects:

© 2017 Cookie DavisAny redistribution or reproduction of part or all of the contents in any form is prohibited other than the following:

• you may print or download and distribute to your class(es) only• you may post online for the immediate distribution to your students only and then the document must be

removed (not just hidden from view)• you may permanently post or store online for your personal classroom use if the hosting site is password

protected

Through this document you are able to link to other websites which are not under my control. I have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.