Overview

This unit is designed to be technology-rich. The activities are designed to do before, during, and after reading the novel, The House of Dies Drear. The book itself could be read individually, aloud as a class, or in reading groups. Grading rubrics and self-evaluation forms are provided. Some or all of the following activities could be used.

Materials needed:
Copies of The House of Dies Drear
Computer access – laptop lab, classroom computers, or computer lab
Activities can be accomplished in small groups or in one large group if computer access is limited.
Internet access
Word Processing Program
Adobe Photoshop Program
Digital Camera
Digital Video Camera
TV or Computer Projector and Screen
VCR

Lesson Title: Underground Railroad Exploration
Unit: The House of Dies Drear
Grade Level: 6 Grade
Time requirement: Two 40 minute sessions, before reading the book
Summary (25-50 words):
In this activity, students use an interactive website to explore what the Underground Railroad was, the social conditions that led to it, where it took place, who was involved, and what it was like. Students will use the links provided on the site to answer questions on a printable worksheet provided at the site.

Objectives:
• Understand and explain the role Harriet Tubman, Thomas Garret, William Still, and Fredrick Douglass played in the anti-slavery movement or the Underground Railroad.
• Understand and explain the challenges faced by newly freed slaves entering Canada.
• Describe and understand the causes and effects of the Underground Railroad.
• Generate interview questions to ask Harriet Tubman.
• Summarize information about a particular “station” on the Underground Railroad.
• Describe the author of The House of Dies Drear, Virginia Hamilton. Explain why she wrote the novel.
Content Standards:
TEKS: LA(6.7B), (6.8B), (6.10), (6.13), (6.14)
Tech. (6.5)

Assessment:
• Students will be able answer worksheet questions with 70 % accuracy or better.

Materials:
• Computer Lab or Labtop Lab
• Pencils to fill in worksheet
Resources:
• www.wadsworth.k12.oh.us/Central/LangArts/DiesDrear/

Prior Knowledge/Skills:
Basic computer and internet skills.
Basic knowledge of slavery in the United States.

Procedures:
Students will receive a printed worksheet from the website to review. Students will go to the following website: www.wadsworth.k12.oh.us/Central/LangArts/DiesDrear/ and follow directions on the site. Students will go to each site hyperlinked on the site’s resource page to learn more about the Underground Railroad. Some sites are information to read, while others are interactive. After going to each site, students will answer the questions on the worksheet.

Modifications:
• Gifted and Talented students could create a newspaper showing what they have learned.
• Resource Students could go through the sites with a partner, and then answer the questions orally with the teacher.
Technology Infusion:
• The use computers and the internet to explore and learn about the Underground Railroad.
Cultural Connections:
Students will gain a greater understanding of the difficulties slaves faced in American History.

Lesson Title: Abolitionist Interview Activity
Unit: The House of Dies Drear
Grade Level:6
Estimated time requirement: Two to three class periods.
Summary (25-50 words):
In small groups students will research a famous abolitionist, such as Harriet Tubman. Students will generate a mock interview with the person and act it out.

Objectives:
• Research of a historical figure.
• Generation of a script that highlights a historical figure’s life.
Content Standards:
TEKS: LA (6.13), (6.14), (6.18), (6.20), (6.24)

Assessment:
• Teacher generated rubric.
• Student Self-Evaluation Form.

Materials/Resources:
• Computers with internet availability.
• Video camera.

Prior Knowledge/Skills:
Knowledge of Abolitionists and the Underground Railroad.

Procedures:
In small groups students will use the internet to research an abolitionist. Students should find basic information about their person, what they did to help the abolitionist movement, what their motivation to help was, and other interesting information. After doing research, students will write a script for a mock interview with the person that they have researched. Students will creatively stage the interview. Costumes could be used. They could set it up like a television talk show or news show with their historical figure as the guest. Interviews will be recorded with a video camera and shown to the entire class.

Modifications:
• Interviews could be done in front of the class.
• Research could be done in a library instead of the internet.
Technology Infusion:
• Research on the internet.
• Use of a video camera.
Cultural Connections:
Activity builds knowledge of a culture’s struggles during a period of US history.

Lesson Title: Legend Newspaper Article
Unit: The House of Dies Drear
Grade Level: 6

Summary (25-50 words):
Students will act as a reporter and interview community members to research local legends or mysteries, and then write a newspaper article about it.

Objectives:
• Students will generate appropriate questions to ask.
• Students will conduct an interview.
• Students will take notes or use a recorder.
• Students will go through the writing process to generate news articles.
Content Standards:
TEKS: LA(6.1), (6.4), (6.18)
Tech(6.1 F) (6.2)

Assessment:
• Teacher Created Rubric
• Self-Evaluation Form

Resources/Materials:
• Tape Recorders
• Word Processing Program

Procedures:
Students will individually or in small groups interview family members or community members about local mysteries or legends. Students will brainstorm questions and interview relatives or local community members about legends or mysteries that they know about in the area. Interviews could be taped with a recorder. After the interviews, students will use a word processing program to write newspaper articles reporting their findings. If posssible, digital photos could be taken of the subject of the legend or mystery and used to illustrate the article.

Modifications:
• Articles could be handwritten.
Technology Infusion:
• Use of word processing program.
• Possible use of a tape recorder.
Cultural Connections:
Students will be learning about stories from the area.

Family Connection:
Students will have the opportunity to involve their family.

Lesson Title: House Plans Activity
Unit: House of Dies Drear
Grade Level: 6

Summary (25-50 words):
Students will design a house plan that could have been used as a station on the Underground Railroad.

Objectives:
• Students will connect what they learned about the Underground Railroad stations from the exploration activity and from reading the novel to generate a plan that includes important elements.
Content Standards:
TEKS: LA (6.24)

Assessment:
• Teacher Generated Rubric
• Student Self-Evaluation Form.

Materials:
• Ruler
• Pens
• Paper
Resources:
• The House of Dies Drear
• Information from other unit activities.

Prior Knowledge/Skills:
Knowledge of the Underground Railroad and houses that served as stations along the route.

Procedures:
Students will design a house plan for a house that could have served as a station on the Underground Railroad. The plan should be drawn out with a key to show any hidden rooms, trap doors, movable walls, etc.

Modifications:
• Microsoft Paint or a similar program could be used to produce the house plan.
Cultural Connections:
Understanding of a historical time period.

Lesson Title: Children’s Book Activity
Unit: The House of Dies Drear
Grade Level: 6

Summary (25-50 words):
Student will generate a children’s book summarizing the major events in the novel.

Objectives:
• Students will sequence the major events in the novel.
• Students will summarize the major events.
• Students will creatively illustrate the summaries to create a children’s book.
Content Standards:
TEKS: LA (6.10F), (6.10G), (6.11)
Tech (6.1)

Assessment:
• Teacher Generated Rubric
• Student Self-Evaluation Form

Materials/Resources:
• Novel
• Paper and art supplies
• White Tag Paper
• Scanner and Printer
• Adobe Photoshop or similar program

Procedures:
In small group, students will sequence the major events from the novel, and then summarize the events. The summaries need to be shop and easily read. Each page or event should be illustrated in a created way: paints, pencils, chalk, collage, etc. When the artwork is finished, each page should be scanned and sized using the Photoshop program. The text can then be added. Each page can then be printed, and then the entire book bound.

Technology Infusion:
• Use of Photoshop.
• Use of scanner.

Lesson Title: Movie Compare and Contrast Activity
Unit: The House of Dies Drear
Grade Level: 6
Estimated time requirement: 116 minutes for video and two class periods for the writing assignment
Summary (25-50 words):
Students will watch the movie of The House of Dies Dear and write a compare and contrast paper.

Objectives:
• Students will compare and contrast the novel to the movie.
Content Standards:
TEKS: LA (6.11D), (6.12C), (6.18)
Tech (6.1F), (6.2)

Assessment:
• Teacher Generated Rubric
• Student Self-Evaluation Form

Materials/Resources:
• Movie: The House of Dies Drear , Wonderworks Family Movie, Bonneville Wordwide Entertainment, ISBN 1-57742-061-6
• Book
• Word Processing Program

Prior Knowledge/Skills:
Knowledge of Word Processing
Knowledge of how to write a Compare and Contrast Paper

Procedures:
Students will read the novel. Students will watch the movie of the story. As the students are watching the movie, they should make notes of similarities and differences between the two versions of the stories. Students will then write, edit, and publish a Compare and Contrast Paper using a word processing program.

Modifications:
• Papers could be written by hand.
Technology Infusion:
• Movie of novel.
• Word processing
Cultural Connections:
Understanding of a how a historical time continues to affect society.

Instead of reinventing the wheel, many chapter questions, worksheets, and study guides can be found online.

The following are great resources to use.

Study Guide: www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/litlibrary/

House of Dies Drear Websites:
www.leasttern.com/DiesDrear/diesdrear.htm

score.rims.k12.ca.us/activity/diesdrear/

www.webenglishteacher.com/hamilton.html

Download Grading Rubrics and Student Self-Evaluation Form