Authoring, Researching, Reporting and other Work

The Lincoln's, the Hanks and the Halls Travel to Illinois, 1830
Learning Activity
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Welcome to My Learning Activity
A Learning On-Line Learning Activity by Howard Taylor
This activity was planned for completion by 2nd Gifted Ed. students in Mr. Taylor's classes.  The objectives are set from "accelerated" curriculum and Bloom Taxonomy Questioning techniques. The activities within could be used at any elementary grade level above Second Grade.

 Purpose:
Students will experience math, reading, language, and writing similar to the way the young Abraham Lincoln would have learned it.  The student will be invited to visit with Abe at the Thomas and Sarah Indiana home to work with Abe on schoolwork.
Objectives:
    A.  Students will research through books and web sources the life of Abraham Lincoln in the early years.  A series of biographical questions will be provided for students to answer.  A Lincoln book and pre-chosen historical web sites will be read and studied. 

    B.  Students will complete special activities in reading, writing, language, and math.

    C.  Students will complete an original "Lincoln Notebook" by creating a page for each of the following Question/Problems.

Reading from historical web site or library book for information:
  1. Why did Thomas Lincoln decide to move to Illinois from Indiana?
  2. What were the names of the individual members of the extended Lincoln family?
  3. Why did the family decide to leave in March of 1830?
  4. Did Abraham Lincoln live in Coles County with Thomas Lincoln? 
  5. If he didn't live in Coles County, where did he move to in 1830-31?
  6. Did Abraham like working on a farm as a child?  Describe why you give your answer.
Math:
  1. How much money did Thomas Lincoln receive for his livestock, Indiana farm     acreage, harvest, and other things he sold to finance his journey to Illinois?
  2. How big is an acre?  A rod?  How far was it from the Indiana farm to Decatur, Illinois the way that the Lincoln's traveled in?
  3. What does ciphering mean?
  4. How many months did the Thomas Lincoln family live in Machine County?
  5. How old was Abraham Lincoln when he entered Illinois?
  6. How wide could the Wabash River at Vincinnes, Indiana have been when crossing?
  7. What is the average temperature and precipitation for Central Illinois in March?
  8. How many rails did the young Abraham split while at Decatur, Illinois?
  9. How much did Abraham get paid for splitting rails?
Social Studies:
  1. Which county was the Indiana Thomas Lincoln Farm located? 
  2. Does this same county still exist in Indiana? 
  3. What was the topography like in Southern Indiana? 
  4. What is the topography like in our own Central Illinois?
  5. How long had Illinois been a state in 1830? 
  6. What was the capital of Illinois in 1830?
  7. What does "Central Illinois" mean?
  8. Did Charleston, Illinois exist as a town or village in 1830?
  9. What  rivers did the Lincoln's, Hanks, and Halls have to cross while on their journey to Decatur, Illinois?
Science:
  1. What is the milk sickness, and describe the symptoms of it?
  2. Describe the snake root plant: what it looks like, where it thrives, relationship with cows and humans. 
  3. Do we have snake root in Central Illinois now?
  4. What type of trees and plants did the Lincoln's and Hanks have to "blaze" on the trail into Illinois?
Extra Activities for more learning:
Art/Architecture:
  1. Plan your own pioneer farm by making a plot/diagram.  Also draw and color pictures of your log home, rail fences, livestock, and fields.  Make your plan very realistic, using information from your Reading Sources.
  2. Make a step-by-step set of directions/diagrams with narrative directions of construction of a real log cabin.
  3. Make a family tree diagram, with portraits with color, by crayon or colored pencils of the Lincolns/Hanks and Halls that traveled together into Illinois.  You might have to make up what the young's looked like.  No actual photos are available
  4. Make a beautiful or dramatic (or both) cover for your Lincoln Journey Notebook.  You may also give it your own unique title.  Each part of this project will be bound into it with yarn binding.  We will try to make the cover look "antique."
  5. Make a group mural depicting this journey.  See the directions here.

 Materials/Equipment needed:
  1. Computers with Internet for world-wide web & printer
  2. Forms to record research answers
  3. Art boxes or G.E. supplies in room
  4. Antique style covers for notebooks, yarn for binding
  5. Assessment rubric

Procedures: 
  • This project will take approximately 3 class sessions to begin (45 mins. each),   with additional sessions throughout the school year. 
  • Students will be introduced to the Lincoln Journey project through a short video of  "Lincoln in Illinois: the Lincoln Heritage Trail."
  • A special "research answer form" will be given to students.  A selection of pre chosen Lincoln books will be on the special interest table in the G.E. room.  In addition, excerpt copies of the Coleman and Fisher books will be available in folders.  Students will spend time reading sections of, or the whole book concerning Lincoln in the early years.  This will be silent reading time.
  • Students will complete answers to the questions. 
  • Students will start putting together their notebooks with completed answer forms, art-work, and finally a cover.  Binding will then be done.
  • Students will complete the four content activities (How Lincoln Learned).
  • Assessment rubrics will be completed by the G.E. teacher for each finished project.
  • Students will be responsible for not losing or failing to return any project work taken home. 
  • The notebooks will be kept by the students and will be brought back in the Spring for a G.E. Family Fun Night and show.
Resources:
  1. Excerpts from Dr. Charles Coleman's, Abraham Lincoln in Coles County, Scarecrow Press, New Brunswick, N.J., 1955.
  2. Abraham Lincoln, the Boy and the Man by Lloyd Ostendorf, 1988.
  3. Library books on Lincoln, the child, and other biographical Lincoln books from the school media center.
  4. Books in the G.E. room.
  5. Internet hotlist on Project Arrow: Lincoln Journey Web site.
  6. Books from home or the Public Library.

 Assessment Tool:
A rubric will be used to evaluate student daily work as well as the "Lincoln Notebook."
Go to the Resource Page

Go to the Student Page