Book Bag Activities for
Across Five Aprils

• Hunt, Irene.Across Five Aprils. Berkley Books, New York. 1964.

Rationale:

• I chose this book for several reasons. First, it’s age appropriate for the grade I am working with (8^th). Secondly, it’s a well written piece of historical fiction. Also, it has a lot of good lessons about family and making decision based on your hear, not on popularity.

The Author:

• Irene Hunt was born in Pontiac, Illinois in 1907. When she was seven, her father died and she and her mother went to live on her grandparent’s farm. She grew very close to her grandfather, who told her stories of his childhood during the Civil War.
• Irene was a French and English teacher for 17 years. Her first novel, Across Five Aprils, wasn’t published until she was 57 years old.

Questions to use with the story:

• Before: What do you know about the Civil War?
• During: What is special about Jethro? Do you think Bill did the right thing by joining the Confederate army? Why or why not?
• After: What do you think happens to Jethro? How does this story make you feel?

Activities to use with the story:

• Before reading the book, students will create a collage along one wall of the classroom that contains pictures from the Civil War, as well as artwork from that era. Students will be encouraged to create subject concentrations along the wall. For example, one part of the collage could be dedicated to pictures and artwork that show families from that time period. Another part of the wall could contain pictures and artwork that focuses on battle scenes. Etc.
• Students will select and reproduce foods mentioned in the book. Students will first select foods that are not a common part of their diet. Other foods mentioned, that might be more common, can also be included in the feast. Students will be encouraged to find the recipes and make the food themselves. The class will then pick a day to have their Civil War lunch. This activity should be done once the class is about half way through the book.
• Students will research a battle mentioned in the book. They may pick any battle they choose at any point in the book. The report will be due one week after the book is finished being read. Students may make visual displays, use audio or video clips, and present their report in any manor approved by the teacher. The report should include location of the battle; year, month, and day it happened; casualties; significance of the battle; and any other important details.
• While students are reading the book, they will keep a journal about the book. Students will be asked to pick one of the main characters from the book after the first few chapters and focus their journal entries around that character. Students will be allowed to make journal entries when they find passages that are especially important to their character, but a minimum of ten passages is required.
• After they have finished reading the book the students will be placed into groups in which they will create a Civil War newspaper from any particular time period mentioned in the book. The paper must have at least five articles, headlines for each article, and be made in newspaper format. Students will look at copies of newspapers from the Civil War period to gain their ideas.
• Students will listen to music from the Civil War. They will listen to and discuss the lyrics and instrumentation of the music. A class discussion can be held to discuss the purpose and message of the music, and compare and contrast it with more modern music.
• Students will watch all of, or clips of, Gone with the Wind. Students will then discuss and contrast the story with Across Five Aprils. Students will be encouraged to find and talk about the differences in the way the story of the Civil War is told. Students will be asked prompting questions like “What things are most important in Gone with the Wind and what things are most important in Across Five Aprils? Why are they different? What things are similar in these two pieces of literature?”
• A field trip can be take to a local Civil War site. The site could be where a battle took place, it could be a location that was instrumental in starting the war, providing supplies or equipment, hiding slaves, providing money, a prison site, etc. If there is no site close enough for a field trip, students who have been to locations involved in the Civil War would be encouraged to share pictures, stories and the history of the location they visited.
• Students can create a Civil War resource portfolio. Students would be encouraged to locate a wide variety of books that deal with the Civil War. The portfolio should include biographies, historical fiction, historical texts and records, journals and accounts from Civil War survivors. The students would be expected to list at least 20 books with at least two books in each category mentioned. Ten of the twenty books must include an annotation. The students must read two of the books completely, and provide complete reports on them.
• Once the students have read the book, they will be asked to write a sequel to the book. Students may write a general summary of what they think happened to Jethro and his family after the Civil War. The summary must include details up to Jethro’s death, and must mention at least four other major characters in the book. Creativity and inventiveness is strongly encouraged.

Props:

• CDs of Civil War music
• pictures and artwork from the Civil War

Assessment Plan:

• Students will receive separate assessments for some of the separate activities they complete such as the newspaper assignment, and the report on a battle. The criteria for those activities are outlined in the activity description.
• Students will be assessed on the understanding overall by class participation and a one-on-one conference with the teacher to discuss the book.