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Charlotte
by Janet Lunn
illustrated by Brian Deines
Themes include: history, American Revolution, language, geography
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About this book:
In 1783, Charlotte Haines was only 10 years old and living
in New York. She had lived through years of fighting, as the
American colonies struggled for independence from Britain.
Once the war was over, those loyal to the British king were
forced to leave, including Charlotte's uncle and her
cousins, Betsy and Sally. Although her father forbid her
from doing so, Charlotte risked his anger for one last
good-bye with her cousins but he discovered her secret
meeting and sent her into exile with his brother's family.
Excercises:
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1. Before reading the book, have students discuss the jacket
illustrations. What can we tell about the story from these
illustrations? What questions do they raise for us?
Consider the character, time period, setting; note the
shoes, the cloak, the bonnet, the cobblestones. (visual,
spatial)
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2. With students, brainstorm a list of words that come to
mind when we hear the term "patriotic." Repeat the process
with the word "loyal." Use a dictionary and thesaurus to
supplement the lists. Lastly, create a Venn diagram using
the two lists of words, where the joined part of the
diagram includes words that the two lists have in common.
Then discuss with students whether one concept is better
than the other: would it be better to be patriotic or to be
loyal? Do the words mean the same thing? End the
activity by identifying the nouns "patriot" and
"loyalist" and explaining their meanings in the context of
the American Revolution. (linguistic, logical)
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3. In the story, Charlotte's father was a merchant in New
York City. He would have been involved in selling goods
that were made in the colonies, as well as goods that came
from England and other countries in Europe. Research a list
of typical items that might be bought and sold in New York
City in 1783. Which of these items were probably made near
New York? (It might help to research the major industries
in New York City at the time). Which probably came from
Europe? (logical, mathematical)
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4. Although many children probably know a rough outline of
the American Revolution, most will not know more than the
basic facts. In the course of the first three pages of
Charlotte, a number of historical facts are woven into the
text. Ask the students to help you draw up a list of these
facts; take note of such things as how long the war lasted,
and what New York's role in it was. (linguistic, logical)
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5. Introduce the concept of "point of view" by describing a
simple situation such as a playground argument in which
people take sides about an issue. Ask students to make a
list or write a journal entry of some of the things they
think about when they decide to take a side. (They may come
up with issues like "It depends what my friends are doing,"
or "Whichever side I believe is right.") Point out that in
Charlotte, two brothers (Charlotte's father and her uncle)
each had to make a decision about whether to support the
rebellious American colonists, or to stay loyal to the king
of England. Have the class list advantages and
disadvantages for each position. Why might it be hard to be
a rebel? What do you risk by remaining loyal when everyone
else around you is rebelling? Also, introduce the concept
of neutrality, of not siding with either position. What are
the advantages of neutrality? What might make it difficult
to maintain a position of neutrality? As a conclusion to
this activity, students could try to determine Charlotte's
feelings toward the war that had been a part of her life
since she was just two years old. (interpersonal, logical,
intrapersonal)
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6. Investigate the concept of "refugee." Begin by looking
at the various meanings of the word, as well as its root
word, "refuge." List the reasons why people might be forced
to become refugees. Collect news clippings about modern-day
refugees, and take note of why they had to flee their
homelands. Which refugees today are fleeing for reasons
similar to Charlotte's? On a world map, find the places
from which refugees have fled, and then note the places
where they settled. Speculate about how the refugees today
are likely to travel: what are the difficulties and
advantages of traveling by land, by water? (spatial,
interpersonal)
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7. The story tells us that as the refugees boarded the boats
in New York, the redcoated British soldiers played music for
them with drums and trumpets. Listen to a recording of
British marching music from this time period. What mood
does this music suggest? How is it similar to, and
different from, the music that might be played to accompany
refugees today? Select and share a contemporary song that
might be appropriate to play for someone embarking on a long
journey from their homeland today. (musical)
Related web
site: www.erols.com/candidus/music.htm (gives the
lyrics to popular American and Loyalist songs)
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8. Using a good physical map of North America, locate New
York City and the city of Saint John, New Brunswick. The
story notes that it took Charlotte's boat ten days to travel
to the Saint John harbor. Draw a path along the Atlantic
coast to approximate the journey she took. Divide the path
into ten roughly equal sections, each one representing a
day's journey. How many days would it have taken
Charlotte's boat to sail around the tip of Cape Cod? When
would she have reached the mouth of the Penobscot River?
Next, consider what her route would have been like if she
had traveled by land. With all of their luggage, and
without good roads, the refugees would have been lucky to
have traveled fifteen miles a day. At this rate, how long
would it have taken them to reach the Saint John harbor?
You could expand this comparison of land versus water travel
into a discussion of rivers as the "highways" of the
colonial world. (spatial, logical-mathematical)
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9. From the illustrations in the book, we can get a sense of
what daily life was like for Charlotte and her cousins in New York.
What did their houses and the other
buildings look like? How did a young girl of Charlotte's
social status spend her days? In contrast, when Charlotte
first arrived at Saint John, there was nothing but
wilderness, a small fort, and tents for the refugees to live
in. Brainstorm and discuss what sorts of changes in their
way of life Charlotte and her cousins might have had to get
used to. Rank the items on the list in terms of which
changes would be most difficult. (spatial, intrapersonal)
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10. Charlotte lived to be seventy-eight years old. Research
what relations were like between England and the United
States at the time of her death in 1851. Based on what you
know of Charlotte from this book, do you think she would
have been pleased or disappointed at the relations between
England and America by the middle of the 19th century?
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11. One of the author's goals was undoubtedly to enable the
reader to feel sympathy towards Charlotte. Examine the text
of the book to find places where the book's language
inspires sympathy and sadness. List the images and word
choices the author uses to weave this impression; consider
especially the scene where Charlotte's father turns her away
at the door, and the scene where Charlotte is onboard the
ship watching New York fade into the distance. (linguistic,
intrapersonal)
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Other Tundra Teacher Guides:
Amazing Grace,
Dippers,
The Legend of the Panda,
The Long Road,
Lucy Maud and the Cavendish Cat,
A Mountain Alphabet,
Silent Night
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