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Written by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard Illustrated by Floyd Cooper ISBN: 1416961569 Summary: A warm wintery Christmas story set in turn-of-the-century Baltimore. Chita's Christmas story celebrates the timeless joys of the season, and most of all, the delicious anticipation of a tree... a deep green pine with branches that tickle the sky. Unit prepared by Lisa Weir, Kelly Cooper, Celia Hartmann, and Carriejoy Warren Level 3 Unit |
Social Studies:
Geography: Maryland
The opening page of our story mentions that Chita lives "in the middle
of old Baltimore." Baltimore is a city in the state of Maryland.
In 1608, Capt. John Smith explored the Chesepeake Bay area of what is
now Maryland. In 1632, a royal charter was granted by England's
King Charles I to Cecil Calvert, the 2nd Lord Baltimore. The new
colony was named Maryland, in honor of the wife of Charles I, Henrietta
Maria. Many of the early settlers of Maryland were Roman
Catholics.
During the Battle of Fort McHenry of the War of 1812, Francis Scott Key
was inspired to write a poem entitled "The Defense of Fort McHenry,"
which later became renamed "The Star-Spangled Banner," which became
America's national anthem. Fort McHenry was located in Baltimore,
Maryland.
Annapolis is the capital of Maryland. Annapolis was originally
named Providence. However, in 1708, the city was renamed to honor
Queen Anne of England. Seventy-five years later, after the
American colonies gained their freedom from England, Annapolis became
the capital of the newly formed United States of America.
During the American Civil War, Maryland was a slave state, but did not
secede from the Union. Because of this, family members
fought against each other, dividing the families. The very first
casualties of the Civil War occurred in Maryland. One of the
major battles of the Civil War was fought in Maryland: The
Battle of Antietam (also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg). It
was the worst one-day battle, having over 23,000 men die.
Just a few years before our story takes place, a great fire occurred in
Baltimore, Maryland. It burned for 30 hours and destroyed over
1,500 buildings over a 70-block area.
The state bird is the Baltimore Oriole and the state flower is the
Black-eyed Susan. Your student may interested in learning more
about Maryland's other state symbols. Here are some websites to
learn about other symbols: MarylandKids Wiki
Websites where you might find more information about Maryland:
MarylandKids
Enchanted Learning
Lapbook/Notebook Components:
Where is.....Maryland Notebook Page
Where is......Maryland Shutterfold Book
Maryland State Symbols Tab Book
Maryland Flower & Bird Coloring Page
Maryland Flower & Bird Minit Book
Famous Monuments: Washington Monument in Baltimore, Maryland
Our story mentions that Chita and Papa drive "past the George
Washington Monument." Since our story takes place in Baltimore,
Maryland, we know they are talking about the Washington Monument of
Baltimore and not the tall obelisk in Washington, D.C., which is also
known as the Washington Monument.
The Washington Monument in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore,
Maryland was the first monument to honor George Washington, our
nation's first president. Both it and the one that would be later
built in our nation's capitol were designed by Robert Mills.
Construction of the one in Baltimore started in 1815 and took 14
years to complete. It rises 178 feet high and is made of marble.
It contains a museum in the bottom. There are 228 steps to
a viewing area near the top. At the very top of the monument is
a statue of George Washington.
Interesting bit of trivia: If you or your older student has read
Moby Dick, he might be interested in knowing that the "Great
Washington" mentioned in Chapter 35 is this monument.
Possible Rabbit Trail: Research and learn more about George Washington
History - The Spanish-American War
Chita’s father fought in the Spanish-American War. The Spanish-American War was
fought between the United States and Spain in 1898. Cuba, who was ruled by
Spain, wanted to be free or independent from Spain. Many people in the United
States felt sympathy for the Cubans, you will remember from your studies that
the United States fought for their independence from England in the
Revolutionary War.
Younger Students
Locate Cuba on the map of the United States, you will find it off the coast of
Florida, very close to Mexico. Cuba is an island. Islands are land surrounded on
all four sides by water. Cuba is part of a group of islands we call the
Caribbean Islands. Cuba is the largest of those islands. It’s capital is Havana.
Color the flag
of Cuba
A United States Battleship named the Maine was on its way to Cuba in 1898. The
Battleship Maine exploded and sunk in the harbor of Havana off the Cuban shore.
Two hundred and sixty men lost their lives. Many people blamed Spain for the
tragedy and soon after the Spanish-American War started between the United
States and Spain.
Middle Students
Design a century book page or timeline piece for the Spanish American War. Use
the Spanish-American War notebooking page.
Older Students
Read more about The Sinking of the Battleship Maine in the Cornerstone of
Freedom book by the same title or in another book about the sinking of the
Battleship Maine. Use The Sinking of the Battleship Maine notebooking page to
write about your reading.
For Further Study About the Spanish-American War
Colonel Theodore Roosevelt led the Rough Riders, an all volunteer army of
cowboys, Indians, miners and other men, in a fight on Cuban soil at San Juan
Hill.
Students might be interested in reading Teddy
Roosevelt and the Rough Riders by Henry Castor, illustrated by William
Reusswig, a landmark book published by Random House, New York, 1954.
A more recent book, a picture book titled The
Buffalo Soldier by Sherry Garland, illustrated by Ronald Himler, is about
buffalo soldiers and their service to the country during the American Indian and
Spanish American War. After the Spanish – American War many saw the need
for a canal to be built between the strip of land that connects North and South
America. Read about how the Panama Canal was built in the Cornerstone of Freedom
book by the same name.
The word conifer comes from the Latin words conus (cone) and ferre (to bear). The word literally means cone bearing. Coniferous trees have needle
-like or scale-like leaves. Unlike deciduous trees they don’t lose their leaves in the fall or winter. Evergreens also produce pine cones (not fruit or flowers). Some needles are very soft to the touch others are prickly and pokey.There are different ways to classify (or group) trees to
determine whether they are deciduous or coniferous:
By seed
Does this tree produce fruit/flowers or cones?
You know what fruits and flowers are, but did you know that the pine cone is actually where the tree makes and protects the evergreen’s seed? Cones are made up of many scales. Scales are a kind of shelter for the seed. When it's time, the scales of the cone open and the seeds fall to the ground. Because the seeds sit on the scales and are not totally protected, conifer trees can also be grouped as gymnosperms. The word gymnosperm means naked seed.
By leaf
Are they thin and pokey
Broad leaves have more of a surface so they can gather more sunlight. A tree with flat, wide leaves also loses a lot of water because of evaporation. There are other trees that have needle-like or scale-like leaves. We often just say that they have needles. They are long and thin. Trees with needles need less water because this shape slows down the evaporation of water so the tree doesn't lose as much. Trees with needles can grow in areas that other trees can't, but they still need just the right amount of sunlight for the tree to produce food. Conifers grow in a triangle shape so that more of the tree needs can be exposed to the sun.
How they lose their leaves
Many trees lose their leaves when the weather gets
cool. Deciduous trees have leaves that fall to the ground all at once and grow
back again when the weather gets warmer. Other trees (evergreens) have leaves or
needles that fall off a little at a time. These types of trees are always
growing new leaves .As the needles become older, they drop off the tree to
make room for new needles that will replace them.
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