You are a museum researcher not involved in the plague on Clifton.  You have been told the museum is being shut down due to diphtheria and inhumane living conditions.  You have been asked, by the supervisors, to document life in the 1800's before the museum is shut down and this lifestyle is gone forever.

Write an essay, or journal entry, depicting life as it was in the 1800's.  In your essay or journal entry be sure to include relevant material.  Also, check the relevance of the material used with your teacher before including it in the report.
 
 

* First, before writing an essay, or journal entry, research the kinds of materials used daily in the 1800’s.  Research through the internet, or from your local library.  An example would be a horse and buggy.

Next , choose three of the following to include in your essay or journal entry.

* Research the kinds of foods prepared in the 1800’s and the animals used in the making of these foods.  Read old recipes found on the internet.  Compile information to make a menu of what people would have prepared for dinner in this time period.  What kinds of kitchen utensils were made available to the people of the 1800’s?  They did not have electricity, so how did they cook their food?

* Surf the internet for the kinds of jobs people of the 1800’s held.  Were they jobs of necessity or jobs of vanity?  Some examples of jobs are: blacksmith and doctor.  What kinds of responsibilities do these workers have?  How do they contribute to the community?

* What kinds of animals were raised in the 1800’s?  What purpose did each animal serve?  How did the Americans’ use of the animals differ from that of the Native Americans’?

* What kinds of medicines were used in the 1800’s?  Check older, herbal remedies.  What purposes did some of the herbs provide?  What kinds of diseases were present in the 1800’s and how were they treated, if at all?  How does our medicine today differ from the medicine used in the 1800’s, or as compared to “Running Out of Time?”

* Use the internet or your local library to research the governmental structures present in the 1800’s.  Were they ruled by communists, a dictator, a president, or a monarchy?  Was there a democracy?  Could women participate in the community?  What kind of governmental structure was present in, “Running Out of Time?”

* Finally, once you have collected your information and are ready to complete your journal entry, or essay, first write a rough draft, which will later be peer-revised.  Once corrections have been made, and you feel your writing sample is excellent, write a final draft.  This final draft will be turned in for the teacher to grade.  The assignment will be worth 75 points.  Make sure all grammatical errors are fixed before turning in the final draft.

Here are some very helpful sites for gathering information for your article.

• http://www.connerprairie.org/historyonline/
• http://members.tripod.com/~Bonestwo/index-94.html
• http://www.springfield.k12.il.us/schools/iles/aboutschool/abelincoln.html

Link to the rubric where you will be evaluated.
 
 

Margaret Peterson Haddix Website

http://www.geocities.com/the_amazee_az/mphbooks.html