Reading in the Content Area : "The Home of Thomas Jefferson – Monticello"

OBJECTIVES: Use content reading materials as the basis of a web site scavenger hunt. (Follow-up activities include writing connection, punctuation activity, and interactive quiz)

WEB SITE: http://www.monticello.org

("A Day In the Life" table of contents)

PROCEDURE:

Go to http://www.monticello.org/education/plans/hunt.html

You will find the scavenger hunt web page. Use this site to print a hard copy of the scavenger hunt questions that you will run off for students.

Go to http://www.monticello.org/Day/hunt3.html

You will find the scavenger hunt answers web page. Use this site to print a hard copy of the scavenger hunt answer key to help in concluding discussion or for students to self-check if done independently.

Students will find answers to the scavenger hunt by exploring this "Day in the Life" section of the Monticello Web Site.

After all students have completed their scavenger hunt, the teacher may review answers with the class and lead a concluding discussion. Possible discussion questions were suggested by the creator of the web site.

What did you learn that surprised you about Thomas Jefferson?

If Jefferson was so accomplished and so well respected for all of his accomplishments, how could he have owned slaves?

If you could meet Jefferson today, what would you like to ask him?

Do you think Jefferson was a better president because he was interested in so many things?

Do you think that modern presidents have as many interests and talents as Jefferson? Can you think of any hobbies or interests of modern-day presidents?

Do you think Thomas Jefferson is a good role model today?

FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES

 

At web site http://www.monticello.org/Day/cabinet/fun.html you will find a riddle that Jefferson mailed to his granddaughter. The answer to his riddle lies in the fact that he left out the punctuation or as Jefferson said "the stops in writing."

Set the address above as the Home location for this activity.

Be aware that the answer to the riddle is found at the end of this site so you might want to give the riddle out before students have access to the site.

Since this riddle comes at the end of information about

Jefferson’s letter writing, this site is also appropriate as a tie to class letter writing.

Riddle:

I’ve seen the sea all in a blaze of fire

I’ve seen a house high as the moon and higher

I’ve seen the sun at twelve oclock at night

I’ve seen the man who saw this wondrous sight.

There is also an on-line quiz "Are you ready to Learn More About Thomas Jefferson?" located in

http://www.monticello.org/Matters/people/quiz1.html

Set the address above as the Home location for this activity.

This is an interactive quiz. When a student answers correctly, he is sent to the next question. If a question is incorrectly answered, he is sent to a short biography of Thomas Jefferson for further reading. Once the answer is found the student clicks on "back," returns to answer the question correctly, and continues on with the quiz.

 

Teacher answers are located in

 

http://www.monticello.org/Matters/people/quiz1.html

After exploring "Day In the Life" of Thomas Jefferson at:

http://www.monticello.org/Day/toc.html

set as home page in original activity

Use information from scavenger hunt and quiz in activity above and have students compare and contrast a day in the 1990's to Thomas Jefferson's day. Organize the information using graphic organizer (such as Venn Diagram) or as the basis of a writing activity to conclude the teaching of comparison - contrast writing

Betty Baker