Dear America: Seeds of Hope
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A California Gold Rush
Literature-Based Unit Study

Susannah's January and February Diary Entries

Vocabulary Words:

brooch
consoled
corset
distraught
equator
helmsman
mainsail
mutinied
nuisance
parasol
squeezebox
steerage
swabbing
topside


Comprehension Questions:
 
1) Why is the California behind schedule?

2) What happened to Mother the first few weeks of setting sail?

3) Where are the Fairchilds heading on this voyage?

4) What is the reason the Fairchild family is making the voyage?

5) What is a Tar Head?

6) Why are some passengers suffering from bleeding teeth?

7) Why were so many Peruvian men waiting to board the California in Panama City?

8) What gift do Clara and Susanna give to Rosita?

9) What decision does Papa make that upsets Clara and Susanna?

10) What would be a good title for Susanna's diary entries for the month of January?
 
 
Suggested Activities:
 
1) Pretend you are Papa or Clara and keep a diary from their perspective as you read the book.
 
2) Research scurvy.  Make notes about how it is caused and ways to prevent it.
 
3) Draw a map showing the route the Fairchild family traveled on the California.


On to Part Two!

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