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Title |
Author |
Grade
level |
"Blizzard!" |
Jim
Murphy |
5th grade |
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Genre: |
Historical fiction |
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Summary of the story : |
The
passage we will read is a chapter from the book about the
people of New York City trying to get back to work after one
of the most destructive blizzards in history that struck the
eastern United States from Virginia to Maine on March 12,
1888. The chapter focuses on how a few ambitious people get
folks to cross the frozen East River and make money while
doing it. It is also quite descriptive as to what people
witness as the tide of New York Harbor starts to shift and
what happens when disaster strikes. |
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Possible Design Challenges: |
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Design a way for people to cross the river safely. What
equipment was available?
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Design
clothes for either a man or women to keep them warm.
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What would
you design to predict the storm was coming.
How did they get their information?
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Design a transportation system for this time period for
people to et to work. How did people usually get to
work?
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Comments: |
BLIZZARD! By Jim Murphy is part of a fifth grade Houghton
Mifflin Series.
Extensions:
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Students will write a weather
report about a fictional blizzard. They
will include details about what will happen
(using meteorological terms) and how people
can stay safe.
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Students can then choose a way
to present it, orally, put on a skit or
video tape and view their forecast.
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Have students design an instrument to
measure snow in inches and centimeters.
Once class agrees on a design they will need
to make it and mount it outside. They will
then collect data similar to how they did
weekly monitoring of the rain gauge.
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A Review:
Acclaimed historian Murphy shows how a
devastating 1888 blizzard not only shut down our
northeastern states for days, but radically
altered the way Americans live; its
repercussions are being felt even today. He
illustrates how political corruption,
ineptitude, and contemporary social attitudes
exacerbated the storm's fallout. Using carefully
chosen excerpts from survivors' personal
accounts, he also gives us a vivid feel for what
life was like then for immigrants, women moving
into the workplace, and others who had to
struggle to survive everyday. He employs an
interesting mix of graphics to further
illustrate his story. Junior high school
students who believe history is boring may think
differently after reading this; it should also
appeal to readers interested in natural
disasters, and in social histories. Here's
another winner from the author whose "The Great
Fire" brought Chicago's infamous conflagration
so brilliantly to life. |
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