Click on picture to return to homepage.
Click on picture to return to homepage.
SILVER
DOLLAR GIRL in
the Classroom
Prepared with
assistance from Barbara Murphy, Librarian, Shaler Area Middle School, Glenshaw,
PA
Research
gold and silver rushes that led Americans to travel West
(The Miners, Time Life Books
Old West Series, 1981) Collect
maps, showing the routes traveled by these adventurers and find out about mining
technologies then and now. Compare
various rushes and the amount of metal
discovered in each. How did mining
gold differ from silver? Locate and
display information about gold and silver coins in use during Vallie’s times.
Disguises
— At Halloween, many people put on strange clothes all in good fun.
Who else might use a disguise, when, and why?
What troubles can arise when you’re impersonating someone else?
If you were to take on another person’s identity, who would you become
and why?
Journeys
— These days, travel is easy¾in
a few hours you can cross the state, the country or even an ocean.
Imagine living in a time before air travel had been invented, before the
interstate highway system or the transcontinental railroad had been completed.
Why would a person or a family embark on a long journey and what
difficulties might they face? What
regional differences does Vallie experience while traveling?
What differences have you noticed when you travel?
Runaways
— How do Huck Finn’s adventures compare to Vallie’s?
Read Nowhere to Call Home,
Cynthia DeFelice, and find similarities and differences between this book and Silver
Dollar Girl.
Independence
— In the story, Vallie must cross Independence Pass (a real place), before
reaching her destination. Once she
arrives in Aspen she finds a job that will allow her to live on her own.
When (at what age) will you reach that stage in life and what will be
required of you? Which aspects of
living on you own might be fun, which might be difficult?
How does your expectation of independent life differ from that of a
person your age in Europe, Asia, Africa? [Teachers
may wish to highlight extended family traditions where independence is less
valued. Also examine the lives of
some of today’s child soldiers in Africa who have had adulthood thrust upon
them.]
Language Arts — Vallie writes letters to her father, but he discovers her through a newspaper article. Write an article about something scary or exciting that has happened in your life, writing as if you were the reporter
History
— The westward expansion
of the United States took decades. Have
student groups study pioneering movements¾who
was traveling west, what part of the country they were leaving, where
they were heading, and why they decided to leave home.
Pinkertons: Who were they? Research Allan Pinkerton who established
the agency in 1850. Who else
employed Pinkertons? What role did
they play in the Homestead Strike, 1892?
Social
Studies — Mule Trains: In the years before the railroad reached Aspen, people had to
travel over a steep mountain pass to reach the town. Every item of clothing, every tool, every bite of food had to
be hauled in on mule trains. Dump out your backpack. Examine every item in it and try to imagine its source.
Now find out about mules. What
are they? How do they differ from horses?
How are they used today? (ie. Grand Canyon) Why? Railroads: The ticket
seller mentions various types of railroad cars, parlor car, Pullman, sleeper.
What were the functions of each of these?
Today railroads are used mostly for moving freight but there is still
passenger service. Find out how and
where you might catch a train today. What
is the schedule? What destinations
are possible?
Science — Metals: For centuries, precious metals have been valued for decoration and ornamentation. Find examples of such uses of metals. What other uses have been discovered for gold, copper, silver? What are their technological aspects today? How were such metals mined in Vallie’s time? In ours? Health: What is cholera (the disease that killed Vallie’s mother)? How does it spread? Why would a cholera epidemic occur after a spring flood? How is it prevented today?
Fine
Arts — Music:
In the song, Darling Clementine, we find the words, “ dwelt a miner,
forty-niner,” What other
songs celebrate the westward expansion of the United States?
The gold rush or silver boom? Visual
Arts: Create a large map-mural
tracing Vallie’s journey from Pittsburgh, (Allegheny) Pennsylvania to Aspen,
Colorado. Mark each important
location and illustrate one of Vallie’s experiences there. Where were china dolls such as ‘Maria’ originally made?
How were they different from today’s dolls?
What do you know about doll collecting?
Random
House: 0-385-32763-3 (hardcover)
0440417058 (paperback)
For discounted quantity purchases of Silver
Dollar Girl, please call 1-800-726-0600