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Lincoln Logs
(Non-School Offering Site Experience)
Explore Louisville's Lincoln connection. Abraham Lincoln, a close friend of Joshua Speed, spent three weeks at Farmington in 1841. Likely his first visit to a slave plantation, this stay proved to be important for both the Speeds and the future President.
This program includes a longer, more detailed tour of the historic house and grounds and the opportunity for students to write about their experience at Farmington. Students will learn about life on a fully working, integrated hemp plantation, about the interdependent relationships between Farmington's two populations: the Speed family and the 57 enslaved African Americans whose forced labor sustained the plantation economy, and about the strong friendship with Lincoln. Students will keep a "journal" during the visit, taking notes as they tour the site. As a post site activity, students may use their notes to compose an authentic piece of writing (portfolio-appropriate) to persuade, inform, or entertain. Possible examples include:
- A persuasive letter or article indicating why someone should take the time to visit Farmington
- A letter to the Program Director evaluating the visit and offering suggestions to improve the experience
- A poem (such as "painting a picture in words" of some significant aspect of Farmington)
- A short story, historical fiction with a Farmington setting
Teacher packet includes basic information about Farmington, a copy of the 1840 inventory of the plantation, a time line relating Farmington events to Kentucky and U.S. events of the period, a vocabulary list, and a copy of the "journal" hand out which students will use for taking notes on site.
Cost: $3.00/student
Content Area:
Social Studies, United States History Through Reconstruction, Writing
Level:
Intermediate (4-5) Middle (6-8)
Grade(s):
4 5 8
Core Content:
SS-04-5.1.1 Students will use a variety of primary and secondary sources (e.g., artifacts, diaries, timelines) to describe significant events in the history of Kentucky and interpret different perspectives.
SS-05-5.1.1 Students will use a variety of primary and secondary sources (e.g., artifacts, diaries, maps, timelines) to describe significant events in the history of the U.S. and interpret different perspectives.
SS-08-5.1.1 Students will use a variety of tools (e.g., primary and secondary sources) to describe and explain historical events and conditions and to analyze the perspectives of different individuals and groups (e.g., gender, race, region, ethnic group, age, economic status, religion, political group) in U.S. history prior to Reconstruction.
SS-04-5.2.3 Students will compare change over time in communication, technology, transportation and education in Kentucky.
SS-05-5.2.3 Students will compare change over time (Colonization, Industrialization, Twentieth Century to Present) in communication, technology, transportation and education.
SS-08-5.2.4 Students will describe the political, social, economic and cultural differences (e.g., slavery, tariffs, industrialism vs. agrarianism, federal vs. states' rights) among sections of the U.S. and explain how these differences resulted in the American Civil War.
SS-04-4.4.1 Students will explain and give examples of how people adapted to/modified the physical environment (e.g., natural resources, physical geography, natural disasters) to meet their needs during the history of Kentucky and explain its impact on the environment today.
SS-05-4.4.1 Students will explain and give examples of how people adapted to/modified the physical environment (e.g., natural resources, physical geography, natural disasters) to meet their needs during the history of the U.S. (Colonization, Expansion) and analyze the impact on their environment.
SS-04-4.3.1 Students will describe patterns of human settlement in regions of Kentucky and explain how these patterns were/are influenced by physical characteristics (e.g., climate, landforms, bodies of water).
WR-E-4.8.0 Prewriting
Selecting/narrowing a topic
- Establishing a purpose and central/controlling idea or focus
- Identifying and analyzing the audience
- Determining the most appropriate form to meet the needs of purpose and audience
- Generating ideas (e.g., reading, journaling, mapping, webbing, note-taking, interviewing, researching, other writing-to-learn activities)
Organizing ideas - examining other models of good writing and appropriate text structures to match purpose and organize information
WR-E-1.4 & WR-M-1.4 - Transactive (Informational or Persuasive) Writing |
