Kathleen A. Ernst, Children's Books, Teacher Guides

Welcome teachers and homeschooling parents!

Looking for information about school visits? Follow the link on the Presentations and Workshops page.

Want more information about historical fiction? Follow the links for "Evaluating Historical Fiction" and "Historical Fiction Reviews" on the For Writers page.

TEACHER GUIDES

I work hard to create books that engage kids' interest and maintain a high level of historical accuracy. I have collaborated with educators and curriculum consultants for over twenty years. I spent a decade working as a Curator of Education and Collections with the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Historic Sites Division, and later served as a Senior Educational Specialist with the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.

My books are strongly grounded in research. Most of the historical novels include an Author's Note or Looking Back essay to help your students distinguish fact from fiction.

For material about individual books, click on the titles below. You'll find suggestions for activities designed for multiple learning styles and intended to develop higher-level thinking. Here too are helpful links and correlations to Wisconsin's Model Academic Standards for English Language Arts and Social Studies. Many of the titles also include standards relevant for the state in which the book is set, and national standards for English and Social Studies.

You will need Adobe Reader software installed on your computer in order to view and print these guides. This free program can be downloaded from Adobe Software.

Historical Setting	Audience	Book Title
1732 ~ Fur Trading Era, Wisconsin French Voyageurs, Metis families, and Ojibwa trappers cooperate and compete on what is now Madeline Island, WI, on Lake Superior.	Age 9 & up	Trouble at Fort La Pointe
1775-76 ~ Revolutionary War, North Carolina Both Patriots and Loyalists want newly-arrived Scottish settlers in North Carolina Colony to support their cause.	Age 9 & up	Betrayal at Cross Creek
1825 ~ Trading Era, New Mexico A young girl contends with old legends, lost treasure, and the meeting of different cultural groups.	Age 8 & up	Secrets in the Hills
1854 ~ Swedish Immigrant Settlement, Minnesota A young girl confronts emotional, cultural, and economic challenges when her family settles in Minnesota.	Age 8 & up	*Teacher Guide coming soon!*
1862 ~ American Civil War, Maryland & West Virginia Union Cavalry and Confederate partisans clash in the days leading up to Stonewall Jackson's capture of Harpers Ferry, WV.	Age 10 & up	Night Riders of Harpers Ferry
1862 ~ American Civil War, Maryland Friends divided by Confederate and Union loyalties are tested when caught up in the Battle of Antietam, at Sharpsburg, MD.	Age 10 & up	Bravest Girl in Sharpsburg
1862-63 ~ American Civil War, Mississippi A young Union soldier from Wisconsin and his favorite cousin, a girl raised in Mississippi, experience the siege of Vicksburg.	Age 10 & up	Ghosts of Vicksburg
1863 ~ American Civil War, Maryland A pro-Union family is forced to tend a wounded Confederate soldier during the near-capture of Robert E. Lee's army at Williamsport, MD.	Age 10 & up	Retreat From Gettysburg
1863-64 ~ American Civil War, Tennessee After becoming orphaned, a teen must care for her younger siblings on a dangerous journey through the Tennessee mountains to Nashville.	Age 10 & up	Hearts of Stone
1867 ~ Community Settlement, Colorado A widow and daughter challenge themselves and women's traditional roles when they start a newspaper in the Colorado Territory.	Age 9 & up	Whistler in the Dark
1934 ~ Great Depression, Kentucky While helping a professor of folklore in the Kentucky mountians, a girl learns that some local residents have reason to mistrust visitors.	Age 8 & up	Midnight in Lonesome Hollow
1935 ~ Great Depression, Ohio A girl tries to discover who is making trouble at the Cincinnati Zoo, and at home, so she can write an article for her local newspaper.	Age 8 & up	Danger at the Zoo
Contemporary ~ Scottish Heritage & Self Identity, North Carolina A teen moves from Wisconsin to North Carolina, and finds herself reluctantly drawn into the celebration of Scottish history and heritage.	Age 10 & up	Highland Fling


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For Teachers

Kathleen Ernst