Curriculum Ideas:
Wetlands Studies
Using Any of these Chincoteague Pony Books:
"The True Story of Sea Feather,"
"Out of the Sea: Today's Chincoteague Pony"
"A Pony Promise"
"A Pony Named Patches"
"Little Icicle"
Chincoteague Pony Tales"
1. ASSIGNMENT: List the plants and animals a Chincoteague Pony would see in his wetlands home.
Pick one or more to read about, write about, and share with the class.
2. DISCUSSION: Share a picture of a Chincoteague Pony and a Cattle Egret
and discuss symbiotic relationships in nature and/or in the wetlands.
3. DESIGN: Design the front page of a newspaper with pictures and articles. The headline
should be about the annual Pony Penning. Other articles topics could include endangered
wetlands wildlife, beach erosion, nature verses an oil spill in the ocean, orphan pony is rescued
and other related topics. Student may print photo-illustrations from the computer, tear from
magazines and "real" newspapers or create their own illustrations.
4. ART: Have students illustrate a scene from the book. Instruct them to include important details from a wetlands habitate.
5. DISCUSSION: What does a pony feel around him in the water when he crosses the marsh.
What creatures does he see in the woodlands?
How do those creatures contribute to the wetland's environment?
How do they benefit man?
7. VOCABULARY: Go over words specific to the book and add to weekly vocabulary lists.
moor galleon herd marsh brackish tide channel pony penning
volunteer forelock mare foal colt filly stallion corral
neigh egret myrtle chestnut
8. Download a wetlands word puzzle!
Civil War History
Using Books in the series:
Gettysburg "Ghost Gang"
1. DISCUSSION: After reading Book One in the series, ("The Ghost Comes Out") discuss Civil War I.D tags and what they meant to soldiers of the day who did not have access to the "dogtags" of today.
2. DISCUSSION: After reading Book Three in the series, ("Nightmare") discuss the real cavalryman, James Bedell and the bond a cavalryman had with his horse.
3. FIELD TRIP: After reading Book Three in the series, "(Nightmare") find James Bedell's grave marker in the Michigan section of the National Cemetary in Gettysburg, PA.
4. RESEARCH: After reading Book Three in the series, ("Nightmare") research James Bedell. Discuss how forensic scientists today are using his skull and other antique skeletal remains to piece together violent deaths of the past.
Read more here: http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/54574/
5. RESEARCH & DISCUSSION: Share pictures of how Civil War soldiers dress.
what it was like for the soldiers marching long distances and why they wore or carried certain implements.
