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An American Colonial Story
MY BROTHER SAM IS DEAD
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This web activity created by: Cookie Davis. Please report broken links to [email protected]
7
Prepare your
notebook
Whenever you can, buy your own
copy of a book you’re reading for
an assignment. That way, you can
highlight it and write notes in the
margins.
ANY TYPE OF NOTEBOOK WILL DO
NUMBER THE PAGES
Number the first pages up to page 9 numbering
both fronts and backs of pages. Page 3 will be
your title page (the first page of a notebook
usually gets lots of wear and frequently tears
out). Skip to page 6 where your table of
contents will begin. Label the top of this page,
“Table of Contents.” Label the top of page 9,
“Chapter 1.” This is where you’ll start taking
notes and answering questions. Keep
numbering pages as you go along and be sure
to add these to your table of contents.
The Old North Bridge, Concord, Ma
MAP THE 13 COLONIES
Download, print and cut out the map of the 13
colonies. Glue or tape the map on page 4.
You’ll be marking locations discussed in the
book on this map.
CREATE A GLOSSARY
Go to the back of your notebook and count in 5
pages. Label this page, “Glossary.” You will be
adding specific words to your glossary, but add
any other words you don’t know as well. Use a
post-it note as a page tab so you can easily find
it.
Buckman Tavern on Lexington Green, Ma
The Old North Church, Boston, Ma
This book takes
place in a real town in Connecticut.
Many of the historic events described in
the book really happened. This is known
as historical fiction.
Throughout this document, words that are written in blue and underlined are links to other documents or websites.
MY BROTHER SAM IS DEAD!
Lobsterbacks and Rebels
CHORES LIST
In the past, children were required to
work much harder than they are today.
On page 5, list all the chores you are
responsible to do at home. Then, as you
read the book, list all the chores
children were responsible for doing in
the colonial era.
QUESTIONS & ACTIVITIES
1. Who is the narrator and how old is
he? What supports this in the book?
2. Who are the Lobsterbacks and who
are the Minutemen? Why were these
names given?
3. Watch this video called, “First
Revolutionary Battle at Lexington
and Concord” by typing (or cutting &
pasting) the title in the search box on
the History Channel website. What
year did this occur? Who fired the 1st
shot? Why was this battle significant
or important?
4. Mark Lexington and Concord on
your 13 colonies map (click on the
names to the right of the map to see
where they’re located).
CHAPTER
1
Benedict Arnold
5. Watch the History Channel video
called “The Sons of Liberty and the
Boston Tea Party.” What year did this
occur? What were the colonists trying
to achieve?
Similes:
“...making a sound like
muffled drums.”
6. Mark Boston on your 13 colonies
map.
“He’ll lead us through
the Lobsterbacks like a
hot knife through
butter.”
7. What type of personality does Sam’s
father have? What do the authors say
to support this? Cite at least 3
examples.
“...his brains sliding out
of him like wet oats.”
8. Tim frequently mentions sins. What
sins does he mention? Keep a list on
pg. 8 of your notebook. Why do you
think Tim thinks about sins so often?
Add any other example
of figurative language
you find to your
notebook. Good writers
know how to use
figurative language well.
9. Who were the Tories or Loyalists?
EIR
TH
S & UR
D
R
O
WO TO Y
SE
NS Y:
HE
O
T
,
I
R
T
D
ION
AD EFINI OSSA
ELL RS,
B
D
GL
E
,R
AT O E S S ,
RED GIT
N
PPE TUE, A VIOUS
E
P
I
ED, N, VIR LASC DY
I
V
EN EASO OTH, , GAU
TR K, SL TOCK
C
S
MO
*The first definition
may not be the
correct one, use the
definition that makes
sense for the story.
You can look up words for your glossary at: www.dictionary.com Bookmark the site for easy access.
MY BROTHER SAM IS DEAD
CHAPTER
Think about this:
!"#$%"&'()"
“What kept
confusing me about
it was that the
argument didn’t
have two sides the
way an argument
should, but about
six sides.”
King George III in Coronation Robes.
QUESTIONS & ACTIVITIES
1. Re-read the description of Tom Warrup’s home and then look up the different types
of Native American homes. Scroll down to the pictures and read the descriptions.
Which type does Tom have? Draw a picture of Tom’s home and label it based on
how the authors describe it.
2. The authors mention Lexington and Concord several times. Who wrote the poem
that made the phrase, “The shot heard ‘round the world” famous and what was the
name of the poem?
3. The soldiers Sam joined were sometimes called rebels and
sometimes called patriots. What’s the difference?
ADD THE
SE W O R D
S & T H E IR
D E FI N IT IO
NS TO YO
4. If you were Tim, would you tell your father Sam stole
UR
G L O SS A R
Y:
“Brown Bess?” Why or why not?
PA PI ST, W
R AT H Y, C O
R D IA L,
B IT TE R ,
A “Brown Bess” also known as a British
Land Pattern Musket
See all the steps necessary to fire a musket at
http://youtu.be/Ho-QCmnNMl8
This is a YouTube video, so you won’t be able to
watch it at school. Be sure to get your parent’s
permission first at home.
You can also read how one works at http://
science.howstuffworks.com/flintlock2.htm
2
MY BROTHER SAM IS DEAD!
CHAPTERS
3&4
Personification:
“...the file making
the metal sing...”
Metaphors:
“At first all I could
hear was the heavy
drum roll sound of
hooves;”
Maecenas pulvinar sagittis enim.
“Then suddenly
they came pouring
around the bend of
the road...”
QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
Don’t
forget
1. The battle at Bunker Hill was
chores on pag to list all the
e 5.
misnamed. What was the name of
the real hill? Mark Bunker Hill on
your map. How many of the rebel
soldiers in the battle were African-American?
2. Tim’s father read about Bunker Hill & Fort Ticonderoga. Mark Fort
Ticonderoga on your map. How did he get information about these
events? Why was it dangerous?
3. Name the games Tim played with Jerry Sanford. See how the
games are played.
4. Beer was a common drink in Colonial America. Read why here
and add what you learn to your notebook.
5. Why were the Patriots disarming the Loyalists?
6. If Sam had stopped, what do you think Life would have said
to him? Why?
“Not everybody is
willing to play the
dog to the King.”
ADD
THE
SE W
DEF
OR
INIT
ION DS & T
GLO S TO YO HEIR
SSAR
UR
SUB
Y:
VER
SION
, IDL
E
DES , CLAM
ERT
BER
ING,
See the places discussed in this book on Google Earth. You must download Google Earth first.
Then go to www.googlelittrips.com/GoogleLit/Downloads.../My_Brother_Sam1.kmz and it will open in Google Earth.
MY BROTHER SAM IS DEAD
CHAPTERS
5&6
Look for more
figurative language
examples such as:
“...I was plain boiling.”
Type to enter text
“Rushing” a
c
the seat sec hair means replacing
ti
rush—simil on by weaving it with
ar to a baske
t.
“Holystoning” means using a
block of soft sandstone to sand
the top of a table to smooth the
surface.
Shad
QUESTIONS & ACTIVITIES
1. The only form of communication in Colonial times was newspapers and pamphlets,
so people got news long after it happened. How is that different from today? How do
you think our modern day instant communication would have changed the
Revolutionary War?
2. The prices of goods keep increasing and it is harder to find items the Meekers need
for the tavern & store. What is the increase of prices called (you’ll have to research this
online)? List the reasons why the costs are increasing and goods are harder to find.
Quote specific lines from the book that mention this.
3. The tavern must have wood for the fire to cook and for heating. Wood was of critical
importance. Scroll down to the section about wood in this article. Name 4 other
uses for wood. How much wood did the average family use to heat
ADD
their homes and cook their meals?
THE
DEF
SE W
INIT
ORD
ION
S TO
S
4. Make a prediction (guess) about Mr. Heron. Do you
YOU & THEI
PET
R
R GL
DISH ITION, C
OSS
IP
ARY
ONO
think he is really a Tory or a Patriot?
:
RAB HERING
LE, S
,
ULK THRASH
, RE
5. Draw a picture on your title page that you think fits
LIAB ,
LE
the story. If you haven’t already, write the title of the book
and the authors’ names.
See what a newspaper looked like in 1776.
MY BROTHER SAM IS DEAD!
CHAPTER
Example of a clapboard house
Lobsterbacks and Rebels
2. Why were Tim and his father
going to Verplancks Point?
Poor Richard’s Almanac
Think about this:
QUESTIONS & ACTIVITIES
1. Add New York City to your map
on page 5.
7
!#*%+,+-.+/
in
hard cider
r
o
r
e
e
b
k
ren dran
ol in them
h
d
il
o
h
lc
c
a
e
n
e
h
t
v
E
es because
didn’t know
Colonial timia. At the time, they st knew it
kills bacter made it safe, they ju
r
.
boiling watemon cause of disease
m
was a co
3. When they pass houses with
children, Tim said, “It made
me feel proud of myself for
being a man while they were
still children, and I shouted at
the oxen and smacked them on
their rumps with my stick, just
to show off how casual and easy I was
with oxen...” Was Tim really becoming a
man if he’s still trying to show off ? Does
this remind you of an earlier event in
the book? Who did Tim admire for his
“casual, easy way” of doing something?
“Hardtack” is
food common a hard biscuit like
in the Revoluly eaten by soldiers
tionary War
(and
4. Why do you think Tim said he was “in a foreign
country” when they crossed the New York
Colony line?
5. Read the article about Trenton. Who were
the Hessians? How many stayed in America
after the war?
EIR
TH
S & UR
D
R
O
WO TO Y
SE
NS Y:
HE
O
T
,
I
R
T
D
NG
AD EFINI OSSA
TRO
S
D
GL
D
EA
E, H
ANC ANAC
R
T
I
ALM
ALC
REC
In the 4th paragraph Tim
said Sam wrote about the
Rebels being beaten in
New York, “but the way
Sam wrote about it, he
made it seem like a
glorious victory for the
Rebels.” This is known as
propaganda. You have
probably used
propaganda too! Have
you ever gotten into an
argument with your
sibling and then told an
exaggerated version of
what happened to your
parents, so it sounded
better for you?
MY BROTHER SAM IS DEAD!
CHAPTERS
8&9
Think about this:
0#+-$%*#'+'(*-
View of Verplancks Point, Hudson River, NY by Currier & Ives, 1862
QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
“Seining”
m
1. From where they live in Redding to
fish with a s eans catching
Verplancks Point is 40 miles. Tim
type of net. eine which is a
and Life stop in North Salem to stay
with cousins. They leave there and
head to Peekskill where they will “turn south and go down
the river about five miles to Verplancks Point.” He said North Salem to
Peekskill was more than 20 miles. How far away does Tim live from his
cousins?
2. Tim’s father said he doesn’t care where the cattle end up, with the British
or the Rebels. He said he just wants to feed his family. What do you think
of his viewpoint?
3.What happens to Tim and his father on the
ADD
THE
SE W
way home?
DEF
OR
INIT
ION DS & TH
EIR
GLO S TO YO
4.How does Tim avoid capture?
SSAR
UR
R E TA
Y:
L I AT
ES,
5. Have you ever been in a dangerous
B AW S E D I T
IO
LING
, TU N, BALK
RMO
I
N
situation? How did you react? How did it
G,
IL,
make you feel?
See what daily farm life was like in Colonial times.
Tim and his father
stop at his cousins’
house along the way
and Tim says,
“...they were finally
seeing me with their
own eyes.” He had
never met them and
he was 12 years old!
How far do you
travel on a regular
basis? It’s about 25
miles from Lakeside
to the beach. How
many times have
you gone to the
beach? To the
desert? To
downtown San
Diego? To
Disneyland? Tim
has never been 40
miles from home.
MY BROTHER SAM IS DEAD!
CHAPTERS
10 & 11
HMS Glory, a prisoner ship from 1809-1814
ADD
THE
SE W
DEF
OR
INIT
ION DS & TH
EIR
GLO S TO YO
SSAR
UR
Y
:
DEPR
ECIA
TION
LOR
Lobsterbacks and, GRebels
Y, D E
SERT
ION
The Spirit of ’76 by Archibald Willard
QUESTIONS & ACTIVITIES
1. Read the part of the article under
the subtitle “Prison Ships.” Did
more people die on prison ships or
in battle during the Revolutionary
War? How many prison ships
were anchored in Wallabout Bay
during the war? What did they
call the ship Jersey?
2. What did Tim say was the
biggest change that had
occurred?
or mean the same as now?
6. Why did Sam think they hated
him?
7. What did Tim say made him feel
like Sam’s equal instead of his
little brother?
Make invisible in
3. Why do the British troops arrest
Captain Betts, Mr. Rogers, and
Jerry Sanford?
4. Tim’s mother said, “War turns
men into beasts.” Name all the
examples you’ve read that
support this.
5. Watch this video to learn more
about Captain Benedict Arnold.
What is his name synonymous
k
Revolutionary
e
th
in
s
ie
p
s
e
er
There really w d a spy note like they did in
en
War. Want to s es?Try this recipe:
Colonial tim
and 1/4 cup
l) of baking soda
m
0
(6
p
cu
4
1/
hpick or
Mix about
ing a Q-tip, toot
us
e
rit
w
t,
ex
N
.
etely.To read
(60 ml) of water
Let it dry compl
r.
pe
pa
of
e
ec
pi
across
brush on a
ice concentrate
ju
e
ap
gr
t
in
pa
,
ge
't forget the secret messa
or a sponge. Don
h
us
br
t
in
pa
a
the paper with
.
reacts with
grape juice stains
has an acid that
e
ic
ju
pe
ra
G
:
ks
Why it wor
wherever the
ent color appears
er
ff
di
A
.
da
so
the baking
is written.
secret message
stubborn = pigheaded = bullheaded = headstrong = dogged
Language of the
Military
Vanguard - the foremost
division or front part of
an army
Standard bearer - the
person in a military unit
who carries the
standard or flag
Trainband - a company
of trained militia
Bayonet - a knifelike
steel weapon attached
to the end of a gun
Quirt - a short, stocky
whip
Fusillade - the
continuous or
simultaneous shooting
of guns
Munitions - materials
used in war, especially
weapons & ammunition
MY BROTHER SAM IS DEAD
CHAPTER
12
Similes:
“All of life was like
running on a
treadmill.”
“It’s like going
around all day with
a nail in your shoe.”
“He’s tough as
nails...”
George Washington at Valley Forge
QUESTIONS & ACTIVITIES
1. How did Tim’s father die?
2. What do you think Tim’s father meant
when he said, “And now I go to enjoy the
freedom war has brought me?”
3. Do you agree or disagree with Tim’s statement, “I wasn’t going
to be on anybody’s side any more: neither one of them was right?” Why do you
agree or disagree with that statement?
4. Read about the conditions at Valley Forge. Who trained the
Continental soldiers there?
5. Why is Sam allowed to return to Redding?
6. Compare the size of the soldiers’ huts to your bedroom.
Measure your bedroom and find the area. Now calculate
the area of the soldiers’ huts. Which is bigger? What’s the
difference?
IR
HE
&T R
S
RD
OU
WO TO Y
SE
S
N
:
HE
O
Y
T
R
TI
D
US,
AD EFINI OSSA
ULO GE,
P
D
U
GL
SCR ORA
, UN K, F
ING , SHIR
K
E
N
TO
T, S C T I O E C I S I V
D
DEB MPUN
CO
7. Read this article about the huts built at Valley Forge. How many soldiers (noncommissioned officers) slept in one hut?
Learn more about history by becoming a National Parks Webranger.
MY BROTHER SAM IS DEAD!
CHAPTERS
13 & 14
Similes:
“...I had an edge on
it that would slice
through a man like
a hot nail going
through butter.”
“...Sam slammed
backward as if he’d
been knocked over
by a mallet.”
Create your own
figurative language.
QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
1. What happened to Sam?
“Clemency”
General Putn means mercy.
Sam clemen am would be giving
cy if he let him
go.
Rewrite some of the
metaphors, similes,
and/or
personifications
from the book with
your own
comparisons or just
write your own.
2. How cold must is be outside if the
Good writers use
meat is freezing? Hint: meat
figurative
doesn’t freeze at the same
A “stockade” is an army
language to
temperature as water.
make their
prison.
harpen
s
o
t
stories
more
s
3. Why do you think Tim didn’t cry or faint
ean
m
interesting
”
t
e
when he heard what would happen to Sam?
“Wh ding.
and to
by grin
paint a
4. Why do you think Tim wondered whether the sack was
picture for their
hot or if it itched?
readers.
5. Go to this site to learn some little known facts about the
Be sure to use
Revolutionary War.
figurative language
6. Go to this site to learn about the real life people
in your own writing.
ADD
THE
portrayed
in
My
Brother
Sam
is
Dead.
S
EW
DEF
OR
INIT
ION DS & T
7. Rewrite the last chapter to give the
GLO S TO YO HEIR
SSAR
UR
FLO
Y:
U
NDE
DWE
RIN
story a happier one.
LL
C O M , C U R T, G , F O R E
PUL
SOR HARSH, BODING
8. Number your pages to the glossary
,
Y, A M
S
OK, MUGGLE
RAS
PING ,
and add it to your table of contents.
MY BROTHER SAM IS DEAD
Works Cited
American Revolutionary War. Digital image. Military History Photos. Web. 5 Dec. 2011.
The Continental Army at Valley Forge, 1777. Digital image. EyeWitness to History - History through the Eyes of Those Who Lived It. Ibis Communications. Web. 08 Dec. 2011.
<http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/valleyforge.htm>.
Currier & Ives. View from Peekskill. Hudson River, NY, 1862. Digital image. Springfield Museums. Web. 6 Dec. 2011. <http://www.springfieldmuseums.org/the_museums/
fine_arts/collection//view/781-view_from_peekskill_hudson_river_ny>.
The Declaration of Independence. Digital image. Welcome to Examiner.com | Examiner.com. Web. 08 Dec. 2011. <http://www.examiner.com/christian-worldview-in-national/whathappened-to-the-56-men-who-signed-the-declaration-of-independence-what-kind-of-men-were-they>.
File:Brown Bess.png. Digital image. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 05 Dec. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Brown_Bess.png>.
File:Glory and Valiant.jpg. Digital image. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 2007. Web. 07 Dec. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Glory_and_valiant.jpg>.
File:Poor Richard Almanack 1739.jpg. Digital image. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 13 Apr. 2007. Web. 06 Dec. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
File:Poor_Richard_Almanack_1739.jpg>.
George Washington at Valley Forge, 1777. Digital image. Son of the South. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. <http://www.sonofthesouth.net/revolutionary-war/battles/valley-forge.htm>.
Hillewaert, Hans. File:Alosa Fallax.jpg. Digital image. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 29 Sept. 2005. Web. 06 Dec. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Alosa_fallax.jpg>.
Kyles, Shannon. Loyalist. Digital image. Ontario Architecture. Web. 06 Dec. 2011. <http://www.ontarioarchitecture.com/loyalist.htm>.
Page, Brian C. Buckmantavernlexingtonma. Digital image. Pics4Learning | Free Photos for Education. Tech4Learning, 1993. Web. 04 Dec. 2011. <http://pics4learning.com/
details.php?img=buckmantavernlexingtonma.jpg>.
Ramsay, Allan. File:George III in Coronation Edit.jpg. Digital image. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 05 Dec. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
File:George_III_in_Coronation_edit.jpg>.
Trumbull, John. Benedict Arnold Copy of Engraving by H. B. Hall after John Trumbull, Published 1879., 1931 - 1932 - NARA - 532921.tif. Digital image. Wikipedia, the Free
Encyclopedia. Web. 05 Dec. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=File:Benedict_Arnold._Copy_of_engraving_by_H._B._Hall_after_John_Trumbull,_published_1879.,_1931_-_1932_-_NARA_-_532921.tif>.
Tucker, Richard W. American Toy Airship Co.: Mumbly Peg. Digital image. Tiddlywinks.org, the North American Tiddlywinks Association's Website, Brought to You by Rick
Tucker. 1996. Web. 05 Dec. 2011. <http://www.tiddlywinks.org/collector/agca_grn_article_oct_1996.html>.
Willard, Archibald. Spirit of '76, 1891. Digital image. Ohio Historical Society. Web. 07 Dec. 2011. <http://www.ohiohistory.org/resource/audiovis/exhibit/artists/wilpai1.html>.
“First Revolutionary Battle at Lexington & Concord.” 2010. The History Channel website. Dec 8 2010, 11:26
!
!
http://www.history.com/videos/first-revolutionary-battle-at-lexington--concord.
“The Sons of Liberty and the Boston Tea Party.” 2010. The History Channel website. Dec 8 2010, 11:29
!
!
http://www.history.com/videos/the-sons-of-liberty-and-the-boston-tea-party.
“Red coat.” Wikipedia. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, December 8, 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobsterbacks
“Minutemen.” ushistory.org. The Independence Hall Association in Philadelphia, December 8, 2010. http://www.ushistory.org/people/minutemen.htm
“The Loyalists.” Learn. Leading English Education and Resource Network, December 8, 2010.
!
http://www.learnquebec.ca/en/content/curriculum/social_sciences/features/loyalists/learning/loykids_text3.html
“Webrangers.” Webrangers. National Park Service, Department of the Interior, December 8, 2010. http://www.webrangers.us/register.cfm
“Liberty Archive.” Liberty’s Kids. Dic Entertainment, December 8, 2010. http://www.libertyskids.com/arch_where_lexingt.html
“Revolutionary War Battles, 1775-1778. Houghton Mifflin History-Social Science. Houghton Mifflin Company, December 9, 2010.
!
http://www.eduplace.com/kids/socsci/books/applications/imaps/maps/g5s_u4/index.html
“Native American Homes.” AAANativeArts.com. AAA Native Arts, December 10, 2010. http://www.aaanativearts.com/article1156.html
“Rebel,” “Patriot.” Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, LLC, December 10, 2010. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/rebel, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/patriot.
“Battle of Bunker Hill.” bostoncitylinks.com. Boston City Links, December 10, 2010. http://www.bostoncitylinks.com/bunker_hill.html
“Mumbly Peg,” “Spin Top,” “Duck on a Rock.” inquiry.net. The Inquiry Net!
!
http://www.inquiry.net/outdoor/games/beard/mumbly_peg.htm, http://www.inquiry.net/outdoor/games/beard/duck_rock.htm, http://www.inquiry.net/outdoor/spring/