Book Detail

This Vast Land

Publication Information
Author:  Ambrose, Stephen Illustrator:  
Title:  This Vast Land Date:  2003
Publisher:  Simon & Shuster City:  New York
ISBN, paperback:  0-689-86448-5 ISBN, hardback:  

Recommended audience:
ABE/ABLE:   Yes ESOL:  
Family:   Young Adult:   Yes
Picture:  

General Information:
Book Type(s):    historical fiction, diaries and journals

HSE Descriptor(s):    social studies

Summary:
A fictional account of a young man on the real Lewis and Clark Expedition emphasizes and personalizes the confrontation of races and the conflict between civilization and the wilderness. There are allusions to sex, though minimal.

Teaching Ideas:
The book offers models for journal writing and keeping a diary; readers can keep a reading journal of their responses to use to write a character sketch or make a timeline of the expedition, or they can keep a diary of a week in their life or a trip that they have taken. Reflecting later in life George says he is better satisfied with life in civilization than a life in the wilderness. Discussion Web or Agree/Disagree strategies would help explore the concepts of civilization and wilderness in the book and how they affect us today. The book can be used in a text set on the Lewis and Clark expedition. Many web sites provide interactive information and maps: www.lewis-clark.org/; www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/; and www.nationalgeographic.com/west/.

Teaching Strategies:
bullet K-W-L Instruction Strategy
   http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/k_w_l.pdf
bullet Types of Journals
   http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/types_of_journals.pdf
bullet Venn Diagrams
   http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/venn_diagrams.pdf
bullet Unsent Letters
   http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/unsent_letters.pdf

Keywords: select any link below for a list of resources which also have that keyword
bullet Ethnic Groups > Native American
bullet Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > group > leadership
bullet Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > resourcefulness
bullet History > region > U.S. history > Westward Expansion
bullet Science > wilderness
bullet Social Studies > sociology > social issues > racism > race relations
bullet Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Western United States
bullet History > region > U.S. history > well-known people > Lewis and Clark
bullet Social Studies > sociology > women > women in history > Sacagawea
bullet History > topic > exploration


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