Understanding Appalachia
Melissa McNutt
Finneytown Secondary
Campus
Fall 2010
Tending the Commons: Folklife and Landscape in Southern West Virginia. American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
This lesson plan is a unit designed to enable students to understand the Appalachian culture. They
will study the culture and then read a novel that takes place in Appalachia. Finally, students will
participate in a Socratic seminar. This unit can be used in a social studies or language arts classroom.
Overview/ Materials/LOC Resources/Standards/ Procedures/Evaluation/Rubric/Handouts/Extension
Overview
Objectives
Recommended time frame
Grade level
Curriculum fit
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
Students will be able to list characteristics of
Appalachian culture.
 Students will be able to agree/disagree with
stereotypes of Appalachian culture.
 Students will be able to recognize and
understand cultural differences between the
Appalachian culture and other cultures.
 Students will read at least one novel that would
be considered Appalachian Literature that is on
their independent reading level.
 Students will be able to work cooperatively in
their books groups while having insightful,
thought-provoking conversation.
1 ½ months
4-6 (could modify for older grades)
Appalachian Culture/Literature
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Materials
Copies of Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech, Chasing
Redbird by Sharon Creech, Borrowed Children by
George Ella Lyon, Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor,
and M.C. Higgins, The Great by Virginia Hamilton
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Notecards for research
Library of Congress Website
Laptops/PCs
K-W-L Chart 1
app book club parent letter
Expectations for book club
Preparing for Book Clubs
Socratic Seminar Topics
Ohio Learning Standards
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People in Societies:
1. Describe the cultural pattern and products of various
groups that have settled in Ohio over time:
d. Amish and Appalachian Population
Reading Applications: Informational, Technical, and
Persuasive Text:
3. Locate important details about a topic using different
sources of information, including books, magazines,
newspapers and online resources.
A C D E M IC N T E N T S TA A
Procedures
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Days 1-2: Students will complete a KWL chart on
Appalachian Culture. Then, the class will discuss their
charts. Students will be put in groups of 2-3 and they
will research an aspect of Appalachian culture to
prepare a brief 5-minute presentation for the class. Some
groups may have the same topic, but every topic will be
covered at least once. Possible topics include: religion,
education, food, families, traditions, and
hobbies/recreation. They can use the Library of
Congress website to help with research. Students will be
given a brief tutorial of the website. Students will also
listen to an interview taken from the website to give
them an example of primary resources they can research
on the site.
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Day 3: Research in Library for presentations and get
ready to present
Days 4-5: Present to classmates
Day 6: Students will watch a few of the Hidden
America clips (the link goes to YouTube; just search for
“hidden America clips”) and they will discuss the
accuracy of the clips and whether or not they believe the
clips were dramatized to get more TV viewers.
Day 7: Book club will be introduced, and parent
permission slips are due back the next day
Day 8: Students will be shown a picture of mountaintop
removal from the LOC website and asked to describe
what they see. There will be a brief discussion. Then,
slips will be collected and students will watch video
clips/slideshow about mountaintop removal. Students
will write a 1-page response to the clips and pictures
shown.
Day 9: Students are divided into book clubs. Students
will make predictions for their novel and then begin
reading.
Day 10-25: Book clubs will meet twice a week on
Mondays and Fridays. On Mondays, there will be a
strategy meeting, where each book club member will be
sharing and discussing a reading strategy they have been
using while reading the novel. Each member will also
share how that strategy has helped him/her comprehend
the book. On Fridays, there will be a discussion
meeting. This is when students share one or more
responses to questions on their “preparing for book
clubs” sheet. They will keep their responses to these in
their Reader’s Notebook. In between book club
meetings, students will have in-class reading time. Also,
the teacher will be doing mini-lessons during this time.
Day 26: Students will be given Socratic seminar topic
list with their topic highlighted. They will need to
prepare for their discussion tonight.
Day 27-28: Socratic Seminar
Day 29: Wrap-up unit
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Evaluation
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Students will be assessed on the culture project, book
club, and Socratic seminar. They will be assessed on all
three of these using a rubric.
Appalachian Culture Mini Project rubric
Book Club Rubric
Socratic Seminar Rubric
Extension
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Create a video on the positive aspects of the
Appalachian Culture (in contrast to the Hidden America
video)
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Primary Resources from the Library of Congress
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Image
Description
Oral History (sound recording)
Oral history with 18 year old
white male, Breathitt County,
Kentucky
House in Montcoal, West
Virginia.
Aerial view of Mountaintop
removal and reclamation
landscapes.
Citation
URL
Library of Congress, Archive http://memory.loc.gov/cgiof Folk Culture, American
bin/query/r?ammem/afccalbib:
Folklife Center, Washington,
@field(DOCID+@lit(afccal000130
D.C. 20540 USA
))
Library of Congress, Archive
http://memory.loc.gov/cgiof Folk Culture, American
bin/query/r?ammem/cmns:@fiel
Folklife Center, Washington,
d(DOCID+@lit(cmns000174))
D.C. 20540 USA
Library of Congress, Archive
of Folk Culture, American
Folklife Center, Washington,
D.C. 20540 USA
http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/query/r?ammem/cmns:@fiel
d(DOCID+@lit(cmns000121))
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Rubric
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Appalachian Culture Mini-Presentation Rubric
Students: ________________________________
Topic: ________________________
1. Topic is explained so that students can have clear understanding
/10
3. Presentation is appropriate and well-planned
/3
4. Loud, clear voice when presenting
/2
Total
/15
Comments:
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Student's Name: ___________________________
Book Club Rubric
Group Member Names:
_________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
Book Title:
___________________________________________________
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Student read a book
as a member of Book Club
____ /30 points
Student completed all assigned
reading and work on time
____/30 points
Student actively participated
in Book Club discussions
____/15 points
Student listened to other group
members' ideas and thoughts
____/10 points
Student fairly completed a
self- evaluation of his/her Book Club
____/15 points
Additional Comments:
TOTAL POINTS: ________/100
Student's Name ___________________
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Socratic Seminar Rubric
4
frequently contributes meaningfully to the discussion
uses specific references/support/reasoning
builds on another's point explains ideas thoroughly
explains ideas clearly
initiates new ideas
pays attention when others speak
makes direct references to points made by other students
includes others through verbal exchange or invitation into conversation
3
occasionally contributes to the discussion
refers to references/support/reasoning
occasionally refers to another's point
attempts to explain ideas
may initiate a new idea
pays attention when others speak
2
rarely contributes to the discussion
shows little evidence of knowledge regarding references/support/reasoning
presents unexplained ideas
makes off topic remarks
becomes involved everyone once in a while
rarely pays attention when others speak
1
makes little or no contribution to the discussion
no evidence of knowledge regarding references/support/reasoning
speaks off topic
shows uninvolved attitude
interrupts when others speak
dominates
makes personal criticisms of the ideas of others
shows disrespect
attempts to disrupt the discussion process
does not pay attention to others
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Handouts
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K-W-L Chart
Topic
K
What We now
W
What We ant to Know
L
What We earned
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Dear Students and Parents,
The topic for our first book club is Appalachian Literature. Please choose two books that fit into this topic. If you
want to read a book that fits into this topic but is not on my list, please list your suggestion.
Please avoid choosing books you have read before.
Return this form with two choices and two signatures tomorrow, Wednesday, September 8.
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
280 pages
The struggle of thirteen-year-old Salamanca (Sal) to understand and deal with her mother's disappearance unfolds
while on a cross-country trip with her eccentric grandparents. Sal tells them the story of her friend Phoebe whose
mother has also left home, but in reality it is her own story.
Borrowed Children by George Ella Lyon
127 pages
Because her mother is bedridden, Mandy, the narrator of this Depression-era tale, has to stay home from her beloved
school to run the house. Mandy's voice is older than her 12 years, but it seems appropriate to a girl who takes on
daunting chores cooking and cleaning for a family of eight in an isolated farmhouse with no electricity or running
water. When the strain of her many responsibilities takes its toll on Mandy, she is allowed to take a trip alone to visit
her maternal grandmother at Christmastime. Mandy sees the common thread that connects her grandmother to her
mother and on down to herself.
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
144 pages
Marty Preston, 11, is a country boy who learns that things are often not what they seem, and that adults are not always
``fair'' in their dealings with other people. Marty finds a stray dog that seems to be abused and is determined to keep it
at all costs. Because his family is very poor, without money to feed another mouth, his parents don't want any pets.
Subsequently, there is a lot of conflict over the animal within the family and between Marty and Judd Travers, the
dog's owner. Honesty and personal relations are both mixed into the story.
Chasing Redbird by Sharon Creech
272 pages
It started out as an ordinary summer. But the minute thirteen-year-old Zinny covered the old, overgrown trail that ran
through the woods behind her family's house, she realized that things were about to change.
Right from the start, Zinny knew that uncovering the trail would be more than just a summer project. It was her
chance to finally make people notice her, and to have a place she could call her very own. But more than that, Zinny
knew that the trail somehow held the key to all kinds of questions. And that -- the only way to understand her family,
her Aunt Jessie's death, and herself, was to find out where it went.
M.C. Higgins, The Great by Virginia Hamilton
288 pages
Mayo Cornelius Higgins sits on his gleaming, forty-foot steel pole, towering over his home on Sarah's Mountain.
Stretched before him are rolling hills and shady valleys. But behind him lie the wounds of strip mining,
including a mountain of rubble that may one day fall and bury his home.
M.C. dreams of escape for himself and his family. And, one day, atop his pole, he thinks he sees it — two
strangers are making their way toward Sarah's Mountain. One has the ability to make M.C.'s mother famous.
And the other has the kind of freedom that M.C. has never even considered.
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Please return this slip on Wednesday, September 8. I will attempt to give everyone his or her first choice, but there
may be circumstances that require you to read a different book.
My first choice for this book club is _____________________________________ because _____
______________________________________________________________________________________________
__.
My second choice for this book club is _____________________________________ because
______________________________________________________________________________________________
__.
Signatures:
__________________________________________
Student
__________________________________________
Parent/Guardian
Date: _________________
Expectations for Book Clubs
1. Be prepared.
2. Sit so everyone can see everyone else.
3. Get started right away.
4. Make eye contact with the person who is talking.
5. Listen to understand.
6. Ask questions to understand better.
7. Speak clearly but not too loudly.
8. Wait for the speaker to finish. (don’t interrupt!)
9. Be sure everyone gets a turn.
10. Respect one another’s ideas.
11. Stay on topic!
12. Give examples from your book or your experience to support your thinking.
**This are ideas of what expectations could be** I would have each group brainstorm a list for their own group and I
would give the final approval. The group would follow these expectations the entire year. This would help establish
community within the “book club”. **
Preparing for Book Clubs
Read and think about…
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What you find interesting or surprising
How the author makes you feel
What you like/dislike about the writing
What the author is trying to say and how you feel about it
What the book makes you think
Your reaction to the characters
How the book reminds you of your life (text to self connection)
How the book reminds you of other books (text to text connection)
How the book reminds you of other things in the world (text to world connection)
What you don’t understand, find confusing, or have questions about
What you want to remember about the book
Why you think the author wrote the book
Examples of stereotypes or other biases
What you notice about the author’s language, word choice, or style
Themes you noticed
How you see a character changes throughout the book
How you notice the setting influences the book (dialect, dress, action,etc)
Socratic Seminar Topics- This is due Tomorrow
1. In the video, A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains, the Appalachian culture was shown in a negative way.
Do you agree or disagree with how they portrayed Appalachia in the video? Be able to support your answer.
2. Do you think that Appalachians should value education more than they do? Why/Why not? Be able to support your
answer.
3. We have learned that there are many stereotypes surrounding the Appalachian culture. Do you think these
stereotypes are fair? Why/Why not? How can society get away from judging a culture unfairly?
Talking Points:
1.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
2.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
3.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
**Support your talking points with examples from your novel, facts that you have learned from the culture projects,
and information gained from video clips**