General Plantation Activity

Objectives

Students will compare and contrast their daily lives with the work that Flora, a slave girl, did as her daily tasks by following her route on the plantation map and identifying the task she had to do and the location where she did it.

Age

3rd-5th grade

Enhances

SS.A.6.2.4, SS.A.6.2.5, SS.B.1.2.1, SS.B.1.2.4, SS.B.2.2.2, LA.B.2.2.2

Time and Place

Classroom post-visit activity, 20 minutes

Worksheets

Plantation Map pdf (194k); Following Flora pdf (56k); Writing Exercise pdf (61k)

These files must be viewed using Adobe Acrobat Reader.

To download this program (free of charge), click here.

Background

The activities of the imaginary "Flora" will help students recall the information given at each stop on the ranger-guided program. A short review will assist the students in remembering the types of tasks and activities that were performed by the slaves.

How might Flora's stop at one location be connected to another stop in her daily chores? Encourage the students to visually "think through" the pattern of Flora's route - to literally "walk" in her footsteps. This activity requires the students to place themselves, at least mentally, in the period of time that Kingsley lived on the plantation.

Procedure

Have the students "follow Flora's footsteps" by finding numbers 1-6 on the plantation map. They will identify the location of each number (for example: vegetable garden, well, etc.) and describe what tasks Flora would have done in those areas. This activity can also be used for the basis of a writing exercise where students, using Flora's point of view, will describe how they feel about each of their daily tasks.

Evaluation

There are many possible answers to this activity. Through the information received on the visit, some extra research and their own imaginations, the answers should be quite creative and varied.

1) Slave quarters: Flora might- help her mother with cooking or cleaning before her plantation tasks begin.

2) Kitchen House: help the cook with kitchen tasks like cleaning dishes or scrubbing floors

3) Well (for water): haul water for the cook or for taking to the garden

4) Vegetable Garden: water the garden, hoe, or pick vegetables for the cook

5) Dock: Flora might have wanted to see the ship sail in or she might have helped with light tasks such as carrying supplies when it docked

6) Plantation House: household chores such as cleaning or laundry