We’ve received a few questions asking how to use Heritage Letters in a homeschool setting for various lengths of time. Many people simply use their Heritage Letters as a one day mini-lesson, while others make it into a long lesson over one or two days, while others still yet use it over the course of 1-2 weeks, and a few even use it as their history curriculum. Regardless of which camp you’re in, we’d like to devote this blog post to giving you some practical ideas on how to get the most out of your Heritage Letter experience.
1 Day Mini-Lesson
The simplest thing you can do with your Heritage Letter is to receive it in the mail, read it, explore the timeline, and enjoy the artifact.
We design each letter to stand on its own in this simple form. The letters do not cover the entirely of a person’s life…they offer a snapshot look at an important time in that person’s life whether it’s on the brink of a new discovery or invention, at the end of an important day, or somewhere in between.
This design is intentional.
We want to create an enjoyable learning experience for our readers that allows them to meet a new historical figure or revisit one they’ve already met.
We want to create an experience that stirs our reader’s curiosity and makes them want to know more about the person.
We want you to finish each Heritage Letter wanting to know more, yet satisfied with what you’ve learned in that snippet of time.
If you’d like to extend your experience with your letter briefly, our top recommendation is to read a short children’s biography about the person or watch a short video about them. Each month we give recommendations for books and videos on the Lesson Plans page on our website. Some of the most beautiful biographies we’ve read as a family have been written for elementary aged children. Books like this are fairly succinct in their facts while featuring excellent writing and often feature beautiful illustrations. They are generally also readily available at public libraries.
In a homeschool or classroom setting one excellent way to incorporate Heritage Letters in this format is by including them in a morning basket or reading them during a transition period between subjects or while students are calming from recess or PE.
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Here’s an example of how this would work with our Ansel Adams letter:
-Read the letter, explore the timeline of Ansel’s life, and study the picture of the Tetons and the Snake River
-Read Antsy Ansel: Ansel Adams a Life in Nature by Cindy Jensenn-Elliott
-Watch the 4-minute trailer for the DVD “Ansel Adams, Photographer” here
1-2 Day Longer Lesson
If you have a little more time to devote to your Heritage Letter than just a mini-lesson why not let it stretch over the course of one longer lesson or 2 days?
The flow we recommend for this is to read the letter and explore the timeline and artifact first to generate interest in the historical figure.
Next read a children’s biography on the person and watch a short video.
We include a free download on our website for each of the letters so look through those and see what might be appropriate for your students. If you’re looking for more ideas, read through our lesson plan ideas and look at our Pinterest board for each letter for more ideas.
Have your students share what they’ve learned about the person with you either orally, with a drawing or writing journal entry, or by using a character map.
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Here’s an example of how this would work with our Ansel Adams letter:
-Read the letter, explore the timeline of Ansel’s life, and study the picture of the Tetons and the Snake River
-Read Antsy Ansel: Ansel Adams a Life in Nature by Cindy Jensenn-Elliott
-Watch the 4-minute trailer for the DVD “Ansel Adams, Photographer” here
-Complete one of the photography challenges found in our free downloads
-Look at the pictures taken and help each student pick a favorite
1 Week of Lessons
Day 1: Read the letter and explore the timeline and artifact first to generate interest in the historical figure. Discuss whether the students have heard of this person before and what they already know about him/her. What else would they like to learn about the person? Did the letter prompt anything else they’d like to learn about?
Day 2: Read a biography about the person and/or watch a short video of their life.
Day 3: Locate the person’s life travels on a map. Discuss the significance these locations had in the person’s life.
Day 4: Work through the free download activities about the person provided on our website.
Day 5: Wrap up learning about the person with a craft related to the person or take a field trip to visit an area where you can learn more about the person or their lifestyle. Call your local art museums to see if they have any works by Ansel Adams or similar artists on display.
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Here’s an example of how this would work with our Ansel Adams letter:
Day 1:
-Read the letter, explore the timeline of Ansel’s life, and study the picture of the Tetons and the Snake River
Day 2:
-Read Antsy Ansel: Ansel Adams a Life in Nature by Cindy Jensenn-Elliott
-Watch the 4-minute trailer for the DVD “Ansel Adams, Photographer” here
Day 3:
Look through some of the photographs taken by Ansel Adams, identify which National Park or other area they were taken and locate that area on a map. Discuss which areas appeal most to your students to visit.
Day 4:
-Discuss the anatomy of a view camera found in our free downloads.
-Complete one of the photography challenges found in our free downloads.
Day 5:
-Go to a park to complete another of the photography challenges found in our free downloads or visit a museum that has a photography exhibit and explore the exhibit. Call your local art museums to see if they have any works by Ansel Adams or similar artists on display.
2 Weeks of Lessons
(This guide details how to do this with the Ansel Adams letter, but it could easily be customized for any of our letters.)
Week 1, Day 1:
-Read the letter, explore the timeline of Ansel’s life, and study the picture of the Tetons and the Snake River
Week 2, Day 2:
-Read Antsy Ansel: Ansel Adams a Life in Nature by Cindy Jensenn-Elliott
-Watch the 4-minute trailer for the DVD “Ansel Adams, Photographer” here
Week 1, Day 3:
-Look through some of the photographs taken by Ansel Adams, identify which National Park or other area they were taken and locate that area on a map. Discuss which areas appeal most to your students to visit.
Week 1, Day 4:
-Read more about the National Parks that Ansel Adams photographed in the book National Parks of the U.S.A. by Kate Siber.
Week 1, Day 5:
-Discuss the anatomy of a view camera found in our free downloads.
-Study the workings of a modern digital camera. Compare and contrast a digital camera to a view camera like Ansel Adams used.
Week 2, Day 1
-Pick 3 of Ansel’s photographs to study in-depth. Discuss lighting, shadows, time of day the photographs were taken, etc.
Week 2, Day 2
-Complete one of the photography challenges found in our free downloads.
Week 2, Day 3
-Complete one of the photography challenges found in our free downloads.
Week 2, Day 4
-Help each student look through the pictures he/she took and pick a favorite to print. Create a photography exhibit showcasing your students’ work.
Week 2, Day 5:
-Visit a museum that has a photography exhibit and explore the exhibit. Call your local art museums to see if they have any works by Ansel Adams or similar artists on display.
Monthly History Curriculum
This option is designed for those of you who would like to make our letters your entire American history curriculum. It’s a fun option and one that can be easily done with just a bit of research.
Week 1
Focus: Ansel’s Life and Work
-Read the letter, explore the timeline of Ansel’s life, and study the picture of the Tetons and the Snake River
-Read Antsy Ansel: Ansel Adams a Life in Nature by Cindy Jensenn-Elliott
-For high school students, assign Ansel Adams: an Autobiography to be read over the course of the month.
-Watch the 4-minute trailer for the DVD “Ansel Adams, Photographer” here
-Discuss the anatomy of a view camera found in our free downloads.
-Study the workings of a modern digital camera. Compare and contrast a digital camera to a view camera like Ansel Adams used.
-Complete one of the photography challenges found in our free downloads.
Week 2
Focus: Ansel’s Work
-Look through some of the photographs taken by Ansel Adams, identify which National Park or other area they were taken and locate that area on a map. Discuss which areas appeal most to your students to visit.
-Pick 3 of Ansel’s photographs to study in-depth. Discuss lighting, shadows, time of day the photographs were taken, etc.
-Read more about the National Parks that Ansel Adams photographed in the book National Parks of the U.S.A. by Kate Siber.
-Complete one of the photography challenges found in our free downloads.
Week 3
Focus: National Parks
-Continue reading more about the National Parks that Ansel Adams photographed in the book National Parks of the U.S.A. by Kate Siber and in the Moon USA National Parks: The Complete Guide to All 59 Parks (Travel Guide)
-Learn about the history of the National Park Service
-Visit a National Park Service operated site in your area
-Discuss how Ansel’s work has helped bring positive attention to the National Park Service sites.
-Complete one of the photography challenges found in our free downloads.
Week 4
Focus: Photography & Wrap Up
-Complete any remaining photography challenges found in our free downloads.
-Help each student look through the pictures he/she took and pick a favorite to print. Create a photography exhibit showcasing your students’ work.
-Write a short essay or complete a character map for Ansel Adams.
-Visit a museum that has a photography exhibit and explore the exhibit. Call your local art museums to see if they have any works by Ansel Adams or similar artists on display.
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