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Maine Samplers Part III

The Original Freddie Ackerman by Hadley Irwin

McElderry, 1992

Summary: Trevor resigns himself to spending a boring summer with two elderly aunts on a Down-East island. Initially he depends on fantasizing military escapades with himself (Freddie Ackerman) as hero. Reality gradually becomes more exciting as he explores local legends with Ariel, a girl even lonelier than he. She too has an unhappy, fractured family life, and each of them learns to deal better with that reality as well as with each other.

Level: R.L. Gr. 5 I.L. Gr. 4 - 8

Themes :

self-perception and family life;
imagination and day-dreaming;
Maine

Example graphic of informational phone numbers

Activities:

1. Find some visuals (video, filmstrips, photos) that show Bangor, Camden, Maine coast and islands. Write an inviting reference annotation (plus location) to add to those already inside the back cover of The Original Freddie Ackerman.

2. Trevor Freddie Ackerman has a backpack and two suitcases when he arrives in Maine for the summer. His moccasins, slacks, shirt, and sweater are new and were purchased from Land's end (page 1). Locate a Land's End catalog in the library or call and request one to be sent to you or your library. Choose a summer collection of clothes for yourself for a Maine vacation. Fill in a copy of the order blank with your choices. Be sure to include color and size as well as item number and cost. Total the cost, including any tax and/or postage and handling charges. Now cut the cost in half, for you (or Trevor) would no doubt bring a number of things that you already owned. Locate an L.L. Bean catalog or have one mailed to you, and choose a summer collection, fill in a copy of the order blank, and total it and halve it. Now compare the two catalogs and the two collections you chose. Which catalog was easier/harder to use? Explain. Which collection of clothes seems to suit you more? Why? Compare the prices and prepare to comment on differences and similarities. Schedule a conference with your teacher or librarian to discuss the two orders, including their suitability for a Maine vacation.

3. Make a family tree for Trevor. Write something positive and something negative that Trevor felt about his family. (Include page numbers that show his feelings.) Now write some advice to Trevor about his relationships with his various family members.

4. Aunt Cal asked Trevor to make her a list of snacks he would like to have while he is visiting her in Maine. He finally did, but we never learn what he wrote. We do know he likes Snicker Bars and Coke Classic . If Aunt Cal asked you, what would you put on your list? Take your list to a store, add brand names and prices. If Aunt Cal bought 2 of everything you requested, how much would she spend? If she bought 3 of everything? (You may wish to design a spreadsheet for this list.) If you stayed at Aunt Cal's from July 1 to August 21, how many of each snack would you reasonably eat or drink? How much would it cost from July 1 to August 21?

5. The aunts, Cal and Lou, said that there were no rules for Trevor while he was living with them. Yet he was punished twice. Write an explanation of the two incidents, the punishments, and how they relate to the 'no rules' statement. What do you think was fair or unfair about these two circumstances? Explain.

6. When a thunderstorm unearths two skeletons on Lost Island, we learn that Aunt Lou writes a column for the newspaper Island Eagle. (Pp 155-158) Write the article she might submit to the Eagle about this discovery. Include any background or legends involving Lost Island. (You may use a publishing program such as PageMaker or Children's Writing and Publishing Center or The Writing Center.) Make a banner for the Eagle, and add the headlines of at least 4 other articles that might appear in the newspaper the summer Trevor visited. (For instance, "Local Lawman Retires after Sensational Drug Bust".) If you are working with a group, publish a summer issue of the Eagle . Include one editorial about the dump road and another about beer busts. Have a classified section that includes the kinds of personal ads that Trevor answered. Have one historical article, perhaps about the Red Paint people, and a conservation article, perhaps about Wilson's petrel. Include appropriate weather and tide information, and a lengthy "Help Wanted" ad for a new policeman, complete with all requirements and job information.

7. Trevor mentally spends the $500.00 for finding a unique edition of the Miranda York mystery in five different ways. A. How much would it cost him to take a bus from Camden to Denver, Colorado? (Include meal money for the time period involved.) B. How much does a hot-pink Yamaha Razz moped cost? C. Clip out five advertisements from the newspaper or a sales pamphlet like Uncle Henry's for used cars that cost $500.00 or less. D. If Trevor was in Las Vegas, how may days could he gamble if he spent $10.00 daily on slots and $5.00 daily in pop machines? (See p. 139) E. Find out how much a good windsurfer costs. If you were imagining how to spend $500.00, what would you decide? Explain your decision, and verify the cost in an appropriate way. Share your written findings and your decision with a student group supervised by a teacher or librarian. Discuss what you think Trevor should have used the $500.00 for if he had earned it.

8. Aunt Cal used a pseudonym when she wrote mysteries. That's why Trevor didn't connect her with the Bookfinder. Define and describe the meanings and differences between the terms 'pseudonym', 'alias', 'nom de plume', 'pen name', and 'putative author'. List as many reasons you can think of why a person might use a pseudonym and what kinds of persons might use a pseudonym. What are the pseudonyms of Samuel Clemens, Theodore S. Geisel (two), Sidney Porter, Charles Dodgson, Harriet Stratemeyer Adams or Edward Stratemeyer (at least two). List the pseudonyms of two other authors with their real names and some of the books they wrote. Why do you think Aunt Cal used a pseudonym? Arrange for a group or a class discussion about this topic. Include how you found the pseudonyms of the two other authors, and other ways that might work.

9. Read the famous short story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber. [You might find it in an anthology of famous short stories, in Short Story Index in the reference section of the library, or in the vertical file.] What similarities do you find between that story and The Original Freddie Ackerman? What similarities do you find between Walter Mitty and Trevor Ackerman? If you were to plan a short story that could be similarly compared to the two stories you just analyzed, what would it have to contain? Be specific and thorough. Now create and describe a character, a problem situation, and some Freddie Ackerman types of responses to that problem. Prepare an outline or a web of this plan and discuss it in a supervised group or with your teacher or librarian. (Hint: what kind of happening seems to turn Trevor into Freddie? Why does Trevor become Freddie more at the beginning of the book than at the end?)

10. Jane, wishing is a picture book by Tobi Tobias about a young adult who feels very much like Trevor Ackerman. Trina Schart Hyman contributed the remarkable illustrations. Follow the same directions as #8, with this addition. Your outline or web should contain clear and detailed descriptions of illustrations to be included with your story.

SUGGESTED CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING NEWSPAPERS



A. Banner      Motto  relevant                   1 2 3  irrelevant
               Graphic(s) related to title       1 2 3  unrelated
               Clear and well spaced             1 2 3  cluttered

B. Headline    Inviting                          1 2 3  uninviting
               Informative                       1 2 3  no facts
               Short                             1 2 3  too long

C. Facts       Complete 5 "Ws"                   1 2 3  incomplete
               (Who, what, when, where, why)
               Well-substantiated                1 2 3  unfounded

D. Background  Well-gleaned from text            1 2 3  too much or
                                                        too  little
E. Legend      Historically  treated             1 2 3  no history 
               Well-related  to  incident        1 2 3  isolated

F. Organization Understandable                    1 2 3  confusing
               Logical                           1 2 3illogical

G. Style       Correct grammar used              1 2 3  not used
               Interesting  presentation         1 2 3  dull
               Cohesive                          1 2 3  unclear

H.4 Headlines  Refer to incidents in book        1 2 3  unrelated
               Inviting                          1 2 3  uninviting
               Informative                       1 2 3  no facts
               Condensed                         1 2 3  too long or
                                                        too short
               Topics varied                     1 2 3  narrow

 I. Other Criteria
OVERALL ASSESSMENT OF ASSIGNMENT



SPECIFIC STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES



Prepared by Audrey Conant