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In her life, Electa Quinney had to make many choices. Some were easy and some were very hard to make. What are some easy choices you make every day? Have you ever had to make a hard choice? Describe a time in your life when you were faced with a difficult decision. |
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Electa mixed Indian and white cultures. What does it mean to mix cultures? In your life, do you mix different cultures? Give an example. |
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Electa taught in a one-room schoolhouse made of logs. In a one-room schoolhouse, students of all different ages learned together. How is this different from where you go to school? What are some ways that children with different ages might help each other learn? |
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When Electa was a girl, she went to boarding school. How is boarding school different from schools that you only go to during the day? How might Electa’s education have been different if she had gone to a school in her town that had a Stockbridge teacher? |
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When John Clark Adams’s trunk was found in 1932, it was filled with things that he had saved that were important to him. If you were to fill a trunk with the things most important to you, what would go inside? Make a list of the items and explain why you put them in the trunk. |
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Wisconsin was a very different place during the time that Electa lived. There were healthier forests, more wild animals, clean rivers and lakes, and much less pollution from mining, industry, and lumbering. Today, many American Indians believe in Seventh Generation practices, a way of thinking about and using our planet’s resources that considers the well-being of people who aren’t even born yet. Can you think of ways we can work together to preserve our planet for the seventh generation after us? Brainstorm a list with your class and pick your favorites. Then, go out and make it happen! |
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American Indians have a long and proud history of serving in the United States military, just like Electa’s son Daniel, who fought in the Civil War. Do you have people in your family who have served or are serving in the military? Find someone you know and interview them about why they served and what it was like. Ask if you can share what you learned with the class. Do you think American Indians served for similar reasons? Why or why not? |
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Electa often wrote letters to her friends and family and they wrote back to her. Today, we often send e-mails instead of letters. Try writing a letter on paper to a friend or family member. Get the address from an adult and mail the letter to the person. Ask him or her to write a letter in return and to mail it to you. See how long you can keep up a letter writing exchange through the postal service. How is writing letters different from sending e-mails? Do you find yourself writing about different topics or in different ways? |
