Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy Internet Activity
based on the book by Gary D. Schmidt

Directions: Use your online research skills to find resources to assist you in answering the questions. PDF version

1. The setting of the story is...

Name several other geographic locations in the United States that are similar to Malaga.

The island of Malaga is part of an archipelago. What is an archipelago?

Use a search engine to look up Phippsburg, Maine. Compare its stats to your town.

Which is older?

Which community has a larger total area?

Which community has more people?

2. Granite is mentioned repeatedly in the story.

What is it?

How was it formed?

How is it used today?

 

Name a rock or mineral commonly found in your community or region.

3. Reverend Buckminster requires Turner to translate The Aeneid from Latin to English.

Who wrote it?

How many centuries ago was it written?

What is the name of the main character?

4. The leaders of Phippsburg force the people of Malaga to leave their homes. This part of the story is true.

What is eminent domain?

Does this still happen today? Are people forced from their homes and property?

For what reasons can the government take a person's home and property in your state?

5. First Aid

Turner gets hit in the face and punches Willis in the nose. Both end up with bloody noses.
What should you do for someone who has a bloody nose?

Both Rev. Buckminster and Lizzie suffer concussions.
When should you get help for someone who has a head injury?

6. In Chapter 12, Turner finally meets eye to eye with a whale. Use the clues in the story and Internet based cetation info to identify what species of whale he observed. Some of the clues are: long fins which they smack on the water, black and white, behemoths, travel in pods off the coast of Maine.

7. Reverend Eaton makes clam chowder. Find a clam chowder recipe.
Determine the quantity of fresh clams needed to make a batch of chowder for your whole class or family.

8. How accurate was the author's description of the events surrounding the mass eviction?

9. According to an interview with the author Gary D. Schmidt posted at Teachers @ Random...

"Q: Turner Ernest Buckminster III and Lizzie Bright Griffin are both unusual names. What is the significance of these names? Where did they originate?

A: Turner is from Frederick Jackson Turner, whose precise and elegant writing I admire a great deal. The name, obviously, holds metaphoric meaning as well, as one who turns from one position to another. Ernest is my oldest son’s middle name and my grandfather’s name, and also holds a clue to something deep in Turner’s character–his earnestness, if you will. Buckminster is taken from Joseph Stevens Buckminster, one of America’s greatest preachers in the early 19th century, who broke new ground in his writing by using science and history in his theological work. He would have been fascinated by Darwin.

Griffin is a name of one of the prominent families that lived on Malaga Island. I took Lizzie as another name that was on the island, and one that suggested some of her defiant, witty, no-nonsense character."

Imagine you are writing a story that has 3 main characters.

What names would you give these characters? How would you decide?

Tips - The 7 Rules of Picking Names for Fictional Characters

10. Listen to these loon calls. Describe what it sounds like to you. Do you hear laughter?

"Books can ignite fires in your mind, because they carry ideas
for kindling and art for matches." Reverend Buckminster

Essays | Point of View | Crossword Vocabulary | Create a Travel promo | Make a flag | Literary Device Quiz

Extras:

* Teacher's guide

* Write a biography of Lizzie Bright or Turner Buckminster - Use the resources at Biography Maker,
references in the book, and your imagination.

* Personal Narrative Essay - help injured

* Character Map computer project | * Make a Story Timeline

*Make a set of Character Trading Cards. - Planning sheet

* Make a character trait word cloud

* Conduct a debate. Role play the opposing sides of the development issues exposed in the story
or a current development issue in your community, region or state.

* Examine a Community Development Project

* Make a GoogleLitTrip for the story