Hello everyone! I hope you are enjoying the snow day! This past week, we read and discussed Blood on the River by Elisa Carbone. We used an anticipation guide while we read and looked at how we could use primary sources in the book.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It grabbed my attention right away. I liked how there was a quote from a primary source at the beginning of each chapter that connected with what happened in the book. I always remember learning about Jamestown being boring other than when we went on the field trip. If I had read this book in 4th grade, I would have enjoyed learning about Jamestown more.
I would like to use this book in my future classroom. It is a great way to help students understand and relate to the story of Jamestown more than just the facts. The book also teaches other things than Jamestown. It discusses friendships, working with others, and persevering through difficult times.
When teaching this book, I would use an anticipation guide. It helped me guide my reading and notice some of the more significant details. I would also like to show students primary sources to show the actual events from the book.
Did you enjoy reading this book? What was your favorite part of the book? Would you use this book in your classroom? Why or why not? What activities would you like to use before, during, or after reading Blood on the River?
Thank you so much for reading! I can’t wait to hear your thoughts about this book and if you would use it in your classroom.
Mackenzie Woody
Hi Mackenzie, thank you for sharing! As for the snow, I’m hoping it is minimal and doesn’t last very long.
I enjoyed reading Blood on the River, it was engaging and kept me intrigued even with the prior knowledge I had on the topic. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, I loved how Ms.Carbone was able to incorporate several different primary resources into the story. I ordered the next book in the series and am excited to learn about what happened to the settlers from Virginia’s perspective.
My favorite part of the book was watching Samuel’s growth throughout the story. The story begins when he is a child in England, getting into trouble, and not easily trusting. He ventures to the New World and learns how to be a good friend, mentee, companion, and frontiersman. I loved his realization or rather, the acquisition of the thought process “Does this come from a place of love or hate?” when navigating difficult decisions.
Depending on what age group I teach, yes, I would use Blood on the River when teaching about VA History and more specifically Jamestown. It is extremely engaging and would be useful in giving a perspective on the colonists’ perspective, as well as what their relationship was like with the Native Americans in the region.
Activities like the Anticipation guide we used could be utilized before we read, during, and after reading Blood on the River. While reading Blood on the River I would want to incorporate activities where students get to view maps and simplified primary sources from the settlers. After reading I would show the movie, Pocahontas, I may be biased because it’s my favorite Disney movie, but I think students could benefit from comparing the falsies displayed within the film to the knowledge they have gained from reading Blood on the River and throughout the unit.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed reading Blood on the River and found it insightful into the journey the colonists trekked to get to the New World and the hardships they faced upon arrival. The book not only teaches about the history of Jamestown and the settlement of the New World, but many other important lessons such as friendship and compassion.
Hi Mackenzie! Thanks so much for this great blog post!!
I really enjoyed reading this book, and thought it was very entertaining and informative. My favorite part of the book was probably when Sam was living on the grounds of the other tribe, and he totally adopted their lifestyle- changing his hair, outfits, and way of life. I thought it was great how he wholeheartedly jumped into a different culture with no judgement or bias, and loved it! I think this book would definitely be a great resource to include in my classroom for many reasons. This book totally kept my attention, and I think it would do the same for elementary schoolers (which can be hard to do)! While it was very fun, it also totally taught me so much more about the history of Jamestown/ Virginia in a very clear and enjoyable way. Before reading this, I would also utilize the anticipation guide that we did, because I think it was a great way to see what to expect in this book, as well as make educated predictions. And during the reading, I would use it to make sure they are comprehending what is going on, through having to check off things on their anticipation guides. After reading Blood on the River, I think I would have my students pick a scene that stood out to them and explain why it did, as a way of having them come full circle back around and understand and analyze what they read.
Thanks again for this awesome post! See you next week!
Hi Mackenzie, thanks for the post!
I did enjoy reading this book, more than I thought I would! I think offering an engaging story that provides important historical information and context while also keeping readers entertained is hard to do, but Blood on the River did a great job at doing so!
One of my favorite parts in the book was their journey while on the ship, heading to Virginia. I found it really interesting to see the tension, struggles, and ways people dealt with the hard journey. While other events in the book were more exciting and lively, I think this part stuck out to me as it was the start of all that happened. I also found interesting seeing how Samuel and the other boys dealt with adjusting to their new lives, and the new men they served, as well as how those men treated them despite the hardships everyone was experiencing.
I would love to use this book in my classroom. I think it makes the history of it a lot more exciting for students, and easier for them to engage and interact with, rather than multiple lectures, tests, and papers. I think the anticipation guide we used in class would be a great way to start students off, to allow them to discuss and reflect on previous knowledge as well as the new knowledge they’ve learned after reading. I think after reading, I would have students do a reflection or project on a character and their journey throughout the story. This will allow them to recall what they learned and focus deeper on one person’s perspective and experience in Jamestown.
Thanks again for the post, and have a great rest of your week!
Hi Mackenzie!
I did enjoy reading this book; it was very engaging and kept me interested the whole time. I think that I liked how it was easy to follow what was happening, and I also liked how it connected back to primary sources. My favorite part of the book was when Reverend Hunt explained the reason he was going to the New World. I felt like each scene further just built on those ideas, and it outlined them very clearly. I felt like that was a key part of the book.
I would definitely use this book in my classroom. It was very engaging and kept me interested, and I am not the biggest fan of reading. I think in the classroom it would be good to read as a whole class so that I am able to highlight certain parts and make connections with the class as we read.
Before reading this book, I would also do an anticipation guide. I feel that is the best way to highlight important things before we start reading. Also, I feel like it sets the stage for the book and allows them to be on the right track with what to think about as they read. If we read this book as a class, I think I would have a big sheet of paper on the board, and we would keep track of main events, turning points, characters’ feelings, and their relationships with others. I think this will allow the students to form feelings and connections to the book. After the reading, I think it would be fun to do a wax museum with all the characters. Have everyone pick a character, and we can have other classes come and walk around our wax museum. The students can all share what they read about their characters.
Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi Mackenzie!
I also really enjoyed reading this book! I loved the first-person perspective, as well as the fact that it was written by a kid as well. This framed the story in a much more “real” context, as they might be able to see themselves in Samuel Collier. Even though he lived in a time so different from their own, the book portrayed him as having the same spunk and grit as a sibling or someone who might be in their class. Additionally, he was not always “perfect” in a way that students might deem adults would want them to be, as he is regularly getting in trouble. This aspect of his character might draw in students who feel like they do not always belong in a classroom setting, but that even students like them can be heroes.
I would definitely consider using this book in my classroom, as it draws upon many important aspects of the English settlers’ experience in Jamestown, while also being very engaging. It does not read like a textbook nor is it as difficult to comprehend as a primary source, so students are more likely to be hooked on the content.
If I were to use this book in class, I would split the book into four parts, and have every student take on a role: “prediction”, “question”, “clarify”, and “summarize”. This way, students will have something specific to look out for without being too overwhelmed with the assignment. Additionally, I would not grade this, so as to minimize pressure associated with the reading. School can be hard, but this would be an activity where students are just asked to do their best.
Hi there Mackenzie! Thank you for the post. I liked the book as well. I loved watching Samuel’s character transformation and how he was such a dynamic character. This book would be amazing in the upper elementary classrooms. I could not read it to my kindergartners but I do think the lessons in this book could be beneficial for all students. Pushing through adversity and working together is something all youth could benefit from. I like how it portrays the gentlemen accurately and that the indians were not savage at all. I think history sometimes get whitewashed and they feed us a narrative that makes English settlers look innocent. Hope you are staying warm!
Hi Mackenzie,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on our class discussion and the book.
Upon reflection, I really enjoy my time reading this book and I could imagine a fourth or fifth grader would love to know more about Jamestown through this book too as the book’s storytelling and language are easy to follow and attention-grabbing. Coming from Vietnam and given my experience in learning history in our Vietnamese classroom, I have not only learnt a lot about Virginia early history but also it helped shaped the way I thinking about how to introduce such stereotypically perceived as boring topics to young learners. Being close on that adventure with Samuel will give students a purpose to engage and discuss as the story unfolds; and through this book students slowly realize the emotional growth in Samuel’s journey which was filled with hardship, relationship struggles, and particularly perseverance. One of the highlights of the book that I also enjoy is the author’s notes at the end, giving a clear historical context and information and making the reading experience even more meaningfully. One activity that can be an interesting bonus at the end of the reading session is using body language to communicate with each other (as how the Powhatan people communicated with the English settlers). Students can start off start off by
communicating something simple, such as “I am sleepy” or “I am strong,” and
then move on to something more difficult, such as “I would like to trade my
pencil for your notebook.”
Thank you once again for your beautiful reflection!
Hey Mackenzie!
Thank you for sharing your blog post! Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. In my other post, I mentioned the lack of accurate and varying perspectives during this time; with this in mind, I have never read anything much like this book as it was not a priority of my education in New Orleans. I truly enjoyed learning about this side of history through a younger member of society as it gave a more relatable and accessible tone to the story for young students. For this reason, I would definitely use this book in my classroom because I believe it provides a memorable and historically accurate outlook on the events that occurred. I honestly think I would like to have the students watch Disney’s Pocahontas before they read this book so they can start making their own conclusions about how history is misrepresented so they have a more shocking response to the contents of this book and the truth behind our country’s founding. Some other activities that would be helpful are anticipation guides, exercises to learn how to annotate, and reciprocal teaching methods because they allow the students to synthesize the text in various ways. My favorite part of the text was when Chief Powhatan refused to be disrespected and take the title of the prince: “Chief Powhatan was asked to kneel to receive his crown… He absolutely would not kneel” (Carbone 167). Overall, I greatly enjoyed reading this book because it shed light on the power and good character of the Powhatan people, which is often forgotten in classroom settings.
Thanks again for the reflection, and have a nice week!
Thank you for an interesting blog post and the book questions Mackenzie! I’m glad we finally got schools open on Friday, but enjoyed the snowman building during the week.
I really enjoyed Blood on the River, and would definitely teach the book to help students gain better primary source perspectives on the time period. 4th graders could certainly relate well to Samuel and his motivations as a main character – from his initial mistrust of authority to the scrappy fighter and helpful community member he becomes.
The anticipation guide is something I would like to use for a lot of texts in my future classroom – it helps students recall their preconceptions prior to learning, and see how those ideas have evolved. Prompts in the guide also encourage students to hunt for and record the most important pieces of information in their own words, which certainly aids comprehension.
Honestly, I don’t know if I would have read the author notes at the end of the book unless I was asked whether our main character was a part of history, and had to find the answer: “All of the major events and most of the minor events are based on what happened on the journey from England and in Jamestown as described in the narratives written by the settlers themselves,” (pg. 231, Blood on the River). It surprised me how interesting that section of the book was, and how it added to my own understanding of what I had read.
Big fan of the book and the guide as a tool to guide our way. As a side note, I also liked the idea of digging into the characters after the book was read as a way to extend the learning, whether in a primary source map like John Smith’s, or through a more dramatic medium like becoming the character and reenacting them, or writing a fake diary entry as one of the colonists.
Thanks again for posting, and I look forward to digging into more ideas to bring primary sources to life for students!
Hi Mackenzie! Thank you so much for your insight on the book “Blood on the River.” I hope you enjoyed the snow day and stayed warm! Within your post, I specifically appreciated how you connected the use of primary sources and anticipation guides to your learning plans. Additionally, I agree that you liked the specific primary source quotes at the beginning of each chapter. This adds to the book’s validity, mainly because it is historical fiction. Your observations about the engaging structure of the book in a classroom setting are also something I agree with. Teaching this book in a classroom with children old enough to comprehend the content contextualizes the narrative of Jamestown’s history and engages children by bringing history to life.
I enjoyed the book “Blood On the River” because of how Elisa Carbone told the story through the eyes of Samuel Collier. By doing this, Corbone successfully integrated accurate historical information about Jamestown through a fictional, compelling story. This immersive detail allowed me to see the harsh realities of life in Jamestown. This is my favorite part of the book overall. Reading about historical events through the eyes of a character is exceptionally effective, especially in a classroom setting. Reading this book from Samuel’s perspective transforms historical facts into a lived experience, which allows students to understand the emotional and personal struggles of the settlers. I think students will be more engaged and curious about the history of Jamestown by reading a book like “Blood on the River.” In middle school, I remember reading the book, “A Long Walk to Water” by Linda Sue Park, which discussed the experiences of Salva Dut, a young boy who was forced to leave home because of the violence during the Sudanese Civil War. Similarly to “Blood on the River,” reading this book allowed me to more deeply understand the resilience of the people who lived through this war.
Because I plan on teaching kids in Kindergarten or First Grade, I would not teach “Blood on the River” because of its complexity; however, I would love to incorporate historical fiction picture books in my social studies classes. This will allow my kids to think of history as an interactive story, ultimately making it more interesting. Additionally, I will incorporate anticipation guides in my classroom. So far in this class, our course material has underscored the importance of active reading, and anticipation guides are a great way to ensure this.
Overall, I think that “Blood on the River” is an excellent book for older children to read in their social studies class because its storytelling can inspire students to deepen their understanding of the history of Jamestown. Additionally, incorporating accurate historical fiction books into my curriculum will provide an engaging teaching method.
Hey Mackenzie! Thank you for sharing this wonderful discussion post about “Blood on the River.” I fully agree with you that you found learning about Jamestown initially boring and would have liked to read this book as we were learning about it. The book really puts you in the shoes of an original Jamestown settler, more specifically, a child, and how they experienced arriving, settling, and living in Jamestown. I also really like how you connected this book to being able to teach other lessons like friendships, working with others, and working with others. The main character, Samuel, starts his journey to Jamestown angry and unwilling to make friends, but as the story progresses, he learns that he needs to work with others to survive. Samuel’s character development is probably my favorite part of the book. I feel that students would be able to connect with this journey and character development and think about how they would feel if they were in his shoes.
I would also like to use an anticipation guide while reading “Blood on the River.” The anticipation guide let me know what to look for in the book and activated my prior knowledge about Jamestown.
Overall, I agree with your thoughts on how “Blood on the River” enhances the learning experience when learning about Jamestown. The book’s ability to immerse readers in the historical setting while teaching valuable life lessons makes it a great educational tool. I would also use an anticipation guide as an introduction to reading the story with students. Thank you for your post! Have a great week!
Hi Mackenzie! Thanks so much for this excellent blog post. I also remember learning about Jamestown and being bored, as most of my learning experience was taking notes on information given to us through lectures or textbooks. I appreciate how this book puts the reader into the perspective of Samuels, helping them fully immerse themselves in Jamestown. I really enjoyed this book. It was equally entertaining and informative. I don’t remember reading many historical novels in school, and they are a great way to engage students with content they may be uninterested or unfamiliar with. My favorite part of the book is when Samuel steals Anne’s baby, Virginia, to take her to safety. It shows not only Samuels’s character development (from someone who only looks out for themselves to someone willing to give their life for others’ safety) but also emphasizes to students the desperation that many people in Jamestown felt at this time and how unsafe it was. The book was written in incredible detail. I appreciated how it was broken down so readers could understand how the relationship between the Jamestown colonists and the Native Americans changed over time. I think an anticipation guide would be very useful for preparing students for reading this book, as it helps them read more closely and look out for specific details. After reading the book, I really enjoyed the “John Smith Map Activity” completed in class. In this activity, we made a Notice and Wonder T-chart to help us take notes on the John Smith map. This activity helped me contextualize John Smith and what we learned about him throughout Blood on the River. After this activity, we also had to create our own maps, and we quickly realized how difficult this is, emphasizing how impressive it is that John Smith was able to construct such an accurate map with none of the technology that we have today! Overall, I really enjoyed Blood on the River and would use this book in my classroom, likely before beginning a unit on Jamestown. Again, thanks so much for a great post, Mackenzie!