Lesson Plan

A Time Capsule of a Lost Early California Lifestyle

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet

After viewing The Last Roundup, a documentary that examines the transitioning of Santa Rosa from a privately owned island to a National Park, class members adopt the point of view of Tim Vail, a member of the family that once owned the island, or of a National Park ranger, and craft a diary entry that reveals their feelings about their life on the island.

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CCSS: Designed
Instructional Ideas
  • Begin the unit by showing the West of the West, Tales from California's Channel Islands trailer that provides the context for the series
Classroom Considerations
  • Learners should have previously studied narrative writing
  • Assumes class members have viewed The Last Roundup
Pros
  • The two-page packet includes a viewing guide, discussion questions, a vocabulary list, and the writing prompt
Cons
  • The discussion questions do not adequately scaffold for the diary entry assignment
  • No rubric is included
Common Core