COUNTRY LIFE
Heartland
Before you start!
Activity 1:
Read the story below. Click on the underlined words to learn what the words say and what they mean.
Click on the "Comprehension Check" link below. Re-read the story and answer the questions
A Different Heartland
by Elizabeth Chapin-Pinotti
My heartland is so different now.
My heartland seems so lost somehow.
The wide-eyed wonder that used to be
Has slowly slipped away from me.
It isn't the land -- from sea to sea
That lost just how it used to be,
But rather the feeling conjured up
By the politics that are on top.
If children's eyes were visioned through
The Heartland would still feel brand new.
With its purple mountain majesty
And good ol' Lady Liberty.
The grandeur of the old cracked bell,
The ebb and flow of the ocean swell,
The winding rivers and babbling brooks,
Would all be worth a second look.
The country patched in green and gold
Soil all tilled and grain all sold.
The bright lights of the urban den,
The bridges, roads and country bends,
All call to children -- lure them in
To the Heartland myth of Heartland friends.
Distill the myth and bring it in
And let the Heartland be your friend.
Have hope this Heartland will pull through
And pave way a better road for you.
The term "heartland" usually refers to the middle American states. The farms and sprawling lands of the Midwest. The above poem references this heartland but uses the word to mean something very different. Re-read the poem above and then click on the Comprehension Check link.
"Comprehension Check"
Activity 2: Plan a journey to the Midwest -- Travel Planning and Travel Brochure Project
Reading Level 1.8
