Maud Hart Lovelace will visit students as a historical figure from the early 20th century to share artifacts and stories about her childhood in Mankato, Minnesota. Students will examine primary sources to learn about technology, daily life, and significant events in Minnesota at the turn of the century. The lesson aims to help students discover what life was like then by engaging them in interactive dialogue and inquiry-based learning with Maud and the historical sources. Students will develop an understanding of change over time by making connections between the past and their own experiences.

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Maud Hart Lovelace
History Player in the Classroom
When Maud Hart Lovelace visits the classroom, she will take students back 100 years to her
childhood in Mankato and show them how her friends and family helped her to become a successful
author. Typewriters, hand-cranked victrolas, and a host of other new inventions were altering the way
Americans worked, lived, and played during Maud’s childhood. Students will examine artifacts,
images, and other primary sources to understand and appreciate significant moments in Minnesota at
the turn of the 20th century.
Lesson Goals
 Students will discover what life was like at the turn of the 20th century and help Maud Hart
Lovelace tell her story.
 Students will perceive new historical contexts and make connections between their personal
experiences and Maud Hart Lovelace.
 Students will relate to different historical concepts through inquiry and discovery by using
interactive dialogue and primary sources.
 Students will recognize change and continuity over time.
 Students will be introduced to primary sources and show that they have value as historical
learning tools.
 Students will develop positive attitudes about history. History can be fun!
Lesson Objectives
 Students will examine artifacts/props, images, and other primary sources in relation to Maud
Hart Lovelace and the turn of the 20th century time period.
 Students will be able to identify three ways technology in their lives is similar or different from
Maud Hart Lovelace’s life.
 Students will be able to name two chores that Maud Hart Lovelace had to do when she was a
girl living at the beginning of the 20th century.
 Students will be able to name one invention that happened in Maud Hart Lovelace’s time.
 Students will be able to identify two books that Maud Hart Lovelace wrote over her lifetime.

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Minnesota StateSocialStudies StandardConnections K-3
United States History
Grades K-3: I.A: The student will understand how families live today and in earlier times, recognizing that some
aspects change over time while others stay the same.
World History
Grades K-3: III.A: The student will understand how families live today and in earlier times, recognizing that
some aspects change over time while others stay the same.
Historical Skills
Grades K-3: IV.A: The student will demonstrate chronological thinking.
Grades K-3: IV.B: The student will understand that we can learn about the past from different sources of
evidence.
Minnesota Arts StandardConnectionsK-3
Grade K-3: C.3: Use movement, sound, and language to create images and express ideas.
Grade K-3: C.5: Communicate a story and character using voice, movement, costume, and props.
Minnesota StateSocialStudies Standards Connections 4-8
United States History
Grades 4-8: I.G: The student will analyze the transformation of the American economy and the changing social
and political conditions in response to the Industrial Revolution.
Grades 4-8: I.H: The student will demonstrate knowledge of the political, geographical, cultural, social, and
economics forces shaping the modern United States.
Historical Skills
Grades 4-8: IV.A: The student will acquire skills of chronological thinking.
Grades 4-8: IV.B: The student will begin to use historical resources.
Grades 4-8: IV.C: The student will analyze historical evidence and draw conclusions.
Minnesota History
Grades 4-8: II.E: The student will know and understand Minnesota’s major industries and the economic, social,
political, and technological changes that accompanied industrialization.
Grades 4-8: II.F: The student will know and understand the impact on Minnesota of World War I and World
War II, as well as, the social and economic changes of the 1920’s and the 1930’s.

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Northern Lights Connections
Chapter 11 Flour, Lumber, and Iron
Investigation #11 Students will write a short story based on the analysis of one primary source
photograph. (Indirect connection)
Chapter 12 Bigger, Taller, Faster
A Faster pace of Life describes the innovations of the automobile and impact on lifestyles.
Chapter 14 The Good Life
How technology changed everyday life in the early 1900s.
The Melvin Frank section describes new inventions and his leisure activities.
The sidebar of Mail Order Catalogs introduces the efforts of manufacturers to meet and increase consumer
demand.
Investigation #14 Students make scrapbooks and uncover how people in Minnesota spend leisure time.
Materials
Trunk
Victrola (extra needles in envelope within record case)
Records for Victrola
Green Tablecloth
Enlarged illustration by Lois Lenski
Enlarged illustration by Vera Neville
Typewriter in case
Framed Photo of Maud, Midge, and Bick in High School
Framed St. Paul Dispatch Newspaper
Framed Photo of Mr. and Mrs. Saulpaugh in Horseless Carriage
Two Framed Photos of Downtown Mankato (One includes Saulpaugh Hotel)
Framed Image of Fort Snelling
Laminated Maud and Bick photo
Laminated Midge photo
Coat for Mrs. Saulpaugh
Hat for Mrs. Saulpaugh
Scarf for Mrs. Saulpaugh
Duster for Mr. Saulpaugh
Goggles for Mr. Saulpaugh
Hat for Mr. Saulpaugh
Leather Driving Gloves for Mr. Saulpaugh
Horse Reins (in mystery box to open)
Rug Beater

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Chamber Pot
Cigar Box (in mystery box to open)
White Tablet Paper in Cigar Box
Feather in Cigar Box
Pill boxes (optional)
Top Hat
Beaver Pelt (in mystery box to open)
China Cup (in mystery box to open)
Pudding Pot
Books
King Kong
Black Angels
Early Candlelight
Betsy Tacy
Betsy Tacy Tib
Betsy Tacy Go Over the Big Hill
Betsy Tacy Go Downtown
Heaven to Betsy
Betsy in Spite of Herself
Betsy Was a Junior
Betsy and Joe
Betsy and the Great World
Betsy’s Wedding
Winona’s Pony Cart
Carney’s House Party
Emily of Deep Valley
Set of “school books” bound together with a leather strap
Post Visit Activity Books
MHL Bookmarks
Set Up
Put green tablecloth on long table
Set trunk on floor or long table
Set Lois Lenski illustration, victrola, records for victrola, laminated Maud and Bick photo, Midge photo, framed
photo of Maud, Midge, and Bick in high school and typewriter on long table
Set 4 chairs up 2 by 2 for Saulpaugh’s car
On back chairs, set coat, hat, and scarf for Mrs. Saulpaugh
On front chairs, set duster, goggles, hat, and leather driving gloves for Mr. Saulpaugh
Flip framed St. Paul Dispatch Newspaper, framed photo of Mr. and Mrs. Saulpaugh in horseless carriage,
framed photo of downtown Mankato and framed photo of Ft. Snelling towards the back so students can’t see
pictures. Element of surprise!

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Keep horse reins, rug beater, chamber pot, cigar box, top hat, beaver pelt, willow china cup, and pudding pot in
trunk. Keep all books in trunk, too
Set Post Visit Activity Books and MHL bookmarks on side table or desk for easy access for teachers.
Time Frame 60 minutes
Introduction Focus Activity 5 minutes
Horseless Carriage/Horse Reins
Information Input
and
Guided Practice
10 minutes
Chores 5 minutes
Pink Feather/Cigar Box 10 minutes
Getting Published/Typewriter 5 minutes
Early Candlelight/Beaver Hat 10 minutes
Everything Pudding 5 minutes
Betsy Tacy Books/Diaries 5 minutes
Conclusion Closure 5 minutes
Total 60 minutes
Recommended GradeLevels for Stories
Grade Pink
Feather
Everything
Pudding
Horseless
Carriage
Hair Cut Betsin,
Tibbin
Bird
Queen of
May
Betsy
Meets
Tacy
Sand
Store
Betsy
into
Betsye
K x x x x
1st grade x x x x x x
2nd
grade x x x x x x x
3rd
grade x x x x x x x
4th
grade x x x x x x x x
5th
grade x x x x x x x
6th
grade x x x x x x x x
7th
grade x x x x x
8th
grade x x x x x
Book Title and Chapters of Stories
Story Book Chapter
Pink Feather Betsy Tacy 3
Everything Pudding Betsy, Tacy, Tib 5
Horseless Carriage Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown 2
Hair Cutting Betsy Tacy Tib 7
Betsin/Tibbin Bird Betsy Tacy Tib 2
Queen of May Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill 4-11
Betsy Meets Tacy Betsy Tacy 1-2
The Sand Store Betsy Tacy 9
Betsy into Betsye Betsy in Spite of Herself 16 and 22

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Vocabulary Words
Grade
Level
Vocabulary
Word
Definition
K-3, 4-6 history The story of what happened in a place.
K-3, 4-6 artifact Objects that were used by people of the past.
K-3, 4-6 historical
society
A group of people who have a special interest in the history of
their community.
K-3, 4-6 technology The use of machines, tools, and materials to make products faster
and more easily.
K-3, 4-6 blacksmith A person that shapes iron with an anvil and hammer. Often a
person that makes, repairs, and fits horseshoes.
K-3, 4-6 invention Something that has been made for the first time.
K-3, 4-6 chore A daily or routine task which is often unpleasant.
K-3, 4-6 diary A daily record of events, experiences, and observations.
4-6, 7-8 fort A permanent army post stationed with troops. .
4-6, 7-8 historical
novel
A book that re-creates a period or event in history and often uses
historical figures as some of its characters.
4-6, 7-8 publish(ed) To prepare and issue printed material for public distribution or
sale.
4-6, 7-8 victrola An antique record player; the sound of the vibrating needle is
amplified through a large horn.
4-6, 7-8 military
review
A military parade in which soldiers are inspected or examined with
an eye to criticism or correction.
4-6, 7-8 civilian A person not on active military duty or on a police/firefighter force.
History Player in the ClassroomSeven CoreElements
1. Element of Surprise
a. Even walking into the performance space as a person from the past is an element of surprise.
You are someone fascinating, someone new, from a different time and different place. Also,

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you have brought a trunk (or other container) filled with all sorts of exciting artifacts/props,
images and other primary sources. Some of these objects may be in boxes for the audience to
open up for even more elements of surprise! People automatically want to know what is inside
the trunk and boxes. They will be very curious.
b. Objects evoke interest!
2. Hands on Learning
a. We want people to actually touch the past. We want to get their "hands on" these
artifacts/props, images, and other primary sources. We also want people to draw meaning,
understanding, and ideas from them. Objects have a tremendous power to educate. People
will see a specific object through the eyes of their own experience and they will bring to it their
own questions and their own observations.
b. How do we help people draw meaning, understanding, and ideas from objects, images, and
other primary sources? By asking leading questions and using inquiry!
3. Inquiry/Leading Questions
a. The inquiry process is driven by a learner’s curiosity, wonder, interest or passion to understand
an object or observation. The process begins by the learner noticing something that intrigues,
surprises, or stimulates them. What is observed often does not make sense in relationship to
the learner's previous experience or current understanding.
b. Action is then taken through continued observing, raising/answering questions, making
predictions, and creating ideas about the object or observation. The History Player becomes a
facilitator or guide for the learner's own process of discovery and understanding of the object.
There are many ways to ask leading questions. The simplest way to ask a question with an
object is to say, “What do you think this is?”, or “Have you seen anything like this before?” But
be careful not to make it a guessing game. Ask questions that dig further to draw meaning and
ideas (perhaps even historic themes!) from objects.
4. Connection-Making
a. The History Player in the Classroom Program must connect with what people already know and
understand. One way to do this is have people compare the character’s experience with their
own.
b. History Players can also use objects to make connections and distinctions between the past and
today. History Players can facilitate connections either through direct comparison to similar,
familiar objects; or provide distinct contrasts between past objects and what they represent.
And before you know it, History Players help learners make new connections to the past by
building on new historic themes and ideas!
5. Storytelling
a. The possibilities for storytelling with History Players are endless. An abundance of stories
connected by objects, images, and other primary sources can be found with every History

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Player. Storytelling enlivens and entertains. It is almost a collaborative dance, gently inviting
learners to follow the story. And all of the sudden, before they even know it, they are right there
with you, eating out of the palm of your hand!
b. Storytelling is also a great way to teach historical concepts in a short amount of time. It enables
the listener to immediately empathize with an unfamiliar time, people, and/or situation.
Listeners create vivid imagery during the telling of a story. With this imagery, they can better
see, feel and understand how a person of the past may have lived.
6. Role Playing
a. Role Playing is another way to teach historical concepts in a short amount of time. It uses the
acting out of a specific part in a particular historical context. Learners are immediately placed
into the time period or situation.
b. Role-playing activities give learners the opportunity to listen to, observe, interact with, and learn
from other participants.
7. Flexible/Adaptable
a. Being flexible involves coping with changes in a situation. History Players often need to cope
with many changing circumstances during a single History Player in the Classroom
performance.
b. History Players need to do more than just cope in a difficult situation. Being adaptable involves
seamlessly adjusting to these changing conditions and modifying the performance to make it
work. And all of this happens in a split second!
Introduction/FocusActivity/AnticipatorySet
Introduction/Focus Activity Goals
 Get students’ attention with something unusual or unexpected.
 Introduce character to audience
 Reference prior knowledge – ask students questions to find out what they already know; give
students opportunity early on to share knowledge and then adjust program accordingly.
Introduction/Focus Activity Objectives
 Students will crank the victrola.
 Students will dance with Maud Hart Lovelace.
 Students will recall if they have visited Mankato before.
 Students will describe what they want to be when they get older.

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 Students will compare and contrast how different their lives are to Maud Hart Lovelace who
lived over 100 years ago.
Maud greets the students as they enter and invites them to sit on the floor or chairs. Even before the
show begins, Maud asks for volunteers to crank the victrola. She also dances with students while
waiting for everyone to arrive.
Good morning/good afternoon. My name is Maud Hart Lovelace and I am a writer of stories. I am a
writer from Mankato, Minnesota. Have any of you heard of Mankato? Have any of you been there?
Get responses. Well, earlier this morning, I came across this old trunk in my attic that I use to use
when I was a young girl and I thought that I would come and share some of my memories from here
in this trunk today. Before I owned this trunk it belonged to my Uncle Frank. He was an actor and
would travel all around southern Minnesota. He used to store his costumes in here. He was a writer,
too. And I thought by having his trunk, it would inspire me to write wonderful stories as well. I always
knew that I wanted to be a writer. Even by the time I was five years old, I used to follow my mother
around the kitchen with pencil and paper asking, “Momma, how do you spell going down the street?”
You see, I always knew what I wanted to do when I got older. I wanted to be a writer. Do any of you
know what you would like to do when you get older? Get responses.
This trunk is what I used to write on for a desk when I would write my stories, too. It has a lock on the
trunk right here… that is one of the things that I liked best. Do you ever keep things hidden? Or have
any secrets that you hide away? I won’t ask you what they are… then they wouldn’t be secret!
I remember sitting at Uncle Frank’s desk, gazing out the window of my tiny upstairs bedroom I shared
with my sister Kathleen, wondering what it was like before Mankato existed. I wondered what life was
like for the Dakota Indians, the early pioneers and settlers in the 1840’s and 1850’s. Even since I was
a girl growing up in the 1890’s, many things have changed. I was born in 1892 and Minnesota was a
very different place than it is today. What kinds of things do you have today that I would not have in
my time? Get responses. Some ideas to make connections would be lights/ electricity- age 14,
running water- age 14, TV age 30ish.
Information Input
Informational Input Goals
 Have students gather new information though Maud Hart Lovelace’s storytelling and use of
artifacts, images, and other primary sources.
 Incorporate student participation throughout information input.
History Player in the Classroom Core Elements
Element of Surprise Hands on Learning Connection Making Flexible/Adaptable

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 Continue to reference students’ prior knowledge.
Information Input Objectives
 Students will examine a photo of downtown Mankato in the early 1900s.
 Students will hypothesize who used horse reins in Mankato in the early 1900s.
 Students will role play the “Horseless Carriage” story.
 Students will deduce that the “horseless carriage” was the first car that arrived in Mankato.
 Students will examine a photo of the Saulpaughs sitting in the horseless carriage.
 Students will compare and contrast the horseless carriages of today from the early 1900s.
 Students will hypothesize why Mr. Saulpaugh is wearing a hat, goggles, and a duster.
Mankato was the town where I grew up. Show picture of Mankato. This is what Mankato looked like
when I was just 8 years old in the year 1900. What is different in this picture compared to your time?
Get responses. Steer questions and comments toward horses.
Horse Reins
Do any of you have a stable in your backyard? Get responses. Everyone did when I was growing up
because everyone had a horse to get around. I have something to show you and I will need two
volunteers to help me. Hand them the box with the horse reins. Guide students to hold artifact up.
What do you think these are used for? Get responses. What do you think these are? Get responses.
Maud can even pretend to be the horse (or have a student do it) and the other student can practice
using the reins. After the horse reins presentation, ask volunteers to take a seat and give them a
round of applause.
Horses went up and down the streets, plowed the fields, and pulled our buggies and wagons. My
town of Mankato was set up for horses. We tied the reins to hitching posts and blocks when we
“parked” our horses—so they wouldn’t run away. There was a stable in my backyard, and places to
tie horses up in front of the stores downtown and in blacksmith shops. Do you know what happens
at a blacksmith shop? Get responses.
I actually remember the day in 1902 when all of that “horse-business” changed. Something
spectacular came to Mankato and I wrote about it in my diary. I had two very best friends while
History Player in the Classroom Core Elements
Element of Surprise Hands on Learning Inquiry/Leading Questions Connection Making
Role Playing Flexible/Adaptable

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growing up. One of my best friends, Midge, was among the first in Mankato to try it. I wonder if I have
a picture of Midge—I do! Show photo of Midge as a young girl. Anyway, Midge was a dainty girl, but
very daring and athletic. Why, her hair was exactly the color of yours! Point to a girl with blonde hair
in the audience. My other best friend, Bick, (show photo of Bick) was shy with hair as red as a brick.
That’s why we called her “Bick”—her little brother couldn’t say “brick!”
Horseless Carriage1
One day, Bick and Midge and I were buying some jawbreakers at the candy store – do you ever eat
jawbreakers? Do you still have jawbreakers, the really big ones? They cost three cents when I was a
little girl! How much does a jawbreaker cost today? Get responses. Well, my friends and I were
buying some jawbreakers at the candy store and we decided to eat them outside on the curb, when
all of the sudden, the street was filled with people! They were rushing in one direction as though
blown by a great wind. Shoppers, clerks from stores, children – everyone – came rushing by. Our
friend Beulah flew past on her bicycle and shouted to us, “The horseless carriage arrived this
morning!”
There had been rumors for some time of a marvelous new invention called a horseless carriage – a
carriage that ran without being pushed or pulled, even uphill! Now, try to imagine how amazing this
invention seemed to us. Mankato, and everywhere else in the world, was set up for horses. For as
long as humans had been around, we used horses or other animals to pull carriages and carts. But
here was a carriage that could move on its very own! All the stores closed down for the day just to
see this new invention.
Maud asks for two volunteers – a boy and a girl – to come to the front of the room. She has four
chairs near the front of the room that she will use during this segment. The people that owned this
invention were Mr. and Mrs. Saulpaugh. They were always models of elegance. In fact, the two of
you remind me very much of the Saulpaughs (points to boy and girl) but you’re not dressed quite
right. Let’s see what I have… Maud pulls out a fur coat from behind the chairs. Ah, here we go.
Mrs. Saulpaugh always wore a fur coat in the cool weather, and it smelled faintly of perfume. Can
you smell the perfume? Would you try it on for us? Thank you! But something else is missing – you
need a hat! Maud pulls out hat and scarf and ties both on student’s head. There you are! Mrs.
Saulpaugh, won’t you please have a seat in the horseless carriage? Maud directs student to sit in
“back” seat of carriage she has rigged with four chairs.
Mr. Saulpaugh always had the latest inventions and gadgets, and he even had a special outfit to
wear when riding in the horseless carriage. Maud pulls out a duster, cap, gloves, and goggles and
asks boy student to put them on. There! You look just like Mr. Saulpaugh did on the day the
horseless carriage arrived in Mankato. We all gathered around to see how the horseless carriage
worked. Mr. Saulpaugh went to the front of the contraption and turned a crank, like this. Maud
pretends to turn crank at front of collection of chairs. Mr. Saulpaugh, could you give it a try? She
instructs boy student to pretend to turn crank. When he turned the crank the first time, it made a
1 Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown Chapter 2

12. 12
chugging noise – chug-ga-chug, chug chug – can you all make that noise when Mr. Saulpaugh turns
the crank? She has boy pretend to turn crank and students make noise. When he turned it the
second time, it made the same noise. Repeats process with students. What do you think happened
when he turned the crank the third time? It made an even louder noise, ‘vroom, vroom, vroom,’ and it
came to life! Let’s all make that noise when Mr. Saulpaugh turns the crank the third time. Instructs
boy to turn crank and students to make noise. That’s exactly how it sounded! It made an explosive
chugging noise, and it began to shake! She asks girl in carriage to bounce up and down in her seat
as though the carriage were shaking.
Just then, our friend Midge ran up to Mr. Saulpaugh and said, “Please Mr. Saulpaugh, may I have a
ride?” We all gasped! None of us could imagine being so bold as to ask for a ride in the horseless
carriage. Maud finds a volunteer (preferably a blond girl that looked like Midge) and invites her to sit
in carriage next to Mrs. Saulpaugh. Maud reminds her that she needs to shake, too! The
Saulpaughs let Midge in the horseless carriage, and she nestled next to Mrs. Saulpaugh in the back.
Mr. Saulpaugh got in the front seat (Maud directs boy to sit in front chair and start bouncing) and
guess what happened next? It moved! The horseless carriage actually moved – without any horses,
people, or anything pulling or pushing it. It moved all on its own! The crowd sent up a tremendous
cheer. Maud instructs class to cheer. Horses reared and neighed to get out of the way, and we all
started running to keep up with the horseless carriage, but it was gaining speed, and it soon left us
behind. Maud instructs people in carriage to wave goodbye to rest of class. Clanking, rattling, and
spitting, it turned the corner and vanished from sight. Can anyone guess how fast it was moving?
Solicit answers. It was traveling at the speed of twelve miles per hour. We had never seen anything
go so fast! Now, try to imagine the wind and air moving past Mr. and Mrs. Saulpaugh at 12 miles an
hour. (Maud points to students in carriage.) Why do you think Mrs. Saulpaugh tied her hat on her
head with a scarf? Right! It would blow off otherwise. Why do you think Mr. Saulpaugh wore
goggles? To protect his eyes from the dirt that might blow in his face! Very good! Maud thanks the
three volunteers and has them sit down. We had never seen anything go so fast! Does anyone
know what it is? Get responses. I was 11 years old, in 1903, when I saw my first automobile.
Information Input Objectives
 Students will describe different chores that they have to do today.
 Students will be able to name two chores that Maud Hart Lovelace did in her time.
History Player in the Classroom Core Elements
Hands on Learning Inquiry/Leading Questions Connection Making
Storytelling Flexible/Adaptable

13. 13
Chores
Things were quite different for me when I was your age but I think some things have stayed the same.
Do you still have to do chores? What kind of chores do you have to do? Get responses. Very
interesting. I need two volunteers.
Maud gives two volunteers a rug beater and a chamber pot. She focuses on the rug beater first.
Have you ever seen something like this before? What do you think this is? Who might have used
this? Get responses. Yes, it is a rug beater. This was a chore I was very familiar with. Do you know
how to use it? Maud guides student in pretending to beat a rug. My mother would hang our rugs out
on the line and this would get out the dust and dirt from them. You want to hold it like a baseball bat
and whack it. Thank volunteer for coming up and direct them to seat.
And here is another chore I had to do. Any idea what chore you might have to do with this? Get
responses. If students need help give them a clue-it was before running water. If more clues are
needed- it was before flushing toilets. Yes, it is called a chamber pot. You are all familiar with
outhouses? What if it was freezing cold outside or pouring rain? You didn’t want to go out to the
outhouse so you would pull this pot out from under your bed and go right in here. People used to call
their bedrooms, chambers. Hence the word, chamber pot. Now, you needed to clean it out in the
morning. Who would have to do this? Maud asks volunteer if they have any brothers or sisters.
Depending on the answer, Maud would give good news or bad news because usually the youngest
person in the family would have to clean out all the chamber pots. Maud thanks volunteers.
Cigar Box
How many of you like to climb trees? I love to climb trees, too. Right in the middle of one of the
trees, which was right outside my kitchen window, I had a tree house office. That is where I would
write down all the stories and events from the day. Do you have a secret corner in your house where
you keep things? Get responses. Some people keep things in a drawer or a box. I kept things in a
…Maud asks for two volunteers. She hands one volunteer the cigar box. Maud asks volunteer to
read box. Yes, it is a cigar box. My father smoked cigars and he gave me all of his cigar boxes to
store things in.
I nailed this cigar box up to the tree in my tree house office. And in this box is where I would keep all
of my stories, right here in this box. Maud asks other volunteer to open up the cigar box. What did
you find in the box? Oh yes, here are some of my stories! And what else is there? A feather? Now,
why would there be a feather in my cigar box? Hummm… Oh, yes. That feather reminds me of
another story from my childhood!
Pink Feather Story2
2 Betsy Tacy Chapter 3

14. 14
Have you ever looked into the clouds up in the sky and seen different shapes? One time, when my
friend, Tacy and I were having supper on the big hill, we looked up into the sky and saw all sorts of
shapes. The sky was a brilliant pinkish yellow because soon the sun was going to go down. All of
the sudden, the shapes in the clouds turned into big billowy feathers. “I want a feather like that for my
hat,” said Tacy. “You do?” “I most certainly do.”“Well, I will get you one,” said Betsy.
Betsy stood up on the bench and she reached and reached out for the feather. “You can’t reach the
feather. It is way over our house.” Tacy said. “I can so,” said Betsy. She reached and reached. All
of the sudden one of the feathers came near enough to touch it. But when she took hold of it, the
feather began to lift her up, up into the air! Tacy saw what was happening and she took hold of
Betsy’s feet. She was just in time too… in another minute she would have been gone. Up, up, up,
they went on the feather into the sky. They floated over Tacy’s house. The smoke was coming out
of the chimney where her mother had cooked supper; they could see the pump for water and barn for
horses and the shed for the buggy. Look, there is my Mom. For by this time they had climbed up on
the feather and were sitting on it side by side. They put their arms around each other so that they
wouldn’t fall. It was fun sitting up there. “We better not let anyone see us, though,” Betsy decided,
“they’d think that it was dangerous. They wouldn’t let us do it again, and I’d like to do it every night.”
“So would I,” said Tacy.
“Tomorrow night, let’s eat our supper up here!”
“Do you suppose we could hold onto our plates when we are riding on this feather?” asked Tacy.
“We’d have to hold on tight,” Betsy said, and they looked down.
It made them dizzy to look down, they were so high up. Tacy began to laugh. “We’d have to be
careful not to spill our milk,” she said. “We might spill our milk on Julia and Katie!” Julia and Katie
were Betsy and Tacy’s big sisters. Do any of you have big sisters?
Well, Betsy and Tacy thought it was very funny to have milk fall from the sky on their big sister’s
heads. They started laughing so hard that they fell right off the feather! Betsy and Tacy started
falling, falling, falling from the sky. But they didn’t fall too fast. They fell down, down, down, to the
very bench where they had been sitting on in the first place.
Why do you think I know that story so well? Get responses. That’s right. I wrote that story. And, in
the story, I called myself Betsy and my best friend, Bick, was Tacy. And the town of Deep Valley,
where Betsy and Tacy lived, was really the town of Mankato where I grew up. And just like Betsy, I
was always telling stories. Maud refers to Lois Lenski illustration of Betsy and Tacy on the bench.
Betsin, Tacin, Tibbin Bird Story3
(Another option if not want to do Pink Feather Story)
This feather reminds of a story about three girls named Betsy, Tacy and Tib, who tried one day, to
learn how to fly! Have you ever tried to fly? Get responses.
Betsy, Tacy, and Tib loved exploring the big hill behind Betsy’s house. Once in awhile, they did a few
things they weren’t supposed to do and went a couple places they weren’t suppose to go. (Have you
3 Betsy, Tacy and Tib Chapter 2

15. 15
ever done that?) Well, they of course got into trouble with their parents and they forbade them to play
on the hill for a whole month! (Have you ever had that kind of a discipline?) Then you understand
what I am talking about! It was miserable not going to play on the hill. Betsy, Tacy, and Tib were so
very bored! One terribly boring day, when they were watching their little brothers and sister, they
decided to learn how to fly. Betsy said, “Tib and Tacy, it’s easy! We begin by jumping off small things,
flap our arms, and continue to jump off progressively higher things until we take flight. Let’s start with
Old Mag’s hitching block.” So they did.
Tib went first because she was the most daring, then Tacy, and then Betsy followed. Next, they
jumped off the porch steps and then the porch railing. “Next,” said Betsy, “we’ll jump off of the tree
and tomorrow, the house! By then, we’ll be flying!” Tib climbed the old maple tree and asked, “Are
you sure this is going to work?” Betsy told her “sure” just jump and flap your arms. She did! Tib wasn’t
scared at all! Betsy told Tacy, “Why don’t you go next?” Tacy climbed the tree and looked all the way
down. After sitting there for a long time, Tacy let herself down to the ground by hanging onto the limb
and then jumping down.
Then it was Betsy’s turn. She climbed the tree and looked down. She was frozen with fright but didn’t
want Tib and Tacy to know. What was she going to do? There was only thing she could do. Betsy
started to tell a story like she always did! “Tib and Tacy, did you ever hear about the three girls who
learned how to fly and lived among the birds?” No, they had never heard of them. “Tell us, Betsy.” So
she did.
Three girls learned to fly, and turned into beautiful birds: Tib into a yellow Tibbin bird Tacy into a red
Tacin bird and Betsy into a brown Betsin bird. They were even invited to live with the birds! They
loved flying high in the branches and above their houses, soaring near the clouds. They found wild
strawberries to eat and their sisters put out cake crumbs, never knowing that the yellow, red and
brown birds were their sisters! One day, as they sat on their sunset clouds, they heard crying. They
looked down and saw their mothers crying. It made them feel funny. They looked again and saw their
sisters and brothers and even their fathers crying. They missed their girls so very much and didn’t
know where they had gone!
Soon, Betsy, Tacy and Tib were all really crying. “Please don’t cry,” Betsy said, “the story has a good
ending!” The yellow bird landed in the tree, turned back into Tib and climbed down the tree. Then the
red bird landed, turned back into Tacy and climbed down the tree. Finally, the brown bird landed,
turned back into Betsy then climbed down the tree just like this. And Betsy climbed down the tree just
like the story said!
Why do you think I know that story so well? (Get responses.) That’s right. I wrote that story. And, in
the story, I called myself Betsy and my best friend, Bick, was Tacy. And the town of Deep Valley,
where Betsy and Tacy lived, was really the town of Mankato where I grew up. (Maud refers to Lois
Lenski illustration of Betsy and Tacy on the bench.) And just like Betsy, I was always telling stories.
And you know what? I never had to jump out of the tree! My story saved me!

16. 16
Haircutting Story4
(Another option if not want to do Pink Feather Story)
I remember that Bick was just recovering from a very serious illness, something called Diphtheria.
(Have you ever heard of Diphtheria?) Well, it made poor Bick very sick. It was so contagious that
Midge and I couldn’t even see poor Bick for weeks and weeks. Bick and her brothers and sisters
were in something called quarantine. (Have you ever heard of quarantine before? It is when you
have to stay at home in order to not give anyone else your sickness. You have to be separated from
all of your friends and even sometimes your whole family! Have you ever been quarantined before?
Have you ever been separated from someone you love before? Was it hard for you?) It sure was for
Midge and me. I missed Bick so much. Nothing that Midge and I did, whether it was making May Day
baskets or celebrating the last day of school was very much fun without Bick. When she finally got
well, we were so happy!
I remember the day we reunited at last! We were so overjoyed that we leapt through Bick’s yard and
screamed with happiness! Midge, Bick, and I headed to all of our favorite places. We went to the
bench at the top of our street, my maple tree, and up the hills behind our houses. Then I had an idea.
“What if Bick had died from diphtheria? We needed something to remember each other by! “Just like
my grandma got something to remember my Grandpa by.”
“What did she have?” asked Midge and Bick.
“It is a piece of his hair. It was cut off his head, and she wears it in a locket. We are going to get
some lockets too. And we’ll put in our lockets a piece of all of our hairs. We could even braid them
together! They would look very nice because Bick’s is red, Midge’s is yellow, and mine is brown.” I
asked my Mamma for scissors and she said that I could have the very blunt pair if I didn’t run with
them. Now all we needed were lockets. We decided that we couldn’t afford lockets for a while so
what could we use instead? (Have two volunteers open mystery box with pill boxes.)
“Pill Boxes! They are just the right shape!” I went and asked my mamma for pill boxes and Midge
and Bick asked our neighbor, Mrs. Benson if she had any pill boxes too. “What do you want pill boxes
for?” my mother asked. “To make lockets out of. We are going to punch holes and run strings
through and hang them around our necks.” My mamma found one pill box and some string and Mrs.
Benson found two pill boxes for us. We took the scissors and punched holes in the pill boxes and ran
string through them and tied them around each other’s necks. They made lovely lockets!
“Now it is time to cut off the hair. I think we should take turns because cutting hair will be fun!” I got
to cut Bick’s hair. I didn’t know where to begin. Her hair was in ringlets. There were ten long red
ringlets, as neat as sausages. “I’ll begin on this one”, I said and lifted up the ringlet right next to
Bick’s face. I cut it off close to her head. “I think that I should cut off another one.” And I did. “It
makes her look funny,” said Midge. “That’s right,” I said, “I’d better cut off exactly half.” One side of
Tacy’s head had five short stubs of hair while the other side had five long red ringlets.
4 Betsy, Tacy, and Tib Chapter 7

17. 17
Then Bick cut Midge’s hair. She began at Midge’s ear and cut off all the curls on the left side of her
head. Then Midge cut my hair. “You are easy. You have two braids and I will just cut off one.” We
put all the hair that they had cut in a row on the grass. Red ringlets, short yellow curls, and crinkly
brown hair. We divided it into three equal piles but the piles were way too big to stuff into our pill
boxes. We filled them as full as we could and spread the rest of the hair on the wild rose bushes
nearby. “The birds can use our hair for their nests. I once saw a bird carrying hair,” said Bick. We
played around the rose bushes for a while but the more we looked at each other, the funnier we
thought we looked! We got a little worried about going home.
“Let’s all go together,” I said, “Three can explain things better than one.” We went to my house first.
My mother took one look at us and shrieked. “What have you done to yourselves?!” She cried. “We
cut off our hair to remember each other by.” “You come along with me,” my mother said and we all
went to Bick’s house. Bick’s mother was sweeping the walk. She stared at us and then threw her
apron over her head. When she took down the apron, she was crying. She ran her hand over Bick’s
head and cried, “Those beautiful red long ringlets, those beautiful red long ringlets!”
“I am so sorry,” my mother said to Bick’s mother, “I am sure it was Maud’s idea.” “We did it to
remember each other by.” But no one seemed to pay any attention to what I was saying. Bick’s
mother wiped her eyes and took off her apron. “I will go with all of you to Midge’s house.” And it was
a good thing that so many people were there to explain what had happened. At the sight of her
yellow curls gone, Midge’s mother turned white. “Midge, go to your room. You are going to be
punished.”
“I am afraid that this is one of Maud’s ideas. Let’s talk this over and find out why they did this,” my
mother said. “I thought we should have some of each other’s hair to remember each other by.” I
said. “It was because I was so sick,” cried Bick. And I might get sick too,” cried Midge, “and Betsy
might too. So we cut off each other’s hair to put in our lockets.” We showed them our pill boxes filled
with red, yellow, and brown hair.
All of the sudden, my mother began to laugh. Then Bick’s mother began to laugh. And at last,
Midge’s mother began to laugh. Midge’s mother got her scissors and cut off what was left of Bick’s
red ringlets, Midge’s yellow curls, and my remaining braid. “At least it is summer time and short hair
will be cool. But just the same, you are going to be punished.”
“And so is Maud. Very severely, too.” “And so is Bick.” But Bick’s mother hated to punish Bick
because she had had diphtheria. She took all of Bick’s red ringlets and put them in a candy box and
kept them in her drawer.
Why do you think I know that story so well? (Get responses.) That’s right, it did happen to me in real
life! I wrote that story. And, often in my stories, I called myself Betsy and my best friend, Bick, was
Tacy. And the town of Mankato where I grew up, I called Deep Valley. (Maud refers to Lois Lenski
illustration of Betsy and Tacy on the bench.) That story always gives me a good laugh. I just love
telling it. I do love to tell stories.

18. 18
Trying to Get Published
And by the time when I was about ten years old, I had written over one hundred different short stories
and poems. And, I sent them off to newspapers and magazines. Do you know what they did with
them? Get responses. They rejected them. And I couldn’t understand it. I thought I was the best
writer in the whole world, especially when I was ten years old! But I never gave up and I kept on
sending my stories off to newspapers and magazines. And when I got a rejection letter back, I would
just cross that newspaper or magazine off the list and go to the next one down the line. Finally, eight
years later, when I was eighteen years old, I was published. And that got my writing career off to a
wonderful start. I think I know the reason why I got published too.
I think it was my Uncle Frank who said “Maud, I know why people aren’t buying your stories.” Do you
still write stories with paper and pencils? Get responses. Well that is how I would write my stories. I
would get a piece of paper and write the title of my story really big at the top and under that I would
write my name, Maud Hart. Then I would start to write my story. As I reached the end of the paper, I
was almost finished with my story. But there wasn’t quite enough room, so I would try to fit it in at the
bottom. I would write smaller and smaller until it was teeny tiny. Have you ever done that? Maud
nods yes. Well, my Uncle Frank said, “Maud the reason people aren’t buying your stories is because
they can’t read the endings. Everyone knows that the ending, the conclusion, is one of the most
important parts.
Typewriter
So he gave me something to help me write my stories. Get two volunteers. Do you know what it is?
Yes, a typewriter. It took a little while to get use to. You see sometimes I would be thinking only
about my story and what was going to happen next. If I didn’t listen carefully then I would miss
something that would tell me I needed to return to the beginning of the next line. I need your help,
would you two tap the spacebar? The rest of you need to listen. Did you hear it? That DING.
Sometimes I would miss that DING and type right off the end of the paper. Then what did I have to
do? Get a new piece of paper and start all over again!
When I used this typewriter to write my story, it was published! It was to the Los Angeles Sunday
Times. It was called the “Number Eight” and I received five dollars for that story. I was just 18 years
old but I could now say that I was a writer.
Well, that got my writing career off to a wonderful start. I started publishing in all sorts of
newspapers and magazines. My husband, Delos, was a writer too. Except he was getting his stories
published in even bigger newspapers and magazines. Like the Saturday Evening Post! He wrote
one book that you may have heard of. Maud pulls out the screenplay of King Kong. She asks if
anyone can read the title. Have you ever heard of King Kong? He wrote the screenplay for that
movie. He wrote other books and short stories, too.
I believe it was Delos that suggested that I write a book instead of so many short stories. I thought
would be a brilliant idea! I loved writing about early Minnesota. One of my first books ever

19. 19
published was entitled, Early Candlelight. Pull Early Candlelight out of trunk. It was all about life at
a very interesting place around the 1840s, even before Minnesota was a state, let alone a territory.
Early Candlelight was published in 1929.
Information Input Objectives
 Students will examine a painting of Fort Snelling from the 1830s.
 Students will hypothesize who lived at Fort Snelling.
 Students will examine artifacts (beaver pelt, top hat, and willow china) connected to the fur
trade.
 Students will examine the front page of the St. Paul Dispatch in 1929 and conclude by the
article description and photo that it is Maud Hart Lovelace.
Fort Snelling Painting
Maud asks for two volunteers to come to the front of the room to hold image of Fort Snelling. Has
anyone ever seen this place? What is it called? If students need more hints, Maud could mention it
was a place where the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers come together, set high on a bluff. It was a
fort, etc. It’s a painting of Fort Snelling in the 1830s. Have any of you been to Fort Snelling? Get
responses. What kind of people do you remember seeing there? Get responses.
Maud asks the students holding the painting to walk around and show it to the other students. Maud
explains that Early Candlelight was about life at Fort Snelling in the 1830s, but most of the buildings
from that time were gone, and the land around it looked very different. How could she describe it in
her book if the “old” fort was gone? (Get responses.) She turned to paintings, maps and artifacts
from the time period to help her.5
5 Note: the restored and reconstructed Fort Snelling that students visit on field trips today looks a lot like the painting they will see. If
they inquire, Maud may have to explain the Fort they visit today looked nothing like that in her time – the Round Tower would be the
only thing that looked the same. Everything else that they see today was rebuilt or restored in the 1960s and 1970s. Fort Snelling was
still an active military post until 1945.
History Player in the Classroom Core Elements
Element of Surprise Hands on Learning Inquiry/Leading Questions
Connection Making Storytelling Flexible/Adaptable

20. 20
Beaver Pelt and Hat
I was just fascinated by Fort Snelling. I wanted to find more items to help me learn even more about
what life was like in the 1830s. Maud asks for three volunteers. Two to open the box and hold up the
beaver pelt and one to wear the beaver hat. Maud starts with the beaver pelt. After asking each
question, Maud gets responses. What is it? What kind of animal do you think it is? What do you
think people were doing with this in the 1830s? What did they need these pelts for? Who did they
trade with? What did Indians want in return? Why did the traders want beaver pelts?
Maud points to beaver pelt and then to the beaver hat. How does this pelt become a hat? It takes
about nine beavers to make one hat. .. If time permits, Maud could explain more about the fur trade
and the making of beaver hats, mad hatter, etc.
Willow China. (Optional)
If time permits, Maud could mention that when she did her research, she read about many other
things she had never seen before. One item she had not seen was the fine china that the officers
used at Fort Snelling. The china (cups and plates, she explains) was decorated in the “Willow”
pattern. Willow pattern? What did that mean? She wanted to describe it in a scene, but she had
never seen it. What to do? She asks students if they could think of words to describe, “Willow
china?” Maud asks for another volunteer to come up and open the box with willow china. She asks
the student to show it to the rest of the class. How would the students describe it now? Maud gives
prompts about the color, size, images depicted in pattern, etc. She explains that in Early Candlelight
she described them as “the dishes with their scenes of far and unknown places.”6
Maud emphasizes
how important it was for her to see the real objects from the past when she did her research. Thank
goodness for museums and the Minnesota Historical Society! They really helped her imagine what
life was like over 100 years ago.
Military Review
Maud asks for another volunteer to hold a framed image of the front page of the St. Paul Dispatch
from 1929. There is a photograph of Maud at her military review on the front page. She asks the
student to hold it up and show the rest of the class. Do you recognize the person on the front page?
Do you see any similarities between what I am wearing and what the person in the photograph is
wearing? Get responses. The soldiers at Fort Snelling, it was still an active fort then, were so
impressed with my book, they gave me a military review! One thousand soldiers were marching in a
parade, just for me, just because they liked my book! I was the first civilian woman ever to receive
such an honor! And this is the suit I wore for this wonderful occasion and they gave me these
beautiful flowers. Do you think my flowers are too big? Get responses.
6 Early Candlelight, p.232

21. 21
Other Historical Novels
I went on to write other historical novels, some alone and some with my husband, Delos. We made
a wonderful team. He loved to work on the plots and I liked to do the detailed research. Then, my
husband and I had a daughter named Merian. She loved to hear those stories when I would call
myself Betsy and my friends, Tacy and Tib.
Everything Pudding7
Like the time that Betsy Tacy and Tib decided they wanted to learn how to cook. How many of you
like to cook? Get responses. Have any of you ever made “Everything Pudding?”
Betsy, Tacy, and Tib made quite a mess near the kitchen stove one day. Have you ever tried cooking
something for yourself when your parents weren’t home? How many of you like pudding? Well,
chocolate pudding has what flavor in it? Chocolate. And vanilla pudding has… Vanilla. And
Butterscotch pudding has… Butterscotch. And Everything pudding has… Everything! Well, Betsy,
Tacy and Tib decided to make ‘Everything Pudding.’ Maud asks for volunteer to open box with
pudding pan inside.
What do you think this is? Yes, it is a pudding pan. This pan is very similar to the one Betsy, Tacy
and Tib used to make everything pudding. To make everything pudding, they searched for the
biggest pan they could find. They put it on top of the stove and put every single ingredient that they
could find into the pan. They put in vinegar, pickle juice, onions, bacon, cocoa, and red pepper.
What would you put in everything pudding? Get responses. If there is enough space, Maud could
encourage the volunteer with the pudding pan to go to the person that has an idea for everything
pudding and have them “pretend put” the ingredient inside the pan. Then, Betsy, Tacy and Tib let it
boil on top of the stove, all the flavors mixing together. Then, they sat down at the table and, using
their best manners, they each ate half a bowl of everything pudding. How do you think our stomachs
felt? I think I was sick for almost a week!
And those are the stories that my daughter, Merian, love to hear. And those are the kinds of stories
that I loved to write about. Things that actually happened to my friends, my family, and me. And
when my publisher wanted me to write another book, I just decided to write down all the stories that I
had been telling Merian and my friends and family throughout the years. So in 1940, I wrote my very
first children’s book.
Betsy Tacy Books
It was entitled, Betsy Tacy. Pull out Betsy Tacy book from trunk. In this book, Betsy and Tacy are
five years old. Well, I started receiving letters from people all over the world saying they wanted to
learn even more about Betsy, Tacy and Tib. Well, I had more stories in my head, so I wrote three
more books. Maud pulls three more books out from trunk. I wrote Betsy, Tacy and Tib, when they
were 8 years old. Then I wrote Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill when they were 10 years old.
7 Betsy Tacy and Tib Chapter 5

22. 22
And Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown when they were 12 years old. Well, I never thought that I would
write a Betsy Tacy book unless I felt led to, I was all set to write another historical novel when then, I
found my high school diaries! Now I could write about when Betsy and Tacy were in high school!
Then, I read my diaries. Do you know what I wrote about in high school? Get responses. Yes, that
is right. Boys. Boys, boys, boys. Who walked me home from school, who took me to the dance.
Who came over to my house for Sunday night lunches.8
Sunday Night Lunches (Optional)
Sunday night lunch was a marvelous time. We would roll the rugs up, my mother would play the
piano and we would dance the night away! My father made the food for these gatherings. My father
would make the most delicious onion sandwiches. They would be stacked about this high. We also
would drink coffee. For a special treat, my father would often put a raw egg in the coffee to make it
even more flavorful.
Diaries
I also remember that the vice president of the United States, Teddy Roosevelt, visited Mankato and
gave a speech. I didn’t write anything about the vice president but I wrote about the boys who
attended the vice president’s speech. I thought, “This is so silly. I can’t write a book just about boys!”
Then I let my husband Delos read my diaries. He laughed so hard; he fell right off the couch! He
said, “Maudy, these diaries are rich! You have to take Betsy through high school!” But I still was not
sure. Then, I let my daughter, Merian, read my diaries. Have you ever read your mother or father’s
or grandmother’s diary? Get responses. After my daughter Merian read them, she said, “You know
mother, you and your friends weren’t any different than me and my friends.” So I took Betsy through
high school. Dramatically get all the books out of trunk. I sure did. One book for each year of high
school. Then I wrote Betsy and the Great World where she travels to Europe on a ship just like I did
in real life. Then World War I broke out and I had to return home. And this is Betsy’s Wedding where
she marries her high school sweetheart, Joe, in Minneapolis. Joe was based on my own husband,
Delos.
It is so wonderful to see all of my friends and family between the covers of these books. They were
so supportive of me and my dreams of becoming a writer.
Closure
Closure Goals
 Maud Hart Lovelace will review and clarify the key points of the lesson, tying them together
into a coherent whole.
 During the question and answer session, Maud Hart Lovelace can clarify any confusion and
reinforce key points.
8 Heaven to Betsy Chapter 11

23. 23
 Maud Hart Lovelace can assess whether objectives were achieved.
Closure Objectives
 Students will be able to identify three ways technology in their lives is similar or different from
Maud Hart Lovelace’s life.
 Students will ask one or more questions to clarify insights and help form a coherent picture of
Maud Hart Lovelace’s life.
 Students will read a poem that MHL wrote when she was ten years old. (Optional)
 Students will examine artifacts, images, and other primary sources more closely for review.
(Optional)
Reading of Poem (Optional)
I remember when I was about 10 years old, my father took a number of poems I had written and put
them together in a little booklet, “Poems by Maud Palmer Hart, born in 1892.” I would like to share
one of the poems with you. Maud asks for seven volunteers that can read loud and clear. She hands
each volunteer a green card with the poem on it. Maud facilitates reading the poem. A huge
applause for all of our wonderful readers! Readers, please take a bow!
And thank you for letting me share all of my stories with you today. Maud encourages students to ask
questions. This is also an opportune time to review key points from the performance. One way is to
engage students in a quick discussion about what they learned. What do you think is the most
important change in technology that happened during my lifetime? What was your favorite story? I
was very much supported by my family to be a writer. Who supports you in your dreams and goals?
If there is enough time, Maud invites students to take a closer look at the artifacts, props, books, and
other primary sources. This is another way that she can help clarify any confusion, review and
solidify new concepts.
History Player in the Classroom Core Elements
Hands on Learning Inquiry/Leading Questions Connection Making
Flexible/Adaptable