Classroom Activities and Questions for Discussion

Prior to the Performance Using a large preschool map have the students chart the ‘Story Train Route ‘and discuss the signifigence of each ‘Story Train Station Stop’ . The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island ,  Johnny Appleseed Country (lands lying south of the Great Lakes and West of The Ohio River: Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois), Home of The Chinook Indians  AKA Oregon ‘s Columbia River Last Stop :Boston’s Christ Church and The  legends of Paul Revere .

1. Gene Autry: An American performer who came to fame in the 1930’s as The Singing Cowboy. Autry was born in Tioga Texas and is famous for many holiday carols such as “Frosty the Snowman and “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeeer.”
2. Central Park is a large park in the center of New York City designed by the English Architect , Frederick Law Olmsted and completed in 1873 . It is filled with walking paths, a zoo  and even a carousel. Before the park was built it was home to many immigrants who were either African ,German or Irish in origin who lived in villages such as ;Seneca, or Harsenville also known as the Piggery District.
3. John Chapman a.k.a Johnny Appleseed  was born in Leominster Massachussetts in 1770 . He was a legendary pioneer nurseryman who introduced apples to the region known as the ‘Ohio Valley’ south of the Great Lakes and west of the Ohio River these areas are now part of :Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Illinois.  
4. Chinook Indians :A tribe of Indians located in the Northwest by the Columbia River. These people encountered  Lewis and Clark and are famous for their tales of the  Raven who is sometimes a Trickster  or friend to human kind.
5. Washington Irving  A famous  American writer born in New York City  April 3rd 1780  is most famous for   his short stories “ Rip Van Winkle “and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow “.
6. Ellis Island : The main immigration port for immigrants entering the United states at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. It is part of The Statue of Liberty national monument . The port first opened its doors on January 1st 1892. Annie Moore from Cork, Ireland who disembarked from the S.S. Nevada was welcomed by Colonel Weber ,Superintendent of Immigration ,on her fifteenth birthday and became the first immigrant to enter America through this famous port-of-entry  .
7. Sybil Ludington “The Female Paul Revere “ on April 26th 1777 when British troops were burning the town of Danbury strode her trusty horse “Star” in Fredericksburg , New York  and rode for over forty miles alerting troops who would drive the British back to their ships in Long Island Sound .
8. Paul Revere The American silversmith and patriot during the Revolutionary War who on April 18th 1775 rode out to warn the militias of Lexington and Concord of the British troops approach from Boston. He signaled them by placing two lanterns in the steeple window of The Old North Church indicating that the troops would come by sea across the Charles River.