Bibliographic Information:
Woodruff, E. (2003). The Ravenmaster's secret: escape from the Tower of London. New York: Scholastic Press.
Readability Level: 4.9
Audience Level: Grades 4-6
Suggested Delivery: independent or group read
Summary: "It's 1735. Forrest Harper's life inside the Tower of London consists of three ways to pass the time: chores, chores, and more chores. His only friends are the spirited ravens he tends with his father. So when vicious Scottish Rebels are captured, Forrest can't wait to prove himself by standing guard. If only Forrest's prisoner hadn't turned out to be the noble and daring Maddy. And if only Maddy wasn't about to be executed. . . . Now, as Forrest chooses between friendship and family, safety and escape, he and Maddy must flee, somehow navigating the cold, dank corridors of the Tower."
-Amazon.com
Woodruff, E. (2003). The Ravenmaster's secret: escape from the Tower of London. New York: Scholastic Press.
Readability Level: 4.9
Audience Level: Grades 4-6
Suggested Delivery: independent or group read
Summary: "It's 1735. Forrest Harper's life inside the Tower of London consists of three ways to pass the time: chores, chores, and more chores. His only friends are the spirited ravens he tends with his father. So when vicious Scottish Rebels are captured, Forrest can't wait to prove himself by standing guard. If only Forrest's prisoner hadn't turned out to be the noble and daring Maddy. And if only Maddy wasn't about to be executed. . . . Now, as Forrest chooses between friendship and family, safety and escape, he and Maddy must flee, somehow navigating the cold, dank corridors of the Tower."
-Amazon.com
Curriculum Connections:
Taken from Scholastic.
Make a drawbridge from chains and cardboard as an entrance to your room. Make flags like the ones flying from the White Tower. Divide up the class into groups and let the kids pick which group they want to be in. One group will create an armory, making shields, swords, and crossbows. One group will create the Crown Jewels, making crowns, necklaces, bracelets, and rings. One group will create the Tower Zoo, bringing in stuffed animals and making others. Record some animal sounds for your zoo! Use the bibliography in The Ravenmaster's Secret to find books that have pictures of the armory, jewels, and lists of the animals in the zoo. Have students pick names out of a hat and come dressed as the character they choose: Forrest, Maddy, the Ravenmaster, etc. When you run out of people, the rest can be ravens or prisoners or people from the town. Turn off the lights and use battery operated Christmas Candles to recreate the rush lamps and candles used in the story. Find out how Ducks and Drakes (a game from that time) was played, and research other games from the time period. Forrest mentions his clay marbles. Make these along with other toys. Have a wall hung with shelf paper and use real charcoal (or black markers) to let kids draw battle scenes the way Forrest and Ned did in the book. Have shelf paper on the floor and let kids draw designs of rowan berries the way Maddy did in her cell.
Taken from Scholastic.
- Turn your classroom into the Tower of London for a day
Make a drawbridge from chains and cardboard as an entrance to your room. Make flags like the ones flying from the White Tower. Divide up the class into groups and let the kids pick which group they want to be in. One group will create an armory, making shields, swords, and crossbows. One group will create the Crown Jewels, making crowns, necklaces, bracelets, and rings. One group will create the Tower Zoo, bringing in stuffed animals and making others. Record some animal sounds for your zoo! Use the bibliography in The Ravenmaster's Secret to find books that have pictures of the armory, jewels, and lists of the animals in the zoo. Have students pick names out of a hat and come dressed as the character they choose: Forrest, Maddy, the Ravenmaster, etc. When you run out of people, the rest can be ravens or prisoners or people from the town. Turn off the lights and use battery operated Christmas Candles to recreate the rush lamps and candles used in the story. Find out how Ducks and Drakes (a game from that time) was played, and research other games from the time period. Forrest mentions his clay marbles. Make these along with other toys. Have a wall hung with shelf paper and use real charcoal (or black markers) to let kids draw battle scenes the way Forrest and Ned did in the book. Have shelf paper on the floor and let kids draw designs of rowan berries the way Maddy did in her cell.
- What famous American was a prisoner in the Tower? (Check the Tower Notes at the back of the book for the answer.) Write a report on this famous American and what happened to him after he left the Tower. Use a Voki to tell the most important or interesting fact you discovered.
- Imagine yourself as a prisoner in the Tower. How would you escape? Who would help you? Why were you a prisoner in the first place and to where would you escape?
