4.+Curricular+Connections

True Tombstone Epitaphs The Epitaph Browser A collection of //epitaphs//, both of the famous and of the obscure. Part of City of the Silent, the Web's foremost cemeteries site. Original order Writing an Epitaph Reader's Guide (pdf) The Graveyard Book read by author Neil Gaiman Tuck Everlasting (novel by Natalie Babbitt Living Forever (picture book by Peter Reynolds) The Final Word (cross-curricular lesson plan)
 * Language Arts**
 * Epitaphs
 * Spoon River Anthology (poetry)
 * The Graveyard Book (2009 Newbery Award winner)
 * Immortality
 * Obituaries
 * Research
 * Creative writing prompts


 * Math**
 * Graphing population, death rates, names
 * Mapping gravesites in local cemeteries
 * Costs of funerals and headstones
 * Surveys
 * Statistics


 * Science**
 * CSI (Cemetery Scene Investigators) Webquest (includes an excellent Headstones Identification Sheet)
 * Causes of death
 * Life expectancies
 * Epidemics, pandemics
 * Material used for headstones - durability


 * Social Studies**
 * Cemetery Studies (field trip with suggested cross-curricular activities)
 * Activities from Colonial Williamsburg (field trip + classroom activities)
 * Research & Investigation Project (RIP): A Grave Undertaking (history-based inter-disciplinary unit for 8th grade)
 * Teaching children history by visiting the local cemetery (references What are Grave Rubbings)
 * Cemeteries are Historical, Not Solely Grave (NYTimes LP)
 * Forest Lawn (Buffalo) Cemetery Project
 * Claypit Cemetery (Lowell, MA)>
 * Mummies: Honoring the Dead (burial customs)
 * The Mummy's Hand
 * Veterans/wars
 * Immigration
 * Women's rights
 * Local, state, national, world history
 * Geography/maps
 * Cultural comparisons of burial customs


 * Technology**
 * Create/add to a digital portfolio
 * Collaborative projects
 * Global connections
 * Creation of memorials and how they have changed through history (including modern concepts like engraved photos and audio components)


 * Visual/Performing Arts**
 * Photography
 * Headstone designs & motifs; symbols and terms used
 * Inscription rubbings
 * Creating "portraits" based on names found in graveyards - or match with old photos
 * Designing & presenting "tableaux vivants"
 * Graveyard Tour


 * Service Projects**
 * Historic headstones repaired (Eagle Scout project)
 * Student restoration project brings new life to Berea cemetery
 * Zion Cemetery Project
 * Teen makes digital record of Arlington graves
 * Santiam Wilderness Academy (service project with cross-curricular learning)


 * Other Resources:**
 * How to Read a Graveyard
 * Links to resources on cemetery history and preservation
 * Military graves (U.S.)
 * History Written in Stone (LP on historic cemeteries from the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Youth Education division)
 * From CSI Webquest