Each grade-level essay below is designed for a single class period. When reading, students should consider the following:

Enduring Understanding

Storytelling is and has been the primary means of transmitting learning throughout human history. Reading the stories of the people, places, and events of the past helps us gain important insights into the world as it existed.

Essential Questions:

• Who (or what) are the main subjects and where did they live (or originate)?
• What challenges did they face and how did they respond?
• How are these stories relevant today?
• Why are myths and legends an important part of history?

Historic Figures

• Stephen Bonga - Seek out the story of voyageur and fur trade entrepeneur Stephen Bonga as he travels through the northwestern Wisconsin and Minnesota territories.
• Arthur Davidson and Bill Harley - Engage with the history of Arthur Davidson and Bill Harley, the boys who built the world's most famous motorcycle company. Coloring sheet available!
• Mildred Fish-Harnack - Uncover the history of historian, spy, and author Mildred Fish-Harnack. Coloring sheet available!
• Joshua Glover - Learn about Joshua Glover, who escaped enslavement and made a new life for himself.
• Father James Groppi - Stand with Father James Groppi, the Catholic priest who led fought for justice in Milwaukee's Inner Core. Coloring sheet available!
• Cordelia Harvey - Explore the history of Cordelia Harvey, the "Wisconsin Angel."
• Belle Case La Follette - March with Belle Case La Follete, women's suffrage activist and wife of Bob La Follette.
• Aldo Leopold - Discover the history of ecologist and University of Wisconsin professor Aldo Leopold.
• Chief Oshkosh - Take a stand with Chief Oshkosh, chief of the Menominee Nation.
• Kate Pelham Newcomb - Trek through the northwoods with Doctor Kate Pelham Newcomb, founder of the Million Penny Parade. Coloring sheet available!
• Vel Phillips - Stand with Vel Phillips, the first African American woman to become a judge in Wisconsin. Coloring sheet available!
• Margarethe Schurz - Learn the history of Margethe Schurz, who created the United States' first kindergarten.

Legends and Lore

• The Hodag - Reveal the history of the Hodag, Rhinelander's mystical menace. Coloring sheet available!
• Beware the Tommyknockers! - Unearth the history of the mythical tommyknockers. Coloring sheet available!
• Paul Bunyan - Discover the history of Paul Bunyan, the legendary lumberjack of the Northwoods! Coloring sheet available!

Turning Points

• Limping Through Life: A Farm Boy's Polio Memoir - Useful facts about polio and post-polio syndrome