CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE, in which Becky and Tom search for an escape

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE on Project Gutenberg

Throughout the centuries, bats fascinated humans as creatures of the night and inspired fear and haunting folklore.  However, most bats eat insects which harm crops and pollinate vegetation; only three species of vampire bat exist, all three in Latin America, and even then they are useful to humans. 

Your mission for this chapter:

Explore this Introduction to Bats and answer this question.  What tree in Africa is dependent on bats for survival?

Website: http://www.batcon.org/index.php/all-about-bats/intro-to-bats/subcategory/intro.html

CHAPTER THIRTY, in which the town realizes Becky and Tom are lost in the cave

CHAPTER THIRTY on Project Gutenberg

Most people remember them by their spelling: stalagmites come from the ground, and stalactites hang from the ceiling.  Stalagmites and stalactites form by deposits, the slow drip of calcite-rich water, developing over eons.  However, one cave formation occurs from erosion. 

Your mission for this chapter:

With the website below, answer the following question.  What are formations occuring from erosion called?

Use this website: http://www.goodearthgraphics.com/virtcave/virtmap.html

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE, in which Tom and Huck visit Muff Potter in jail

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE on Project Gutenberg

Guiltily, Tom and Huck remember the help Muff gave them, in particular with their kites and fishing lines.  Kites have been around for centuries and have played prominent roles in some of mankind’s greatest achievements. 

Your mission for this chapter:

How did ten-year-old Homan Walsh use a kite to change history? (HINT: Use the HISTORY section)

Use this website: http://www.gombergkites.com/nkm/index.html

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO, in which Tom gets the measles

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO on Project Gutenberg

Your mission for this chapter:

Measles has been a deadly disease for centuries.  What are the earliest recordings of measles outbreaks and when was the first vaccine available?

Use this website:

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/science/medicine/measles.htm

FUN FACT:  Mark Twain as a boy not only had the measles, he went to great pains to get them! Read the excerpt from his Autobiography for his account of how he caught the disease and how he survived here.  Start on page 168 with the paragraph that begins, "In 1845, when I was ten years old..."

CHAPTER SIXTEEN, in which the trio play games on Jackson's Island

CHAPTER SIXTEEN on Project Gutenberg

Games in the world of Tom Sawyer relied on imagination or objects that could be easily found or made.  Marbles, a popular object for games, were sometimes called “muddies.”

Your mission for this chapter:

Why were some marbles known as "muddies"?

Use this website: http://www.connerprairie.org/Learn-And-Do/Indiana-History/America-1800-1860/19th-Century-Games.aspx

CHAPTER FIFTEEN, in which Tom swims back home

CHAPTER FIFTEEN on Project Gutenberg

Steamboats carried news and goods up and down the Mississippi river to St. Petersburg from St. Louis and beyond.  Steam propels the paddles to move the boat along. 

Your mission for this chapter:

Using this website, answer this:

What else did the steam power on steamboats?

CHAPTER NINE, in which Tom and Huck witness murder

CHAPTER NINE on Project Gutenberg

For centuries, the only way the medical community could understand the human body was by examining fresh human corpses.  The Edinburgh University in Scotland became renowned for it’s medical school, which in turn created a greater demand for corpses. 

Your mission for this chapter:

Using this website--http://www.stuckonscotland.co.uk/edinburgh/greyfriars-snatchers.html--answer the following question:

At Greyfriars, how were bodies protected from “Resurrection Men,” or body snatchers?

CHAPTER EIGHT, in which Tom and Joe play Robin Hood

Happy Mardi Gras and International Women's Day!  We're gearing up with Two for Tuesdays.  From now on, every Tuesday we'll be posting two chapter missions for double the fun!

CHAPTER EIGHT on Project Gutenberg

Robin Hood, the famous outlaw-hero, dates back over 700 years and figures into British culture and history.  He and his band are included, along with many historical or mythological figures into celebrations on the British Isle.

Today's question:

When spring arrived in the medieval and Tudor ages, who were the main characters of May Day games?

Use this website: http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/home/leisure/countryparks/sherwoodforestcp/robinhood.htm