Program Description
Ten year old Carrie Berry is given a diary by her father and asked to document this very important time in Atlanta and Civil War history and serve as the family’s documentarian.  The time is Civil War Atlanta, specifically the end of July, 1864 when the six week siege of Atlanta began, through mid November, 1864, when General William Tecumseh Sherman and his 60,000 Federal troops marched out of Atlanta.  Carrie documents the shelling of Atlanta by both sides, the retreat of the Confederate troops, and the burning of Atlanta before the Union Army begins its march through Georgia. 


    Artist Bio
Cathy Kaemmerlen, professional actress, author, and storyteller, is known for her variety of characters, one-woman shows, and for her rapport with audiences.  A performer and “creator of shows” since she can remember, she has toured in schools coast to coast, since receiving a BA in English/elementary education from UNC-Charlotte, and a MFA in dance performance/choreography/theatre at the University of Wisconsin.  She tours through Young Audiences of Atlanta, the Georgia and South Carolina Touring Arts Rosters, Fulton County SAP, and has received numerous grants and honors, including Outstanding New Interpreter for her region with the National Association of Interpreters. She is the author of three non-fiction books.

Prepare

Teachers, please read this to your students.

Today we are going to see a play based on the real diary of ten year old Carrie Berry who lived in Atlanta during the Civil War.  She wrote this diary during the Battles for Atlanta and was an eyewitness to the daily shelling of the city, the withdrawal of the Confederate troops, the occupation of the city by the Federal troops under Gen. William T. Sherman,  and the burning of Atlanta before Sherman began his famous march through Georgia. Her diary is on display at the Atlanta History Center.

Warm up Questions to set the stage for engaging students:
.What were the historic events that led to the Civil War?
.What was the battle campaign that led both armies to Atlanta?
.What makes a Civil War so hard?
.What would it be like to live in a city under siege by an enemy?
.What would it be like to live under constant shelling by an enemy?
.Have you ever kept a diary?
.Why do you think it might be important to keep a diary?

Vocabulary to review before the show:

Attempts have been made to use the terminology and spelling from Carrie Berry’s actual diary:

Sweet gum—the tree whose resin Carrie uses to make homemade chewing gum
Siege-an attempt by an enemy army to take over foreign territory
Evacuation--removal of people and equipment to another location
Federals--another name for the Union Army during the Civil War
Chronicle--to document on paper or in a paper
Railroad hub--the central area where extra trains and cars are kept
Busted—Carrie’s term for shells exploding
Battery--where artillery is mounted
Bombproof—what they called bomb shelters during the Civil War
Projectile--a missile from a firearm or cannon
Smokehouse--small house where meat is hung to be smoked
Railroad Stocking—tubed socks that Carrie knitted
Skirmish--a small battle that usually precedes a bigger one
Obituary--death notice placed in a newspaper
Truce--a suspension of fighting due to a mutual agreement between two warring parties
Breastworks--a defensive work, chest high, usually quickly placed
Broke into our arrangements—Carrie’s phrasing for spoiled our plans
Dumplings—batter cooked in a stew
Bucket brigade—assembly line of people and buckets and water and water source trying to extinguish a fire

Warm Up Questions for meeting the Georgia Performance Standards for "Listening/Speaking/Viewing":
.Describe the perfect audience.
.What are some of our class rules for being good listeners?
.How do we show someone we appreciate their visit to our school or classroom?
.How does being part of an audience help make you a good citizen?
.What are some examples of bad audience behavior or attitudes?
.How does a negative audience member effect your enjoyment of a show or performance?
.How would this make the performer feel?
.How do we want the performer to feel when they leave our school or classroom?

Reflect:

-Talk about why the battle for Atlanta was so crucial to the outcome of the Civil War.
-Compare what Carrie experienced in Civil War Atlanta to what the Iraqis faced during the two Gulf Wars, to what we experienced at Pearl Harbor, to what the Japanese experienced at Hiroshima.  Talk about what it would be like to live through an attack.
-Write a diary as a character who lived through the historical period of the show and think about writing about first hand experiences.  Compare these and present them.  Are the viewpoints different?  All together, and from many different sides, do they present a more complete picture?
-Visit Oakland cemetery and Carrie Berry Crumley’s grave-site, as well as that of other prominent Atlantans and over 4,000 soldiers from the Civil War.
-Visit the Atlanta History Center and see Carrie’s actual diary on display.
-Keep a diary for a month to see what it is like to write every day. Does this take discipline and dedication?

Resources:

-You can find the entire diary from August 1, 1864-January 4, 1865 on line at: http://americancivilwar.com and type in Carrie Berry Diary, or at http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/activity/manswar/pages/berrie_diary.
-A CONFEDERATE GIRL:  THE DIARY OF CARRIE BERRY, 1864, edited by Christy Steele with Anne Todd (has significant portions of the diary and some how tos:  how to make a rag doll, for instance)
-LEGACY:  THE STORY OF TABULA GILBERT BOTTOMS AND HER QUILTS by Nancilu B. Boudick
-REQUIEM FOR A LOST CITY, memoirs of Sallie Clayton
-MARCHING THROUGH GEORGIA by Lee Kinnett
-LAST TRAIN FROM ATLANTA by AA Hoehling
-CITIZEN SHERMAN by Michael Fellman
-ZLATA’S DIARY by Alata Filipovic

QCC's:  Grade 4 Social Studies:  27; Grade 4 Language Arts:  45; Grade 5 Language Arts: 51; Grade 8 Social Studies: 26; Character Education:  7, 8 (8.1, 2, 3); 13 (13.1, 2, 3, 4); 11(11.1, 2, 3); 12 (12,1,2,3,4,5)