Developed by Kay Krans, Cathy Moore and Pam Baeseman of Mercer School,
with John Bates and Mary Burns

ISBN: 0-9656763-7-3
Softcover, 8.5 x 11 inches
Manitowish River Press, 2003

This study guide is a companion to the novel Heartwood. Heartwood is not just a fictional story for children. It is written to guide children through the process of becoming stewards of the land. This curriculum guide is designed to help teachers in assisting 7th and 8th grade students in their journey through Heartwood. This book may be used in English classes or as a cross-curricular unit in English, Social Studies, Science, and Art. This book could also be expanded into Math and Physical Education courses as well.

Through the efforts of the author, teachers at Mercer Public School, Camp Manitowish, the Mercer Community, and the Manitowish Waters community, eighth grade students have taken the Heartwood journey every spring for the past four years. This guide is a compilation of everyone's ideas, teacher lesson plans, and student work.

Heartwood does much more than inform students of the extent of our threatened environment--Burns takes the high road and helps us all to see and nurture a new vision for our relationship with the planet, our communities, and our families . . . Burns has created a new and powerful myth.
--Kathleen Adee, Wisconsin 2001 Environmental Educator of the Year

This slim volume is perfect for inter-generational sharing as a read-aloud. Young readers will be drawn into the fantasy and left wanting to know more about the history and geography of the Great Lakes area.
--Kris Adams Wendt, Rhinelander District Library Director

Heartwood calls upon us to bring our actions and our impacts into line with community values and further helps us to develop our sense of appreciation and awe for the natural world.
--Clayton Russell, Northland College Assistant Professor of Environmental Education

Heartwood is an enthralling composition . . . the work of a completely assembled, mature yet youthful imagination and sense of language. The depth beyond its surface extends as far as the reader-viewer-listener wishes to go.
--Clifford Wood, retired professor of English, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh