STUDENT READING LIST

Ardizzone, Edward. TIM TO THE LIGHTHOUSE (New York: Oxford University Press, 1989). An exciting story about ‘wreckers’ at a lighthouse and how Tim foils them. Ages 7-10.

Batchelor, John. NORTH AMERICAN LIGHTHOUSE COLORING BOOK (New York: Dover Publications, 1995). 41 line drawings of lighthouses with a brief history of each; permission to xerox. Excellent resource for the teacher.

Clough, Fred. SAL T. DOG: One Stormy Night at Pickle Light Camden, ME: Down East Books,. Story in verse form, amply illustrated, of how the keeper’s wife kept a ship from crashing on the rocks. Early Reader. Ages 4-7.

Deutsch, Andre. THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER’S LUNCH (London: Ronda and David Armitage, Ltd., 1977). Humorous story about seagulls who steal the keeper’s lunch and how his wife tries to figure out a way to foil them. Ages 4-7.

DeWire, Elinore. THE LIGHTHOUSE ACTIVITY BOOK (Gales Ferry, CT: Sentinel Publishing, 1985).. A good teacher resource book as well as an excellent book for children ages 5-12.

Engel, Norma. THREE BEAMS OF LIGHT (San Diego: Tecolote Publications, 1986). True story of one family’s life, living at three coastal lighthouses in California. Grades 4-7.

Farrell, Vivian. ROBERT’S TALL FRIEND - A STORY OF THE FIRE ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE (Plainview, NY: Island Metro Publications, 1987). A story of a young boy’s involvement with the Fire Island Light; also explains about lighthouses. Primary - Elementary Grades.

Gates, Arthur and Lent, Henry. KEEPERS OF THE LIGHTS (New York: Macmillan Co. 1960). A contemporary story about Boston Lighthouse on Little Brewster Island. 4th Grade Reader.

Giarnbarba, Paul. LIGHTHOUSES (Barre, ME: Scrimshaw Press, 1985). Simple, short survey of lighthouses with information about lenses, fuels, architecture, and famous lighthouses of the Atlantic Coast. Line illustrated. A good resource for the teacher. Ages 7-10.

Giambarba, Paul. THE LIGHTHOUSE AT DANGERFIELD (Boston: Little Brown & Co, 1969). The story of Highland Light on Cape Cod. Presents a good picture of a lighthouse keeper’s life. Early Reader. Ages 4-7

Gibbons, Gail. BEACONS OF LIGHT: LIGHTHOUSES (New York: Morrow Junior. Books, 1990). The basic story of lighthouses and how they work beautifully illustrated. Early Reader. Ages 4-7. Excellent resource for the teacher.

Greene, Carla. LET'S LEARN ABOUT LIGHTHOUSES,. Irvington-on-Hudson, N.Y: Harvey House, 1969). A very informative book, good teacher resource.

Millen, Penn. THE GHOSTS OF BLACK POINT High (Novato, CA: Noon Books, 1989). Monica exhibits her courage when she is hired as an Assistant Lighthouse Keeper and has to tend the light by herself. Contains good information about the duties of a keeper. Ages 8 and up.

Olson, Arielle. THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER’S DAUGHTER (Boston: Little, Brown, & Co, 1987). Miranda assumes her father’s duties when he is absent three weeks. Based partially on true happenings at Maine lighthouses. Ages 7 and up.

Roop, Peter and Roop, Connie. KEEP THE LIGHTS BURNING, ABBIE (Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books,1985). The story of Abbie Burgess who took over her father’ s duties as lighthouse keeper in his absence in 1856 at Matinicus Rock Light. Early Reader book. Ages 4-8.

Sargent, Ruth. THE LITTLEST LIGHTHOUSE (Camden, ME: Down East Books, 1981). A little lighthouse felt very tall after it did an important job in the fog. Ages 4-8.

Sargent, Ruth. ABBIE BURGESS, LIGHTHOUSE HEROINE (Camden, ME: Down East Books, 1969). Classic young people’s version of the true story of a lighthouse keeper ‘s daughter and her struggles to keep the lamp lit during a fierce storm around Matinicus Rock. Grades 4-6

Sauer, Julia. THE LIGHT AT TERN ROCK (New York: Puffin Books (Penguin Books, USA.) 1994). A Christmas story about a boy and his aunt who are unexpectedly left to tend the light at Christmas Ages 7 and up.
Shannon, Terry. SENTINELS OF OUR SHORES: THE STORY OF LIGHTHOUSES, LIGHTSHIPS, AND BUOYS (San Carlos, CA: Golden Gate Junior Books, 1969).

Swift, Hildegarde. THE LITTLE RED LIGHTHOUSE AND THE GREAT GRAY BRIDGE. (New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich,1970). The classic story of Jeffrey’s Hook Lighthouse and the George Washington Bridge, which sparked a campaign to save it when threatened with destruction. Beautifully Illustrated. Ages 4-7.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Adamson, Hans Christian. Keepers of the Lights (New York: Greenberg, 1955).
Baker, Lindsey. Lighthouses of Texas. (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1992).
Carr, Dawson. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse: Sentinels of the Shoals (Chapel Hill, NC: University of
North Carolina Press, 1991).
Carse, Robert. Keepers of the Lights (New York: Scribners, 1969).
Chase, Mary Ellen. The Story of Lighthouses (New York: W.W. Norton, 1965).
Cipra, David L. Lighthouses, Lightships, and the Gulf of Mexico (Alexandria, VA: Cypress Communications, 1997).
Clifford, J. Candace. Inventory of Historic Lighthouses. (Washington, DC: National Park Service, 1994).
Clifford, Mary Louise and J. Candace Clifford. Women Who Kept the Lights: An Illustrated History of
Female Lighthouse Keepers (Williamsburg, VA: Cypress Communications, 1993).
Corey, Cindy (1982) Exploring the Lighthouses of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, NC: Provincial Press).
Davidson, Donald. Lighthouses of New England. (Secaucus, NJ: Wellfleet Press, 1990).
DeWire, Elinore. Guide to Florida Lighthouses (Englewood, FL: Pineapple Press, 1987).
Gibbs, Jim and Ehlers, Chad. Sentinels of Solitude: West Coast Lighthouses. (Portland, OR: Graphic Arts, 1981).
Holland, Francis Ross. American Lighthouses. (New York: Dover Publications, 1988).
____________________. Great American Lighthouses. (Washington, D.C. Preservation Press, 1989).
Hyde, Charles K. "Northern Lights, Upper Great Lakes". Michigan Natural Resources Magazine, (1986).
Jones, Stephen. Harbor of Refuge (New York: W.W. Norton, 1981).
Kochel, Kenneth G. American’s Atlantic Coast Lighthouses. (Clearwater, FL: Betken Publications, 1994).
McCarthy, Kevin Florida Lighthouses. (Gainesville: University of Florida Press, 1990).
Nelson, Charlene & Nelson, Ted. Umbrella Guide to California Lighthouses (Seattle, WA: Epicenter Press, 1993)
____________________________. Umbrella Guide to Oregon Lighthouses (Seattle, WA: Epicenter Press, 1993).
____________________________. Washington Lighthouses. (Seattle, WA: Epicenter Press, 1993).
Noble, Dennis L. Lighthouses and Keepers: The U.S. Lighthouse Service and Its Legacy (Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1997).
Noble, Dennis L. and O’Brien, T. Michael. Sentinels of the Rocks: From "Graveyard Coast" to National Lakeshore (Marquette: Northern Michigan University Press, 1979).
Roberts, Bruce and Jones, Ray. Eastern Great Lakes Lighthouses: Ontario, Erie, and Huron (Saybrook, CT: Globe Pequot Press, 1994).
Roberts, Bruce and Jones, Ray. Great Lakes Lighthouses: Ontario, Erie, and Huron, Michigan, and Superior (Saybrook, CT: Globe Pequot Press, 1994).
____________________________. New England Lighthouses (Saybrook, CT: Globe Pequot Press, 1990).
____________________________. Northern Lighthouses: New Brunswick to the Jersey Shore (Saybrook, CT: Globe Pequot Press, 1990).
____________________________. Southern Lighthouses: Chesapeake Bay to the Gulf of Mexico (Saybrook, CT: Globe Pequot Press, 1989).
____________________________. Western Great Lakes Lighthouses: Michigan and Superior (Saybrook, CT: Globe Pequot Press, 1994).
____________________________. Western LighthousesOlympic Peninsula to San Diego (Saybrook, CT: Globe Pequot Press, 1993).
Shanks, Ralph. Guardians of the Golden Gate, Lighthouses and Lifeboat Stations of San Francisco Bay Lisa Woo Shanks, ed. (Petaluma, CA: Costano Books, 1990).
Shanks, Ralph. Lighthouses and Lifeboats on the Redwood Coast (San Anselmo, CA: Costano Books, 1978).
Shelton-Roberts, Cheryl and Bruce Roberts. Lighthouse Families (Birmingham, AL: Crane Hill Publishing, 1997).
Smith, Arthur. Lighthouses. (Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1971).
Stevenson, Alan D. The World’s Lighthouses Before 1820. (London: Oxford University Press, 1820)
Turbyville, Linda. Bay Beacons: Lighthouses of the Chesapeake Bay (Annapolis, MD: Down East, 1995).
U.S. Coast Guard. U.S. Lighthouses: A Bicentennial, 1789-1989 (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1989).
U.S. Lighthouse Society, The Keeper’s Log.
Wass, Philmore Lighthouse in Life. (Camden, ME Down East Books, 1987).
Wheeler, Wayne. "The Fresnel Lens" The Keeper’s Log (Winter 1985).
Witney, Dudley. The Lighthouse (New York: Arch Cape Press, 1989).
Yocum, Thomas, Roberts, Bruce, and Shelton-Roberts, Cheryl. Cape Hatteras America’s Lighthouse:
Guardian of the Graveyard of the Atlantic (Nashville, TN: Cumberland House, 1999).

ACTIVITIES

ART

Class Projects --Murals

1. Stag Light (or light tower with no family living in it)

Divide class into 5 teams, one for each floor of the lighthouse, providing each team with a piece of poster board showing outline of their floor.
Team will draw appropriate furniture, equipment or supplies for that floor. (or cut out and paste on.)
Example -Storeroom--barrel, wooden box, oil drum Bedroom - bed, picture, door to bathroom
Galley (Kitchen) - stove, pots and pans, icebox (or refrigerator), sink, table, and chairs
Recreation Room - bookshelf, TV, chairs, sofa Draw as one -. Watch or Service Room--oil drum, supplies
Lantern Room--lens
Tape them all together on wall to produce one tall stag lighthouse.

2. Marine Mural

Draw rocky shore, sandy beach with dunes, marine life under the sea, as well as in tidepools, buoys, lighthouse, pier, fishing and pleasure boats, ocean-going vessels, shorebirds, and gulls.

3. Lighthouse geographical and architectural mural

Students draw various locations lighthouses are found and then determine the appropriate design for each place -rocky cliff -a short tower (so as to be visible below fog or due to height of cliff), sandy shoal - a tall tower, either cylindrical or conical, island - a spark plug or caisson lighthouse, harbor entrance - could have a varied design.
Older children studying landforms could be given a topographical map showing a coastline to determine where they think lighthouses should be located.

4. Coastal, River, Bay or Sound Map of Lighthouses

Use pre-drawn map of any of above or teacher draw map of area where several lighthouses are located. (in children’s own state where applicable.)
If children live in N.Y., Michigan, or Maine, choose a particular section of shoreline or a limited number of the more important lighthouses.
Teacher or students to locate places on map where various lighthouses can be found, and mark on map with an X.
Make paper or cardboard 2D model of each lighthouse, and place on map in proper location with double-sided Scotch tape. Leave for a few days. Remove the lighthouses and play a game to see if children can place them in their proper location.
Each child could pick a particular lighthouse and write a few sentences about it giving factual information.

Individual Projects

1. Younger Children -

Give each child basic shapes to cut out, cylinder, cone, triangle, rectangle, square, half circle Using shapes paste together on blue background to form a lighthouse. Record what shapes were used and where.
This can be done as a mathematical exercise in visualizing and representing shapes by using 3 -D materials and constructing a lighthouse.
For higher grade levels, geometric shapes (pentagon, octagon, polygon, etc.) can be identified in photographs of lighthouses. The pattern design can then be reproduced as a 3-D image.

2. Reverse Image

Give each child a piece of blue construction paper. Using chalk or white poster paint, brush and sponge, let each child draw gulls, rocks, waves, clouds, fog, a lighthouse and whatever else their imaginations wish to depict.

3. Jigsaw Puzzles

Give each child a piece of construction paper to draw a lighthouse and color. Cut out, mount on cardboard, then cut into pieces to make a jigsaw puzzle. Exchange with another student to piece together.

4. Daymarks - Patterns of bright colors and bold design that help identify each lighthouse during daylight hours.

Use enclosed daymark outlines (enlarged) with instructions. (See page 21). Give an outline of a lighthouse to each child to create his/her own self-stylized daymark.

5. Lantern Room

Using pre-drawn lantern room, have children mark various items - dome, lens, galleries, lightning rod, etc.

6. Collage

Make a lighthouse collage using old cards, calendars, pictures, etc.

7. Stencil

Design a lighthouse stencil and use it to decorate.

8. Home Project - Constructing a Lighthouse

Using recyclable materials, such as glass jars and bottles, aluminum pie plates and foil, paper towel and toilet paper rolls, a shoe box, newspaper, magazines, paper bags, rubber bands, paper clips, plastic milk containers, 6-pack rings, have children construct a lighthouse or a light station.

LANGUAGE ARTS

Teacher read a lighthouse story to the class:
After initial storytelling, teacher start the story, then have children retell, recounting the various details or give an individual word from the story to each child and have them recount some event in the story using that word. You may want to let the children write their own lighthouse stories using that word, which could also be illustrated.

SCIENCE

The Properties of Light
1. Light travels in a straight line if it is not interrupted.
2. When light strikes a surface, it can be reflected, transmitted or absorbed, or a combination of all three.
3. Light travels through some objects but not through others.

Exercises

1. Use a flashlight to explain the principle of reflection, which is used in the parabolic reflector. The silver reflector behind the bulb acts like a mirror, concentrating the light, and increasing its brightness.
2. Shine a flashlight on an opaque object such as a desk; this will block the light. The object absorbs (assimilates or takes in) the light.
3. Shine the flashlight through a drinking glass, a transparent object (one that lets the light pass through).
   Most of the light will be transmitted (transferred or passed along).
4. Using a prism run the beam of a flashlight horizontally across the room. Place the prism in front of the beam and it will refract (bend) the light, breaking its normal path and causing it to shine on the ceiling, spreading out 1" in all directions.
   This demonstrates the principle of the Fresnel lens. The prisms and convex lens (curved outwards) work two ways; their shape and location also influence their effectiveness. The convex lens refracts ( bends or slants) the rays of light as they pass through. The prisms first refract and then reflect (throw out) the light
   Light can be classified according to its brightness:
   candlepower wattage

LIGHTHOUSE FACTS

• The first known lighthouse was the Pharos of Alexandria, Egypt. Constructed between 300 and 280 BC by Ptolemy I and his son Ptolemy II, it stood about 450 feet high. This lighthouse was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was destroyed in stages by invaders and earthquakes, being completely destroyed in the 1300’s.
• The oldest existing lighthouse in the world is considered to be La Coruna in Spain that dates from ca. 20 BC. A Roman lighthouse is located on the Cliffs of Dover in Britain that was constructed in 40 AD.
• The first lighthouse in America was at Boston on Little Brewster Island (1716). The first keeper was George Worthylake who drowned, along with his wife and daughter, when returning to the island in 1718. The original tower was destroyed by the British and eventually reconstructed in 1784.
• The oldest existing lighthouse in America is Sandy Hook, NJ (1764) which is still in operation.
• There were 12 lighthouses when the United States declared its independence in 1776.
• The tallest lighthouse is Cape Hatteras, NC (196 ft. built in 1872).
• The most expensive lighthouse built in America is St. George Reef, off Crescent City, CA. It took ten years to construct (1882-1892) and cost $715,000.00. The Coast Guard abandoned it in 1972.
• The Lighthouse Service was created in 1789 by the 9th Act of the first Congress. Over the years, lighthouses were placed under the direction of Department of Revenue (this department was disbanded in 1820), Treasury (until 1903), the Commerce and Transportation. The Lighthouse Board (of the U. S. Lighthouse Establishment) held sway from 1852 to July 1, 1910 when Commerce created the Bureau of Lighthouses. The Coast Guard took over on July 7, 1939.
• After 1852 the country was divided into Districts; originally eight, they eventually numbered 19. Today the Coast Guard only has ten districts. The USLHE had a District Inspector (Naval Officer) as operational control. He ran the district in tandem with an Army Corps of Engineer who was in charge of engineering projects. In 1910 civilians started replacing the military officers.
• There were never more than 850 lighthouses in operation at once, although about 1,500 were constructed in this country over the years. The hey-day was around 1910. There were 220 constructed on the U.S. shores of the Great Lakes. Michigan had the most with ca. 90 followed by Maine with about 80.
• Lightships were employed where the water was too deep to construct a lighthouse or it was impractical. The first lightships were located in the lower Chesapeake Bay (1820) and the most stations were in 1915 when there were 72 lightships manning 55 stations. The extra ships were used for relief. Lightships displayed lights at the tops of their mast(s) and in foggy areas sounded a bell or other fog signal such as a whistle, siren or horn. In 1921, lightships began being equipped with radio beacons. The last lightship was removed from the Nantucket Station in 1984.
•  The first fog signal in this country, a cannon, was at the Boston Lighthouse. Other fog signals have been whistles, sirens, reed trumpets, bells, diaphone (BEEEEooooh) horns and diaphragm (brrrrrrrrr) horns.
• Whale oil was used with solid wicks as the source of light until a parabolic reflector system was introduced around 1810. Although the Fresnel lens was invented in 1822, it was not used in this country until the 1850’s. Coiza oil (pressed from wild cabbages) replaced whale oil in the early 1850’s, but our farmers lack of interest in growing this caused the service to switch to lard oil in the mid 1850’s. Kerosene started replacing lard oil in the 1870’s and the service was finally totally converted by the late 1880’s. Electricity started to replace kerosene around the turn of the century. All U.S. lighthouses had Fresnel lenses by 1860.
• Lighthouses are constructed of wood, granite, brick, sandstone, steel, cast iron, reinforced concrete and one has an outer skin of aluminum.
• The source of light is called the ‘lamp’ (be it electric or fueled by oil), the magnification of the light is caused by the ‘lens’ or ‘optic’. They are located in the ‘lantern room’ of the tower and the glazings are called ‘storm panes’.
• The reflector system and the Fresnel system had fixed (steady light) and revolving (flashing) optics. The type of signal is called the characteristic. Other characteristics are occulting, group flashing, quick flashing, and equal interval. Some lighthouses display a green or red light and some a white light with a green or red sector created by substituting a colored ‘storm’ for a clear one.
• One to five keepers manned light stations.
• Uniforms were not introduced into the Lighthouse Service until 1884.
• Keepers were paid a lower middle class wage. George Worthylake, our first, received 50 pounds ($250) a year. By today’s standards that would be the equivalent of $16,000. During the 19th century, the Head Keeper’s pay ranged from $250 to $600, others were paid less. The exception to this was in the West, where keepers were paid $1,000 during the Gold Rush. The service supplied certain foodstuffs during most of their history.
• There were many female lighthouse keepers (U.S. Lighthouse Society has files on 80), but most obtained their position when their spouses or male relatives died or became incapacitated.
• The most powerful optic produces a light seen 25 miles at sea. Although aircraft have reported picking up a light at 40 or 50 miles.
• Towers are given special (painted) patterns -- diamond shapes, spirals, stripes, etc. -- or colors to distinguish them from each other.

Some famous American lighthouses are:

• Marblehead - Oldest on the Great Lakes
• Makapuu Point, Oahu, HI - Has the largest lens in this country
• Navesink, NJ - Site of first Fresnel experiments in this country
• Point Pinos, CA - Oldest (continuous) on the West Coast (with original 3rd order lens)
• St. George Reef, CA - Most expensive
• Split Rock, MN- One of the prettiest settings
• Thomas Point Shoal, MD - Last screw-pile on Chesapeake Bay
• Tillamook Rock, OR and
• Minots Ledge, MA - Exemplary engineering feats.