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What was life like
before there was heat? Read the article "A Brick to Cuddle Up
To" and answer the questions that follow. |
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1 |
A
Brick to Cuddle Up To Imagine
shivering on a cold winter's night. The tip of your nose tingles in the
frosty air. Finally, you climb into bed and find the toasty treat you
have been waiting for-your very own hot brick. |
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2 |
If you had lived in
colonial days, that would not sound as strange as it does today. Winters
were hard in this |
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3 |
Before the colonists
slipped into bed, they rubbed their icy sheets with a bed warmer. This
was a metal pan with a long wooden handle. The pan held hot embers from
the fireplace. It warmed the bedding so well that sleepy bodies had to
wait until the sheets cooled before climbing in. |
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4 |
Staying warm wasn't just
a bedtime problem. On winter rides, colonial travelers covered
themselves with animal skins and warm blankets. Tucked under the
blankets, near their feet, were small tin boxes called foot stoves. A
foot stove held burning coals. Hot smoke puffed from small holes in the
stove's lid, soothing freezing feet and legs. When the colonists went to
Sunday services, their foot stoves, furs, and blankets went with them.
The meeting houses had no heat of their own until the 1800s. |
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5 |
At home, colonial
families huddled close to the fireplace, or hearth. The fireplace was
wide and high enough to hold a large fire, but it's chimney was large,
too. That caused a problem: Gusts of cold air blew into the house. The
area near the fire was warm, but in the rest of the room it might still
be cold enough to see you breath. |
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6 |
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7 |
Early Americans did not
bathe as often as we do. When they did, their "bathroom" was
the kitchen, in that toasty space by the hearth. They partially filled a
tub with cold water, then warmed it up with water heated in the
fireplace. A blanket draped from chairs for privacy also let the fire's
warmth surround the bather. |
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8 |
The household cooks spent
hours at the hearth. They stirred the kettle of corn pudding or checked
the baking bread while the rest of the family carried on their own
fireside activities. So you can see why the fireplace was the center of
a colonial home. |
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9 |
The only time the fire
was allowed to die down was at bedtime. Ashes would be piled over the
fire, reducing it to embers that might glow until morning. |
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10 |
By sunrise, the hot brick
had become a cold stone once more. An early riser might get dressed
under the covers, then hurry to the hearth to warm up. |
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11 |
Maybe you'd enjoy hearing
someone who kept warm in these ways tell you what is was like. You
wouldn't need to look for someone who has been living for two hundred
years. In many parts of the country the modern ways didn't take over
from the old ones until recently. Your own grandparents or other older
people might remember the warmth of a hearthside and the joy of having a
brick to cuddle up to. |
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Which word is an antonym
(opposite meaning) of gloomy? A.
small |
R-4-3.1
(antonym) Item
Type: MC - related to passage Alignment
to GLE R-4-3.1: Shows breadth of vocabulary knowledge through
demonstrating understanding of word meanings or relationships by … Identifying
synonyms, antonyms Depth
of Knowledge: Level 1 - Use word
relationships (synonym/antonym) to determine meaning of words |