A Midwife's Tale is an innovative dramatic film based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning story of Martha Ballard, a midwife and mother living in the wilds of Maine during the chaotic decades following the American Revolution. The variety of resources used to tell the story of Martha Ballard adds to the richness of this resource. Students must apply critical thinking skills as they examine and discuss the ways in which details from the diary, film, and text portray the life of Martha Ballard. Links to primary-source documents (including excerpts from diary entries), timelines, and a web site devoted to Ballard, are also available. (author/ncl)

This PBS site provides a phenomenal wealth of material for career-technical teachers. Applicable to all career-technical fields, but with site-specific information for Arts & Sciences, Human Resources, Business & Management, Health Services, and Environmental & Agricultural Systems, A Midwife's Tale collaboratively addresses the history, literature, social history, philosophy, and policies and practices of America in the late 18th/early 19th centuries (1785-1812). The compilation of facts and classroom activities, designed to be used with or without viewing the corresponding PBS film, offer a multitude of possibilities to help career-technical students and teachers address academic standards. Special features that address career-tech fields include the following: (1) a behind the scenes look at the making of film, including budget constraints and obstacles to making the film; (2) researched and detailed essays reviewing life after the Revolution, frontier communities, the role of religion during this early period in American life, and the diaries and journal writing of this time; (3) a timeline referencing science, history, and literary information for students; and (4) a gallery of photographs from the film. A teacher's guide at the site offers practical classroom suggestions and lesson plans.