Introduction	Task	Process
Resources	Evaluation	Conclusion

Introduction

In the Newbery award winning novel From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler written by E. L. Konigsburg  in 1968, Claudia and Jamie Kincaid run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.  They have very limited funds and must budget their money.

Task

1968
Your group's task is to determine a reasonable amount for each of Claudia and Jamie's missing expenses, making sure that all of the expenditures equal the provided total.  Decide if there is a way to actually research what it might have cost in 1968.  If authentic information is not available, logically deduce what the expense might have been, keeping in mind what you do know and the total.

1999
Your group's task is to find out how much it would cost Jamie and Claudia to take this same trip today.  You will need to investigate the cost of transportation, food, expenses within the museum, and incidentals.  You will keep track of the expenditures in a spreadsheet to compare costs from 1968 to 1999.

2029
Your group's task is to forecast what the costs might be in 2029 based on an estimated cost of living increase all conditions remaining basically the same.
 
 

1968

• Obtain the expenditure list.
• Through research and deduction complete the missing information on the expenditure list.

1999

You will be using current resources to determine the cost factors for Claudia and Jamie's trip in 1999.

• Transportation:
• From Greenwich, CT to New York City
• From the train station to the museum
• From New York City to Hartford, CT
• From Hartford to Farmington, CT

• Food:
• In the museum
• Near by restaurants and/or fast food
• Museum Expenses:
• Admission
• Gift Shop

• Incidentals:
• Post Office Box Rental
• Postage
• New York Times
• Laundry
• United Nations Tour

• Advice to the searchers:

Remember to budget your money wisely because once you leave home your source of income is very limited.  You may or may not want to use the same modes of transportation as Claudia and Jamie.  There are probably no automats left in New York City, so you will need to find alternate places to eat.

• Teacher's Notes:
• Introduction to Spreadsheets - Whole Group Instruction with 1968 data
• Adding 1999 data - Task Groups
• Cost of Living Increase - Whole Group Introduction to Spreadsheet Formula
• Computing the Cost of Living - Task Groups
• Forecasting 2029 - Model spreadsheet formulas to whole group
• Computing 2029 - Task Groups

 

Resources

• Transportation

 NY City Basics - Getting Around
 Metropolitan Transportation Aut
 MTA Metro-North Railroad Schedu
 Excite Search Results for "New
 Mapblast! Driving Directions
From Grand Central Station to MMA
From MMA to Donnell Library
From New York to Hartford, CT
From Greenwich, CT to Grand Central Station  From Hartford, CT to Farmington, CT

• Food

 Reasonably Priced Restaurants in New York
 
• Museum Expenses

 Welcome to The Metropolitan Museum
 Museum Information

• Incidentals

 PO Box Choices
 New York Area Laundromats
 The New York Public Library
 Manhattan Libraries Map
 Around the MMA
 United Nations - New York City
 Weather Conditions for NYC

 
• Collaborative Resources

 Welcome to P.S. 183!
 Manhattan New School, P.S. 290
 
• Pictures of NYC

MMA
MMA from a distance
Midtown Manhattan
Temple of Dendur
Live Action in NYC

Reflection / Conclusion

We've seen Claudia and Jamie's adventure in 1968, estimated the current cost of the journey, and extrapolated 30 years into the future.  Now might be a good time to think about whether we would want to make the same decisions Claudia and Jamie made back in 1968.  With the advances in technology and security would it even be possible to hide in the Metropolitan Museum of Art now? Would it be worth the risk?
 
• Write an essay comparing the events that take place in the book to what you believe would happen today.

1968 Expenditure List

• Expenditure List Completed  - 10 points
• Realistic Pricing - 10 points

• Extensive Research Base - 10 points
• Use of spreadsheet to determine sum of 1999 expenditures - 5 points
• Use of spreadsheet formula to determine cost of living increase - 5 points

• Use of spreadsheet formula to accurately determine 2029  - 20 points

• Use of knowledge gained - 5 points
• Use of story structure - 5 points
• Accurate use of events from the book - 5 points
• Creativity - 5 points