Main Idea and Supporting DetailsDirections: Read your chapter of the book. Think about the main idea and supporting details. Write them on the lines below.
Before Reading 1. Introductory Activity—If possible, move
to an open area to play Follow the Leader with the class. Have students take turns being leaders.
‣ After the game, begin a class discussion by asking students some follow-up questions: What is a leader? Where do you see leaders in real life? What makes a good leader? What makes a bad leader?
2. Vocabulary Activity—Prepare for a whole-class word splash by writing each vocabulary word on an index card ahead of time. Place the word cards in a bucket, a bag, or another open container.
‣ Invite students to sit in a circle near a pocket chart. Carry the bucket toward the group and pretend to trip. “Splash” the index cards onto the floor in the middle of the circle. Act surprised by the “accident” and say, “Oh no! Now our new vocabulary words are all mixed up! I need your help sorting them out!”
‣ Ask students if they see any familiar words. Have them place these in a pocket chart. Place the rest of the words in the pocket chart one at a time and explain the definitions.
‣ Ask students if they see any words that belong together. Invite them to come to the pocket chart and group the word cards into categories. For example, being polite shows respect, so the words polite and respect could go in the same category. Accept almost any grouping as long as students can explain their thinking.
‣ Have students to continue grouping and regrouping the vocabulary words as time permits.
‣ To provide additional support for English language learners and below-level learners, print out the Be a Good Leader! Vocabulary Quick Guide (quick.pdf ). It has the vocabulary words, definitions, and pictures for students to use as a reference. Use it to review the vocabulary words with these learners prior to the vocabulary sort.
3. Prereading Activity—Get students to tap into their prior knowledge about leaders. Write the word Leaders at the top of a sheet of chart paper and underline it. Beneath the line, make three columns labeled are…, can…, and have….
‣ Ask students to brainstorm words and phrases that complete each thought and describe leaders. For example, Leaders are smart. Leaders can get people to follow them. Leaders have good ideas.
During Reading 1. Reading Activity—Point out the prior
knowledge chart students made before reading. Tell students that they will read a nonfiction book called Be a Good Leader! to find out more about what leaders are, what they can do, and what they have.
‣ Distribute the Be a Good Leader! books to students. Read the book with the group. Choral reading works well because students will have support when challenged by unfamiliar words. Choose combinations of students to read each section. For example, the boys read one section, the girls read a second section, and students wearing green read a third section.
‣ You may choose to conduct the first reading of the book using the Interactiv-eBook (optional). It contains activities, videos, audio, and tools to add an interactive approach to teaching social studies.
‣ For English language learners and below-level learners you may choose to play the Audio CD, as students follow along, to serve as a model of fluent reading. This may be done in small groups or at a listening station. The recordings will help struggling readers practice fluency and aid in comprehension.
‣ As a class, revise and add to the chart describing leaders. Model for students how to pull facts from the text to describe what leaders are, what they can do, and what they have.
‣ Next, divide the class into 5 or 10 small groups. Have group members take turns rereading the book.
‣ Distribute a copy of the Main Idea and Supporting Details activity sheet (page 134) to each group. Assign each group one of the five attribute chapters in the Be a Good Leader! book (Knowledge, Honesty, Courage, Respect, and Communication). If you have a larger class, assign each chapter to two groups.
‣ Explain the difference between the main idea and supporting details. Circulate and assist the groups in identifying the main idea and supporting details of each chapter. Provide time for each group to share its findings with the whole class.
2. Writing Activity—Students will write personal narratives about times they were leaders. Introduce students to personal narratives by creating an anchor chart. Include the following: A personal narrative is a true story. It tells the story in the order it happened. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Read students an example of a personal narrative.
‣ Working as a class, brainstorm instances when students might have been leaders. For example, they might have helped younger siblings, stuck up for friends who were being bullied, told the truth, or come up with a good idea. Compile students’ ideas in an idea web on chart paper.
‣ Distribute copies of the Personal Narrative Story Map activity sheet (page 135) to students. Read the directions aloud. Circulate and assist students in planning their personal narratives.
‣ Provide writing paper on which students can write their narratives. Have them illustrate their stories.
vocabulary word splash pocket chart with students. Now that students have read the book at least two times, invite them to rearrange the word cards on the pocket chart. Ask them to group the words into categories. Help them explain their ideas about the relationships among the words.
‣ Encourage English language learners and below-level learners to use the Be a Good Leader! Vocabulary Quick Guide (quick.pdf ) as a reference during this activity.
2. Reading Activity—Begin this activity by sharing examples of appropriate public service announcements (PSAs). The Library of Congress has several PSAs. Other reliable sources for kid-friendly PSAs include Reading Rockets, NFL Play 60, and PBS Kids.
‣ Place students in heterogeneous groups to write and perform public-service announcements about leadership. Their goal will be to encourage other children to be leaders. Distribute a copy of the Getting the Word Out activity sheet (page 136) to each group. Read the directions aloud. Be sure the chart describing leaders is visible. Circulate and assist groups as needed.
‣ If possible, record students reading their PSAs. Upload them to the school website or play them during school broadcasts. Note: Be sure to check your school’s policy on using photos or videos of students in a public forum.
3. Assessment—A short posttest, Be a Good Leader! Quiz (page 138), is provided to assess student learning from the book. A document-based assessment is also provided on page 208. Additionally, the Interactiv-eBook activities may also be used as a form of assessment.
Be a Good Leader! (cont.)
Activities from the Book ‣ Teach It! Activity—Read
the Teach It! prompt aloud from page 20 of the book. Students will teach one another games. You may want to provide various board or card games for students to play.
‣ Your Turn! Activity—Read the Your Turn! activity aloud from page 24 of the book. Ask students to write about how they can be leaders at school.
This historic photo shows Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. More than 200,000 people gathered at the nation’s capital to advocate for civil rights. King ended the event with his famous I Have a Dream speech.
Primary Source ActivityHistorical Background
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a leader of the American civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. He led the Montgomery Bus Boycott. African Americans boycotted Montgomery’s buses for 382 days until the U.S. Supreme Court declared racial segregation on public buses unconstitutional.
During his years as a civil rights leader, King traveled six million miles, gave more than 2,500 speeches, and wrote five books. King’s I Have a Dream speech, which he gave at the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, is one of the most famous speeches in American history. At age 35, King became the youngest person to win a Nobel Peace Prize. In 1968, he was assassinated.
Teaching Suggestions 1. Display the electronic file Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. A copy of the primary source is provided on the Digital Resource CD (mlkjr.jpg).
2. Ask students the discussion questions below.
‣ Who is the man in the center of the photo?
‣ What do you think the man is doing? ‣ What made this man a good leader?
3. Review the historical background information with students. If possible, read a picture book about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to students.
4. Write Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the top of a sheet of chart paper and underline it. Beneath the line, make three columns titled MLK Jr. was…, MLK Jr. did…, and MLK Jr. had…. Work as a class to complete the chart with descriptions of King’s leadership qualities.
5. Distribute copies of the Great Leader activity sheet (page 137) to students. They will complete the sentences to express their opinions about what made King a great leader.
Main Idea and Supporting DetailsDirections: Read your chapter of the book. Think about the main idea and supporting details. Write them on the lines below.
Materials • Benjamin Franklin books • student reproducibles (pages 169–172) • Poor Richard’s Almanac primary source
(filename: almanac.jpg) • chart paper and markers • sentence strips
1. Introductory Activity—Complete the activity on page 152 with the whole class. Divide students into ability-based reading groups. Students who read this book should be on or above the first-grade reading level.
2. Writing Activity—Ask students if they have ever flown a kite. Have students write one sentence telling something about their experiences. If students have not flown a kite, have them write one sentence telling something about a kite. Explain to students that Benjamin Franklin once flew a kite in a storm and discovered electricity.
3. Reading Activity—Distribute the books to students in the group. Tell students to take a picture walk through the books. After each page, ask volunteers to comment on the pictures and ask one question that they hope to have answered as they read. Make a list of their questions either on the board or on chart paper.
4. Vocabulary Activity—After the picture walk, introduce the glossary words by reading the words aloud, explaining their meanings, and using each word in several sentences.
5. Social Studies Activity—Tell students that good leaders try to make life better for people. Have students look at the pictures again and see if they can tell how Benjamin made life better for people. Ask students how they think Benjamin became a leader in the colonies. Write this question on the board. Tell students that as they read, they will find many answers to this question.
During Reading 1. Reading Activity—Read the Benjamin
Franklin book with the group.
• Choral reading works well because students will not be reading alone when challenged by difficult words. Choose combinations of students to read various pages. For example, the boys read a page, then the girls read the next page, then everyone wearing red reads a page.
• Remind students to look for answers to the question on the board. Stop at the end of each chapter to discuss what the chapter was about. Ask students to share comments or possible answers to the question.
2. Writing Activity—When students have finished reading, divide the group into pairs and have each pair of students look through the book for ways that Benjamin Franklin made life better for people in the colonies.
• Have each pair work together to write three ways that Benjamin improved people’s lives. Have them write their ideas on a sheet of paper.
• Next, ask students to think about an invention, object, or idea that makes their lives better. On the same sheet of paper, each pair of students should create a list of their ideas.
• Ask student pairs to share one of their ideas and explain why it makes their lives better.
• Have the pairs share their sentences and show their pictures. Collect the papers and display them on a bulletin board titled “How Benjamin Franklin Improved Life in the Colonies.”
3. Social Studies Activity—Have students read the story again and look for ways in which life was different in Ben’s time compared to how life is now.
• Make a Venn diagram on the board to compare and contrast what life was like in Benjamin’s time with what life is like today.
• Ask students how Benjamin might make life better for people if he were alive today. Discuss their ideas.
After Reading 1. Reading Activity—Begin by reviewing
students’ ideas about how Benjamin Franklin made life better for the people in the colonies.
• Distribute copies of the Community Builder activity sheet (page 170). Have students look through the books and organize what they have learned into three categories: inventions, political contributions, and public services. Explain each category to make sure that they understand it. Share an example of something that would fit in each category.
• Distribute copies of the Writing for Freedom activity sheet (page 172). Tell students to read the paragraph and answer the questions.
2. Writing Activity—Tell students to look through their books and find one fact about Benjamin that they find interesting.
• Have them write the fact on a sentence strip. Encourage students to write their answers in complete sentences, begin with a capital letter, and end with a period.
• Invite volunteers to read their sentences to the group. Place their sentences on a large sheet of chart paper titled “Franklin Facts.”
3. Social Studies Activity—Distribute copies of the It Started Here activity sheet (page 169) and tell students to complete it according to what they learned in the book. Then revisit the questions that they asked before reading. Discuss answers to their questions. Write their answers below the questions.
4. Assessment—A short post-test, Benjamin Franklin Quiz (page 173), is provided to assess student learning from the book. The Writing for Freedom activity sheet (page 172) may be used for comprehension assessment as well. Suggested answers are on page 174.
5. Interactiv-eBook Activities—There are two interactive activities.
• Activity 1—Students match labels and pictures of Ben’s actions.
• Activity 2—Students learn geographical skills by dragging a boat to show Benjamin’s route from Virginia to France.
Historical Background The 18th century was crucial to the development of America as an independent nation. With the help of important thinkers and leaders, the colonies expressed their discontent with England.
The colonists began feeling unhappy because King George III imposed a number of unfair taxes, such as the Stamp Act. Under the Stamp Act, the colonists had to give more money to the king if they wanted to buy stamps or paper. The colonies had no one to defend them in England. The king ignored the colonists’ complaints, giving America’s Founding Fathers the foundation for writing the Declaration of Independence.
The Declaration of Independence lists the colonists’ grievances against the king of England. The writers of the Declaration of Independence focused on the importance of freedom and liberty.
About the Primary SourceAn almanac is a different kind of newspaper that is published once every year. Almanacs were very popular books in colonial America. They were both fun and informative. The people in the colonies used almanacs for weather forecasts, puzzles, practical household hints, and more.
This photo shows the cover of Poor Richard’s Almanac. In 1732, Benjamin Franklin began publishing this almanac after he was denied the chance to write for his brother’s newspaper.
Teaching Suggestions
1. Display the electronic version of Poor Richard’s Almanac (filename: almanac.jpg). A copy of the photograph is provided on the Teacher Resource CD. You may want to print a copy for each student.
2. Tell students that this is a copy of one of the newspapers Benjamin Franklin wrote and published in the colonies. Read them several articles from the paper.
3. Tell students that it was a popular newspaper and is still quoted from today. Share several quotations from Poor Richard’s Almanac and talk about them. Ask students why the paper was so popular.
4. Begin a discussion about what people might like to read about in a newspaper. Write student ideas on the board.
5. Distribute copies of the What’s New? activity sheet (page 171). Tell students that they may work in pairs to complete the page. Tell them that when they are finished, they should share their ideas.
6. You might want to extend this activity to develop a class newspaper. Students could decide what information would be most interesting to them and to others in the school, and how to set up their paper. They could decide on a name for their newspaper and include quotations and cartoons.
It Started HereDirections: Look at the map of the colonies. Find Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. Benjamin Franklin lived in these two colonies. Draw a line from each word in the box to the colony that goes with it.
Community BuilderDirections: Benjamin Franklin wanted to make life in the colonies better. He invented things. He was a political leader. He started organizations to help communities. Look at the words below. Choose one thing that Benjamin did to make life better. Then draw a picture to go with the word you chose in the space below.
What’s New?Directions: Pretend that you are going to write a story for a newspaper. Write an idea for a news story on the lines below. Draw a picture for the story.
Answer KeyPage 169—It Started HereBenjamin Franklin’s birth should be connected to Boston, Massachusetts.
Benjamin Franklin’s career should be connected to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Benjamin Franklin’s death should be connected to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Page 170—Community BuilderDrawings will vary.
Page 171—What’s New?Answers will vary, but each student should have one idea and an illustration.
Page 172—Writing for Freedom
1. It is a letter that said that the colonies were to be free from England.
2. The war started because Great Britain did not want America to be free.
Page 173—Benjamin Franklin Quiz
1. c
2. a
3. c
4. a
Interactiv-eBook Activities —There are two interactive activities.
• Activity 1—picture 1: Ben started his own print shop; picture 2: Ben opened a library; picture 3: Ben found out that lightning is electricity; picture 4: Ben helped write the Declaration of Independence.
• Activity 2—Locate Virginia and France on the map. Then drag the ship from Virginia to France.
Unit
6
The Declaration of Independence Declaration of Independence Lesson Plan
Objectives• Fluency:Students will
deliver oral presentations and read passages fluently with practice using recorded materials.
•ContentArea:Students will learn both about events that led to the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the contents of the Declaration of Independence.
SummaryThe Declaration of Independence: Fourteen Hundred Words of Freedom allows students to travel back in time to when the Declaration of Independence was written. They will experience the thoughts and feelings of the writers as they create a document that changed the world.
Words of Freedom script booklets • DeclarationofIndependenceCharacterMasks (pages
74–79 or Teacher Resource CD), copied on cardstock • copies of Take-Home Script: The Declaration of
Independence: Fourteen Hundred Words of Freedom (Teacher Resource CD)
• PowerPoint® slide show (Teacher Resource CD) • overhead transparencies of the poem and song (Teacher
Resource CD) • Performance CD and CD player or computer with a CD
drive and speakers
Introduce the LiteratureWrite the word independence on the board. Discuss the meaning of the word. Ask the class what it means to be independent? Give each student a blank piece of paper. Have them write the word independent in the center of the paper. Then, have them illustrate what being independent means, using either pictures or colorful words. Allow students to share their thoughts with the class. Tell students that the United States has not always been its own country; in fact, it once belonged to Great Britain. Read aloud The Declaration of Independence by Sam Fink. Ask students what the book tells a reader about the colonists’ desire to be independent. How do the pictures help a reader understand the Declaration of Independence? Tell the students to pretend to be artists who have been asked to draw what the Declaration of Independence means. Have them draw their interpretations, just as the illustrator of the book did.
ELL SupportSince independence is often difficult to understand, give ELL students examples to help them get started on writing ways they are independent. Such examples might include packing their own lunches for school or riding their bikes in their neighborhoods without parental supervision.
Involving All the StudentsWhile this script has only six roles, there are many different ways to involve all students. For this reader’s theater experience, assign the main roles to six of the students. However, allow different groups of six students to practice the script. This gives all students the opportunity to get involved and practice fluency skills. Pick a specific day to have each of the groups perform for the class.
The Declaration of IndependenceDeclaration of Independence Lesson Plan
Reading the Script 1. Read to the class the title of the script, The Declaration of
Independence: Fourteen Hundred Words of Freedom. Tell them that the script is set in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the Second Continental Congress begins writing one of the most important documents in U.S. history. Tell students to pretend to be members of the Second Continental Congress. What might they include in their own Declaration of Independence? Allow them to share their ideas with the class. After students read the script, allow them to compare their ideas to those ideas in the script and those in the actual Declaration of Independence.
2. Provide each student with a copy of the script. Either give the script booklets to small groups or print copies of the Take-Home Script: The Declaration of Independence: Fourteen Hundred Words of Freedom.
3. Play the recording of the script as students follow along in their scripts. Call on students to help you read the script or read the whole script using different students every few pages. A PowerPoint®slide show of the script is also included on the Teacher Resource CD.
4. List the characters from the script on the board. As a class, create a character web describing the characteristics of each character and the important role that each played in writing the Declaration of Independence. Students can look for words and examples in the script to describe the characters. The class can also add words of their own to the web to describe each character’s personality.
5. Point out the new vocabulary in the script and discuss the meaning of these new words. Refer to the glossary at the back of the script, if necessary.
ELL SupportMake a list of the difficult words that ELL students may not understand. Represent each
word with a symbol. Place the symbols next to each of these words in the script. Next, think of an action that can accompany each of these words. Read each of the words and point to the symbol. When the students see the symbol and act out the action, it will help them remember the word and its meaning. Remember to make the symbol and the action short and simple. Anything too complex will only confuse students. After reading through the script a few times and acting out the meaning, students will become much more fluent with the script and will be able to comprehend it better.
Assigning RolesAssign roles to students based on their reading proficiency. It is important to remember that when students practice fluency, they should read materials at or below their reading level. This helps them to focus on their accuracy,
expression, and reading rate. If a student is reading text that is too difficult, his or her attention will focus on sounding out words and comprehension rather than on fluency. These are approximate reading levels for the roles in this script:
Meeting the Fluency Objective 1. The fluency objective for this script focuses on reading a passage using recorded materials. To
help students gain fluency in their script readings, provide small groups with tape recorders. Have the groups read the script and tape themselves as they read. Then, have the students play back the recordings.
2. Ask students how each reading sounded. Did they use proper volume, tone, and expression? Then, have the class listen to the professional recording of the script. Ask them to compare the way they read the lines to that of the professional readers.
3. Explain that the more familiar they are with their lines, the better and more fluently they will read the script. Allow them to practice reading their scripts using the tape recordings, so that they can play back their recordings to make sure they are improving with each additional reading.
The Declaration of IndependenceDeclaration of Independence Lesson Plan
Social Studies ConnectionThe focus of this script is on the meaning of the Declaration of Independence. The activity described below will help students better understand the reasons why the Declaration of Independence was written.
1. Divide the class into two groups: colonists and British supporters. Assign one student to be the king.
2. Have the "king" write some rules on the board. The "King's Rules" should be ones to which younger students can relate, suchas"Youmaynolongertradeanysuppliesorborrowanysuppliesfromyourclassmates,"and"Youmustgivemewhatever I want, even if you do not agree with it."
3. Then, have the "colonists" write down their feelings about the rules, and allow the "British supporters" to defend the king. After this activity, explain that in 1776 the colonists had to endure much different rules than the ones read to them today. However, their feelings about the "King's Rules" were probably still very similar. That is why the colonists wanted to break free from Great Britain.
4. Once students have reviewed all of the “King’s Rules,” ask them why the colonists wrote the Declaration of Independence. If they had lived during the colonial period would they, too, have wanted to break free from Great Britain?
5. Have students write their own Declaration of Independence to the king, explaining why they no longer want to be part of his or her country. All students can write their own declarations, or those students that were the British supporters can write letters to the king, explaining why they think he is right in all of his actions. Allow students to share their declarations or letters with the class.
ELL SupportProvide ELL students with dictionaries or other resources to help them write their declarations
or letters. They can also work with higher-level students for additional help.
The Declaration of IndependenceDeclaration of Independence Lesson Plan
Fine Arts Connection 1. The script, The Declaration of Independence: Fourteen Hundred Words
of Freedom, contains a song and a poem. The song and poem relate to the reader’s theater, but are not limited to use only with the Declaration of Independence script.
2. To relate the poem to the fluency objective for this lesson, ask students to listen to the professional reading of the poem. Ask them to identify the tone of voice the reader used as he or she read the poem. Play the poem again and have the students follow along. Ask students to use proper tone as they read the poem during the reader’s theater performance.
3. After reading the poem, ask students to think about how the authors felt as they were working on the Declaration of Independence. Were they excited? Frustrated? Honored? Tell them to think about the hard work that went into writing the Declaration of Independence. Then, have the students draw several different faces showing the many feelings of the authors as they wrote the Declaration of Independence. They should label the faces with the proper emotions. Ask the class to use crayons, markers, or paints to create their faces.
4. Allow students to listen to the professional recording of the song. Divide the class into small groups. Assign each group a stanza from the song. Allow the groups to create group murals that show the meaning of the words in their assigned stanzas. Have them share their murals with the class. How did the meaning of each stanza differ? How did different groups that were assigned the same stanzas show the meaning in their murals? Were their pictures similar or were they different?
ELL SupportAssign ELL students to groups with higher-level students to help them interpret the meaning of the song.
Teacher Resource CD
Description File Name
Declaration of Independence Character Masks masks_Declaration.pdf
Take-Home Script: The Declaration of Independence THS_Declaration.pdf
PowerPoint®: The Declaration of Independence PP_Declaration.ppt
Song Transparency: “My Country ’Tis of Thee” song_Declaration.pdf
Poem Transparency: “Working for Independence” poem_Declaration.pdf
Performance CD
Description
Script Reading, pages 4–12 Volume II, Track 06
Poem: “Working for Independence” Volume II, Track 07
Script Reading (cont.), pages 12–17 Volume II, Track 08
Song: “My Country ’Tis of Thee” Volume II, Track 09
