If You Grow Up With Abraham Lincoln

Author:  Ann McGovern                                                               

About the Author:

Ann McGovern grew up in New York City, and still lives there today.  She developed a love for reading and writing at an early age.  She had a speech imepidament and used writing and poetry to express her feelings.

Illustrator: George Ulrich

Genre: Non-Fiction
Grade Level: 3-6

Synopsis:
This is a story about when Abraham Lincoln was a boy growing up in Kentucky and Indiana.  When he was a young man he lived on a prairie in the town of New Salem, Illinois.  He lived later in the city of Springfield, Illinois, he then later moved to Washington, D.C., where he was the President of the United States.

This story tells about how the towns were where Abraham Lincoln grew up.   It shows how his towns could be related to by kids.  The woods were full of birds and animals, just like the woods today.

Pre Reading Activity:

Questions:
Who is Abe Lincoln? What things would you do if you were Abe Lincoln growing up? What kind of house did he live in?

Activity:

Have the class draw a picture of what they think Abe Lincoln’s house and yard would look like.

Post Reading Activity:

Questions:

What did Abe Lincoln do for fun? What kind of school did he go to?  What did he learn about in school?

Activity:

After reading the story, have the students write a paragraph about one thing they learned about Abraham Lincoln when he was growing up.

Reflection:
I think this is a great story that portrays Abraham Lincoln's life as a child that children can relate to and can see Abraham Lincoln in a different light than President of the United States.  I think it is important to see where all people come from and their life story.

If You Traveled on The Underground Railroad

Author:  Ellen Levine                                                    
www.ellenlevineauthor.com/

Illustrator: Larry Johnson

About the Author:

Ellen Levine grew up and still lives in New York City.  She grew up in a house that was filled with books.  Her mother wrote reviews for books and theatre before she had children.  Her mother always took her to the library to pick out books to read.  She was always surrounded by literature and conversations with her parents about events happening around the world and home. 

Genre: Non-Fiction
Grade Level: 3-6

Synopsis:
This is a story about what the Underground Railroad was, and what is meant to be a slave.  What dangers slaves faced if they ran away, and what dangers there were if you helped a slave move through the Underground Railroad. 
The Underground Railroad was a system for runaway slaves to move from the South and slavery to the North and freedom.  It was a secret way to move North with special hiding places throughout the South and North.  People would help slaves with food, water, help with any medical issues and find hiding places until they could move on. 

Pre Reading Activity:

Questions:
What is a railroad used for?  What were slaves? What do you think an Underground Railroad was and what was it used for?

Activity:

Create a K-W-L chart with the class, what they know and want to know about an Underground Railroad

Post Reading Activity:

Questions:

What was the Underground Railroad?  What did it mean to be a slave?  When did the Underground Railroad end and why? 

Activity:

Have students write two paragraphs describing if they were living in the north, would they have helped slaves through the underground railroad or not and why.  
  

Reflection:

I think this is a good book for teaching about slavery and how people tried to move away from the harsh conditions they were in.  It also is a book that could be used for teaching tolerance.  I think teachers can talk about how awful slavery was, but with this book can show what some people in the north did for people from the south, it shows compassion in people, and demonstrates tolerance and acceptance of differences in all people.

Westward with Columbus

Author:   John Dyson


About the Author:


Genre:     Non- Fiction
Grade Level:    4-7


Synopsis:

Christopher Columbus has a dream for years to sail across the sea, to find gold, and to have power and riches and glory.  He got to fulfill his dream.  Five hundred years later another dream for John Dylan was to sail across the Atlantic just as Columbus did, with no engine or modern comforts.  He and his crew got to relive that moment in history when people from two different branches of the human race came face to face.

Pre Reading Activity:

Questions: Who is Christopher Columbus? Why do we celebrate Columbus Day? What year did Columbus sail on his voyage? How many ships did he have? What are the names of his ships?

Activity: Discuss with the class how hard it must have been for Columbus to sail across the ocean with no engine.  Then talk about and discuss what things he could have used from today that would have helped him during his voyage.  List them and talk about why the items would be good to have now on a voyage across the ocean.

Post Reading Activity:

Questions: What was interesting about this story?  What was a challenge in this story?  Why did John Dyson want to set sail on a voyage just like Columbus did?  What was the name of the ship he had a replica of?

Activity: After the reading, the students will have a class project. They will get into groups and pretend they are the captains of one Columbus’s ships sailing today.  They will write an essay describing what they would have on their boat for the voyage and why they are choosing the items, and what each item will do for them on their voyage.

Reflection:
This book is a great way to create relevancy to Columbus's voyages for students.  Sometimes it is hard for students to picture what life was like for Columbus and his crew.  Westward with Columbus shows students they can bring history to their lives now.