PLANNER FOR INTRODUCING THE TEXT FOR CLOSE READING

Text: So, You Want to be President Author: Judith St. George

BEFORE READING
Especially useful hints for getting meaning from this text:
Activate good Good readers think about what they read in the text and what they know in their
reader strategies heads from their own experiences.
Think about the big ideas the author is trying to tell you about our presidents. How
are they the same and different?
Good readers pay attention to the illustrations in a text. This illustrator uses
caricatures Caricatures emphasize an important quality of a character. Many
caricatures are humorous. Can you tell which ones are?

Today we are reading LITERATURE Today we are reading INFORMATION

Prepare to find Look for evidence about:

the best evidence Main ideas and details
Comparing and contrasting information about various presidents
Character traits of presidents
How the author uses strong nouns and vivid verbs
How the author uses specific phrases to create tone
How the author shows humor in text and illustrations
How the author supports the over-arching theme of honesty and patriotism

DURING READING
____Today the STUDENTS will read the text by themselves first to get a general understanding
__X__Today the TEACHER will read the text aloud, guiding students to identify text evidence and
determine meaning
When you pause, ask students: 1. What information is the author giving us
Scaffolding to here? 2. What does the author want us to understand? As question if needed*
identify evidence Places to pause and think
and determine (may also want to Back-up questions
paraphrase)
meaning
pg 7-11 Note that the author is making a comparison: what
*(Only ask direct is good and bad about being president
question when pgs 12-17 What does the author want us to understand about all
students cannot the differences between our presidents? Do they
determine matter?
meaning on their pgs 20-21 Note the authors use of parenthesis: what extra
own) information is being presented as an aside?
pgs 20-21 How do the presidents quotes support the theme of
honesty?
pg 24 Figurative language: What do the phrases threw
money around and penny pinchers mean? Note:
antonyms
pg 29 How do the illustrations add to the tone? How does
 the illustrator show humor?
Ask: How is the author using parenthesis on this
page?
pgs 30-31 Note vivid verbs: snatched, raced, split, clobbered
pgs 32 How does the illustrator show humor on page 32 as
Pres. Jackson learns to read?
pg 33 Figurative language: what does the phrase whipped
up mean?
pg 34 Note the use of parenthesis to provide extra
information.
pg 38 What is the main idea of this paragraph?
pg 45 Summarize these big ideas: Being a president can
mean
pg 46-47 What is the important idea presented here?
Words that may Patriotism, presidency, oath, government, elections, impeached
need attention

AFTER READING
Important words What important words from the text do we need to use when we talk and write
to use when we about it?
talk about the text presidents, presidency, honesty, similar, different, serve the country

Collaborative activity or turn-and-talk: Talk with your partner or with your

Oral response group about: pages 7-11
At the beginning of the story, the author talks about the good and bad things about
being president. Turn and talk to list the good and bad things. Do you think there
are more of one than the other?

Written response Directions to students for completing this task: (always mention using
(if appropriate) evidence) Write a paragraph telling whether you would or would not like to be
president. Include details from the story that describe the good or bad things about
being a president. Add some ideas of your own.

Reflect on reading What did we work on today? What was hard? What was easy? What do you
and writing think we should work on tomorrow to get a deeper understanding of this text?