Tiffani Cosendine

Best Practices Handbook

March 4, 2018
UED 405
BEST PRACTICES HANDBOOK 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. Venn Diagram………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3
2. K-W-L Chart……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………3
3. Open-Mind Portrait……….…………………………………………………………………………..………………………….4
4. Plot Profile………………………………………………………………...………………………………………………………….5
5. Circle Diagram…………….………………………………………………………………………………………………………….5
6. Beginning-Middle-End Map…………………………………………………………………...................................6
7. Setting Map……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………7
8. Word Wall……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..7
9. Cluster Diagram……..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………8
10. T-Chart………………….…..…………………………………………………………………………………………………………9
11. Multiple Meanings Poster........................……………………………………………..................................9
12. Sketch-to-Stretch Drawing………………………………………………………….........................................10
13. Fish Bowl Discussion…………………………………………………………………………..................................11
14. Q & A Match-Up……………………………………….……………………………………………….……………….………11
15. Think, Pair, Share………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……12
16. See, Think, Wonder………………………………………………………………………………………….………………..13
17. Character Traits Chart ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….14
18. Storyboard……………….………………………………………………………………………………………..................15
19. Sticky-Note Storm…………………………………………………………..………………………………………………….15
20. Write Around……………………………………………………..………………………………………………………………16
21. Sink or Swim Game…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….17
22. Graffiti Wall………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..17
23. Post-It Practice……………………………………………………………………………………………………….………….18
24. 3-2-1…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..19

Book List………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….20

* All highlighted practices can be used across the curriculum.

BEST PRACTICES HANDBOOK 3

BEST PRACTICES HANDBOOK:

1. Cook, J. (n.d.). What is a Venn Diagram? Retrieved from

https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-a-venn-diagram-lesson-for-kids.html
 VENN DIAGRAM
- A Venn diagram is a “visual brainstorming tool used to compare and contrast two
(sometimes three) different things” (Cook). It is made up of two or three large circles
that overlap; how the topics are different is listed in the outer circles, while what they
have in common goes in the middle space.
- The Venn diagram is an easy practice to implement all across the curriculum, since it can
be used to compare/contrast any two or three topics imaginable. For example, in
science, students can use it to organize information about various scientific concepts, in
history they can use it when describing different historical events or figures, and in
reading they can use it when comparing stories and/or story characters.

2. K-W-L Charts. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-

library/teaching-strategies/k-w-l-charts
 K-W-L CHART
- The K-W-L Chart is a teaching strategy that involves “graphic organizers that help
students organize information before, during, and after a unit or a lesson. They can be
used to engage students in a new topic, activate prior knowledge, share unit objectives,
and monitor students’ learning” (K-W-L Charts).
- The K-W-L Chart is made up of three columns. Column 1 is labeled “K” and this is where
students write what they already know about the topic at hand before beginning the
unit. Column 2 is labeled “W” and this is where students write what they want to know
about the topic. Column 3 is labeled “L” and this is where students write what they have
learned about the topic once they are taught about it.
- K-W-L Charts are interdisciplinary in that they can easily be used in all subjects with all
topics. Students can create these charts when learning about scientific concepts,
events/time periods in history, concepts in math, the stories they read, etc.
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3. Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Comprehending and Composing Stories. In Language Arts: Patterns

of Practice (9th ed.). Fresno, CA: Pearson.
 OPEN-MIND PORTRAIT (p. 219)
- An Open-Mind Portrait is a unique strategy that involves thought and creativity. For this
practice, students draw the outline of a character (generally their head), cut it out, and
trace its outline twice on another sheet a paper. One outline they color to look like the
character and the other outline they use to write the character’s thoughts. Students are
required to ponder and reflect pivotal points in a character’s experiences in order to
determine how the character may have felt/thought during those times. Recording what
in the character’s mind allows students to relate, emphasize, or identify with that
character.
- This practice is interdisciplinary in that it can easily be implemented in history as well as
reading. When students learn about various historical figures and their experiences,
they can create an Open-Mind Portrait describing what the person may have been
thinking during a certain historical event.
- Here is an example of an Open-Mind Portrait from Tompkins’s text based on the book
Number the Stars:
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4. Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Comprehending and Composing Stories. In Language Arts: Patterns

of Practice (9th ed.). Fresno, CA: Pearson.
 PLOT PROFILE (p. 223-224)
- A Plot Profile is a practice used to “track the tension in a story” (Tompkins, 2012). This
requires students to create a graph, labeling the y-axis with high and low (in regards to
tension) and the x-axis with each chapter. As they read the story, students mark on the
graph the level of tension they observed in each chapter to see how the story
progressed or fluctuated in action. This practice is useful because it allows students to
analyze the chart at the end of the story to determine how stories have points of high
tension to signify conflict or climax and then dips in tension that reflect resolve or
normalcy.
- Here in an example from Tompkins’s text of a Plot Profile of the story Stone Fox:

5. Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Comprehending and Composing Stories. In Language Arts: Patterns

of Practice (9th ed.). Fresno, CA: Pearson.
 CIRCLE DIAGRAM (p. 245)
- A Circle Diagram is used in literature with stories that have a circular structure, meaning
they begin and end with the same idea. Circle Diagrams are useful to track how the
story circles back to its original thought, as well as when students are required to create
their own stories reflecting this repetitive refrain. Students may use a Circle Diagram to
organize their ideas before actually composing the story.
- Here is an example from Tompkins’s text of a first-grader’s Circle Diagram:
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6. Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Comprehending and Composing Stories. In Language Arts: Patterns

of Practice (9th ed.). Fresno, CA: Pearson.
 BEGINNING-MIDDLE-END MAP (p. 221)
- A Beginning-Middle-End Map is an organizing tool for plot. Students create a diagram in
which they write the focus, such as a story name, in a bubble and then branch out into
sequences in the plot. Younger students may sort plot into beginning, middle, and end,
while older students may use the terms introduction, development, and resolution. At
each branch, students write about key events from that stage in the story as well as add
pictures. This is a useful practice because it allows students to identify and describe
important parts of a story while also being able to utilize creativity, since they can draw
pictures.
- Here is a helpful example from Tompkins’s text:
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7. Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Comprehending and Composing Stories. In Language Arts: Patterns

of Practice (9th ed.). Fresno, CA: Pearson.
 SETTING MAP (p. 226-227)
- A Setting Map is used in literature to “show the path a character traveled or the passage
of time in a story” (Tompkins, 2012). For this, students create a map using words and
images that depict key places in the story. A legend is also included. This tool is helpful
in that it requires students to pay careful attention to the setting of a story and
important places; they have to remember where the character traveled and determine
how their journey may have looked visually. It also incorporates creativity and
imagination.
- Here is an example from Tompkins’s text of a Setting Map of the book Number the Stars,
portraying the main character Ellen’s journey from Copenhagen to Sweden:

8. Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Language Tools, Grammar, Spelling, and Handwriting. In Language

Arts: Patterns of Practice (9th ed.). Fresno, CA: Pearson.
 WORD WALL (p. 337-338)
- A Word Wall is an excellent tool that involves students writing down words that are
important to know, unfamiliar to them, or high-frequency. These words are generally
posted on large sheets of poster or paper in the classroom for students to refer to,
define, or add to during the process of a lesson.
- A Word Wall can easily be used across the curriculum because students will always need
to identify and learn new words to add to their vocabulary. While reading texts in math,
science, or history they will always be exposed to new concepts that they can add to the
wall and go over as a class.
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9. Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Oral Language: Listening and Talking. In Language Arts: Patterns of
Practice (9th ed.). Fresno, CA: Pearson.
 CLUSTER DIAGRAM (p. 92)
- A Cluster Diagram is a strategy used for organizing and describing ideas. This type of
graphic organizer allows students to sort information that manifests in three or more
categories. The organizer looks like a spider web in that students write the category on a
line extending from the center, which says the overall topic, and then add information
about the topic as well as pictures.
- This practice can easily be utilized across the curriculum. For example, Tompkins’s text
has an example of a Cluster Diagram about simple machines, which is a science topic (p.
92). A Cluster Diagram is helpful in the classroom because students can take any term
from any subject and then organize information about it. This includes scientific topics,
historical events/time periods/people, etc.
- Here is an example of a Cluster from Tompkins’s text:

10. T-Charts Graphic Organizer Printouts. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers/tchart/
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 T-CHART
- A T-Chart is a graphic organizer students may use for a variety of purposes, such as
o Making a decision by comparing advantages and disadvantages
o Evaluating pros and cons of a topic
o Enumerating the problems and solutions associated with an action
o Listing facts vs. opinions of a theme
o Explaining the strengths and weaknesses of a piece of writing
o Listing any two characteristics of a topic
- The T-Chart is easily interdisciplinary because it can be used for any topics of any
subject. Students can use it when organizing information about science-related concepts
and ideas, math concepts, historical events/wars/time periods/people, etc.

11. Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Oral Language: Listening and Talking. In Language Arts: Patterns of
Practice (9th ed.). Fresno, CA: Pearson.
 MULTIPLE MEANINGS POSTER (p. 197)
- A Multiple Meanings Poster is a word cluster used to show how words may have various
meanings. Student write the word in the middle of the diagram and then draw rays
extending outward. At the end of each ray, students write meanings and examples and
draw illustrations for the word they chose. This strategy is helpful for students to use as
a visual to show them how words can be used in so many different ways depending on
the context.
- Here is an example using the word “Hot”:
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12. Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Comprehending and Composing Stories. In Language Arts: Patterns
of Practice (9th ed.). Fresno, CA: Pearson.
 SKETCH-TO-STRETCH DRAWING (p. 228-229)
- A Sketch-to-Stretch Drawing is a unique activity that requires students to “move beyond
literal comprehension to think more deeply about the theme” (Tompkins, 2012). It
requires students to use sketches to portray what the story means to them. Students
add lines, shapes, colors, symbols, and words to accomplish this. This activity is useful
because students are able to meet in small groups to share their sketches to learn how
multiple interpretations may exist for one story and how everyone has a different
viewpoint, which exposes them to new ways of thinking about the story.
- Here is a step-by-step for this tool as well as an example from Tompkins’s text:

13. Tallman, M. (2014, August 8). The Fish Bowl: A Cooperative Learning Strategy {Post 5 of 5}.
Retrieved from http://teacherthrive.com/2014/08/the-fish-bowl-cooperative-
learning.html
BEST PRACTICES HANDBOOK 11

 FISH BOWL DISCUSSION

- A Fish Bowl Discussion is a cooperative learning activity that puts a spin on typical class
discussions. First, a class is divided in half, with one half forming an outer circle and the
other half forming an inner circle. The students in the inner circle will be the ones
discussing the topic, while the outer half will listen and take notes, but they do not
speak. When someone from the outer circle feels that someone in the inner circle has
offered their say on the matter, they can choose to switch out with that person. This
method is significant in that it eases classroom management while only having some
students speak at once, promotes active listening from the outer circle, creates room for
good debate, and allows for peer evaluation and modeling.
 The Fish Bowl Discussion is interdisciplinary in that it can easily be used for multiple
subjects for discussion of any topic; for example, events in history or concepts in science
can be discussed using this method, and students will be able to learn more about those
topics.

14. Tallman, M. (2014, July 30). Q and A Match-Up: A Cooperative Learning Strategy (Post 2 of
5). Retrieved from http://teacherthrive.com/2014/07/q-match-up-cooperative-
learning.html
 Q & A MATCH-UP
- Q & A Match-Up is another cooperative learning strategy that is fun to use in the
classroom. It is easy to use as a review activity. For this practice, the teacher creates a
list of questions and answers about a certain topic and prints them all out on separate
cards, using one color for questions and another for answers so that students can
distinguish the two. Cards are distributed to each student, and once student have
BEST PRACTICES HANDBOOK 12

thought about the question/answer they have, they can move around to try and match
up with another student. Once all students are matched up and circled around the
perimeter of the room, the pairs each read their question and answer. This strategy
offers versatility, in that it can be used for any subject/topic; student engagement;
discussion opportunity; a built in review for quizzes and tests; and longevity, meaning
the cards can be reused over the years.
- This strategy can definitely be used across the curriculum since it can easily be
implemented with any subject and any topic. Teachers can use it to quickly quiz
students on historical events/time periods, scientific concepts, stories they’ve read, etc.
It can also be used with math; one person may have a card with an equation and they
must find the person with the card containing the answer to their problem.

15. Think, Pair, Share | Classroom Strategy | Reading Rockets. (2017, October 30). Retrieved
from http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/think-pair-share
 THINK, PAIR, SHARE
- Think, Pair, Share is a “collaborative learning strategy where students work together to
solve a problem or answer a question about an assigned reading” (Reading Rockets).
- This strategy requires students to
o Think individually about a topic or answer to a question.
o Share ideas with classmates. Discussing with a partner maximizes participation,
focuses attention and engages students in comprehending the reading material.
- First, a teacher will ask a specific question about a topic that students must think about
before they pair up with another student or small group. Then, students must share
their thinking with their partner or small group. The teacher can later expand on their
ideas.
BEST PRACTICES HANDBOOK 13

- Think, Pair, Share is generally used in reading but can also be implemented into other
curriculum because teachers can ask questions related to any subject. For example, they
can use Think, Pair, Share when discussing historical events/people or scientific
concepts.

16. See, Think, Wonder. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-

library/teaching-strategies/see-think-wonder
 SEE, THINK, WONDER
- This is a “simple critical-viewing strategy to guide students’ analysis of any visual media”
(See, Think, Wonder) by encouraging students to spend time observing and thinking
about a visual before asking questions or drawing conclusions.
- For this practice, teachers must select a piece of visual media (artwork, video clip,
poster, etc.) that a student would be able to deeply analyze.
- Teacher may pose these questions for students to reflect on:
o What do you see? What details stand out? (At this stage, elicit observations, not
interpretations.)
o What do you think is going on? What makes you say that?
o What does this make you wonder? What broader questions does this image raise for
you?
- Students may record responses in a journal or share them with others using Think, Pair,
Share or group discussions.
- This strategy is easily implementable across the curriculum because the teacher could
choose visuals for any subject (ex. political cartoons for history, pictures of scientific
phenomena, images of animals for biology, etc.)
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17. Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Comprehending and Composing Stories. In Language Arts: Patterns
of Practice (9th ed.). Fresno, CA: Pearson.
 CHARACTER TRAITS CHART (p. 225)
- This strategy involves students analyzing a character. Students will make a chart where
they list character traits of the character they are analyzing in the left column and
explanations for each trait (using events, dialogue, etc. from the story) in the right
column. This chart may help students learn more about characters as well as compare
different characters in literature.
- This practice is mainly used with story characters in literature but may possibly be used
with historical figures in history as well. Once students have learned about a historical
figure or perhaps read a book about them, they would be able to create a chart
highlighting the person’s qualities that stand out.

18. Storyboard. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/teaching-

strategies/storyboard
BEST PRACTICES HANDBOOK 15

 STORYBOARD
- This strategy “helps students keep track of a narrative’s main ideas and supporting
details by having them illustrate the story’s important scenes” (Storyboard). It can also
allow teachers to evaluate reading comprehension of students by checking for accuracy
and thoroughness in their storyboards.
- First, students must be given a storyboard template with several large blocks big enough
for them to draw pictures and write a short description. Students will draw the main
ideas of a story and write a short caption about what is happening in the picture (or they
can use quotations from the story as captions). Students may then share their
storyboards with a partner or small group. This may help them to clarify their ideas, gain
new insight, or analyze which ideas are most important. This strategy can be used for
any piece of literature and allows students to be creative through art and writing while
checking their understanding of the text.

19. Mulvahill, E. (2015, August 28). 10 Fun Alternatives to Think-Pair-Share. Retrieved from
https://www.weareteachers.com/5-fun-alternatives-to-think-pair-share/
 STICKY-NOTE STORM
- This is a strategy that can be used for brainstorming ideas or for reviewing for a
test/quiz; it works best when students are seated at small-group tables.
- Note: Teachers will need to have a large amount of sticky notes on hand for each table.
- For this practice, teachers pose a question to the class, and the students are given time
to write down all of their ideas onto sticky notes (one idea per sticky note). The goal is
to generate as many ideas as possible and have students cover the table with their
sticky notes. At the end of the round, the group goes through each of the sticky notes
and perhaps shares notable ideas with the entire class.
- This strategy can be used across the curriculum because teachers can have students
come up with ideas for any subject/topic. It can be used when talking about certain
events/time periods in history, answering problems in science, describing scientific
BEST PRACTICES HANDBOOK 16

concepts or phenomena, or when discussing data and/or findings after a scientific

experiment.

20. Mulvahill, E. (2015, August 28). 10 Fun Alternatives to Think-Pair-Share. Retrieved from
https://www.weareteachers.com/5-fun-alternatives-to-think-pair-share/
 WRITE AROUND
- Write Around is a fun practice used for story summarizing or creative writing. The
teacher may give a starting sentence, or students can create their own. Each student has
their own paper/pencil. Students must write a sentence or two before passing their
paper to the next person. That person reads the sentence and then writes another
sentence that adds on to the previous one. This continues for several rounds until a
story or summary has been created. In the end, students will receive their own paper,
read what everyone has added, and write their own conclusion sentence. This activity is
collaborative and allows students to share ideas and be creative. Students are able to
see what their peers think about a text and how they can possibly build from their ideas.
- Write Around is mainly used in literature courses but can also be adapted in history
when writing about events/time periods or science when writing about different
scientific topics. It can also be used when writing summaries about texts in history,
science, or even math.
* Image from Google images

21. https://www.thoughtco.com/successful-review-activities-for-elementary-students-2081839
 SINK OR SWIM
 Review game
BEST PRACTICES HANDBOOK 17

 Directions:
- Divide students into two teams and have them form a line and face one another.
- Then ask team 1 a question, and if they get it right, they can choose one person from
the other team to sink.
- Then ask team 2 a question, and if they get the answer right, they may either sink
their opponents' team member or save their sunken team member.
- The winning team is the one with the most people at the end.

22. https://www.thoughtco.com/successful-review-activities-for-elementary-students-
2081839
- GRAFFITI WALL
 Review game
 Directions:
- Place a variety of different colored dry erase markers on the front board (or different
colored chalk if you have a chalkboard).
- Then give students a review topic, and randomly call about three to five students at a
time to the board.
- The students’ goal is to think of any word that associates with the given topic.
- Students can write the word any way they like (sideways, up and down, backward,
etc.)
- One rule you must enforce is that students cannot repeat any word that is on the
board.
- Once all the students have had a turn, pair them up and have each student tell their
partner about five of the words on the board.

23. https://www.thoughtco.com/successful-review-activities-for-elementary-students-2081839
 POST-IT PRACTICE
 Review Game (similar to the game “Headbands”)
 Directions:
BEST PRACTICES HANDBOOK 18

- Provide each student with a Post-it note, and have them write down one review term on
it.
- Then without the other students seeing the note, have each student choose one person
to stick their note to their forehead.
- The goal of this activity is for students to go around the room and try to explain the term
without using the actual term.
- Make sure that each student has the opportunity to go around the room and explain
each term.

24. https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/20-simple-assessment-strategies-can-use-every-
day/
 3-2-1
 Students consider what they have learned by responding to the following prompt at the
end of the lesson: 3) things they learned from your lesson; 2) things they want to know
more about; and 1) questions they have. The prompt stimulates student reflection on
the lesson and helps to process the learning.
BEST PRACTICES HANDBOOK 19

BOOK LIST:

1. Burton, V. L. (1942). The Little House. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.
 The Little House
- SOLs
o Reading K.9: The student will demonstrate comprehension of fictional texts.
o History K.2: The student will describe everyday life in the present and in the past and
begin to recognize that things change over time.
o Art K.2: The student will create works of art that express feelings and ideas.
o Science 1.7: The student will investigate and understand weather and seasonal
changes.
o Science 3.8: The student will investigate and understand basic patterns and cycles
occurring in nature. Key concepts include a) patterns of natural events such as day
and night, seasonal changes, simple phases of the moon, and tides
- The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton could be read during a kindergarten history unit.
The book is about a little house who was built in the country and overtime sees the
world around her evolve into a city. From reading the book, students would see how life
changed over the years, in that horse-drawn carriages became cars, fields became
roads, trees were replaced with buildings, etc. (History SOL K.2). Students would be able
to use the story to compare life in the past to the present in regards to differences in
transportation, landscape, etc. This book also presents opportunities for teachers to
bring in real-world applications, where students can discuss changes that have occurred
in their own lives and how it made them feel, causing them to be able to identify with
how the little house felt watching her world change. Teachers could present multiple
activities incorporating art and writing with this lesson; for example, they could have
students draw a picture of their own little house in a certain period and have them write
a sentence or two describing the time period. I originally used this book with a
Kindergarten unit, but it may also be used in science units for first, second, or third
grade because it also mentions the changes in the moon phases as well as the seasons.

2. Penn, A. (1993). The Kissing Hand. Terre Haute, IN: Tanglewood Press.
 The Kissing Hand
BEST PRACTICES HANDBOOK 20

- SOLs
o Visual Arts K.2: The student will create works of art that express feelings and
ideas
o Reading K.9: The student will demonstrate comprehension of fictional texts.
o Writing K.12: The student will write to communicate ideas for a variety of
purposes.
- The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn is about a little raccoon who is afraid of starting
school. To comfort him, his mother kisses his hand and tells him that he can carry
around her kiss with him to remind him that she loves him and he does not have to be
afraid. This is a cute story to read to younger students, such as kindergarteners, on their
first day of school. This is a book that can easily be used in art. The teacher could read
the story and then have students do an activity where they trace their hand on a piece
of paper, cut it out, and then cut out a small heart to glue in the center of the hand (Art
K.2). Students can also write a sentence about how they feel about starting school—if
they are excited, afraid, etc. (Writing K.12) and then draw a picture. They could also
draw a picture of themselves and their mom and dad to remind them that their parents
love them and want them to have fun at school.

3. Ingalls Wilder, L. (1935). Little House on the Prairie. New York City, NY: HarperTrophy.
 Little House on the Prairie
- SOLs
o History USI.8: The student will demonstrate knowledge of westward expansion
and reform in America from 1801 to 1861 by a) describing territorial expansion
and how it affected the political map of the United States, with emphasis on the
Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis and Clark expedition, and the acquisitions of
Florida, Texas, Oregon, and California; b) identifying the geographic and
economic factors that influenced the westward movement of settlers
o Reading 5.4: The student will expand vocabulary when reading.
o Reading 5.5: The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of fictional
texts, narrative nonfiction, and poetry.
BEST PRACTICES HANDBOOK 21

o Writing 5.7: The student will write for a variety of purposes: to describe, to
inform, to entertain, to explain, and to persuade.
- Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder is about a girl named Laura who
travels from the Big Woods of Wisconsin to Kansas territory by covered wagon with her
family. Students could read this story in a fifth grade history unit about America in the
1800s and see how it is vastly different from life today in regards to modes of
transportation, the way people obtained food, clothing, etc. They would learn about the
reasons why some families moved west across America as territories were expanding so
they could find better land, more space, new opportunities, etc. From reading this book,
students can learn new vocabulary relating to life in the pioneer days or find words
unique to that time period. There are also many ways students can respond to this text
using reading and writing activities. For example, they can write their own narrative
about what they think their life would have been like in that period, or they can write a
story from Laura’s perspective and what she might have faced. Students could also use
multiple strategies such as Character Traits Chart, Plot Profile, Open-Mind Portrait, etc.
as activities for this story.

4. Meltzer, B. (2014). I Am Abraham Lincoln. New York, NY: Penguin Group.

 I Am Abraham Lincoln
- SOLs
o History USI.9: The student will demonstrate knowledge of the causes, major
events, and effects of the Civil War by d) describing the roles of Abraham Lincoln,
Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson,
and Frederick Douglass in events leading to and during the war
o History USII.3: The student will demonstrate knowledge of the effects of
Reconstruction on American life by c) describing the legacies of Abraham Lincoln,
Robert E. Lee, and Frederick Douglass.
o Reading K.9, 1.1, 2.8, 3.6, 4.6, 5.6 (reading and comprehending nonfiction texts)
o Writing K.11, 1.12, 2.10, 3.8, 4.7, 5.7 (writing for a variety of purposes)
- I Am Abraham Lincoln by Brad Meltzer is a nonfiction children’s book describing the life
of Abraham Lincoln, including his childhood, presidency, and leadership in freeing the
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slaves. With its inspirational tone, this autobiography would be cute to use in the
classroom because of its fun illustrations, engaging text, and use of humor. It would be
more fun for students to use when learning about Lincoln instead of merely reading the
textbook. It can be used in history lessons or when teaching students about the
presidents or President’s Day.
- This book can easily be used with reading SOLs for any elementary grade level, where
students will be able to do activities to show demonstration of the text. Also, after
reading the story, teachers could always have students complete some kind of writing
activity. For example, they could create an Open-Mind Portrait or Character Traits Chart
for Abraham Lincoln or make a Venn diagram comparing/contrasting Lincoln with
another President or Civil War influencer.

5. Lowry, L. (1989). Number the Stars. New York, NY: Yearling.

 Number the Stars
- SOLs
o WHII.12: The student will demonstrate knowledge of the worldwide impact of
World War II by b) examining the Holocaust and other examples of genocide in
the twentieth century
o Reading 5.5: The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of fictional
texts, literary nonfiction, and poetry.
o Writing 5.7: The student will write in a variety of forms to include narrative,
descriptive, expository, and persuasive.
o Reading 6.5: The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety
of fictional texts, literary nonfiction, and poetry.
o Writing 6.7: The student will write in a variety of forms to include narrative,
expository, persuasive, and reflective with an emphasis on narrative and
reflective writing.
- Number the Stars by Lois Lowry is a book about two girls: Annemarie, who’s Christian,
and Ellen, who’s Jewish, both whose lives are changed by World War II. Ellen and her
family must flee their home, since they are Jewish, but Ellen ends up staying behind to
live with Annemarie and her family, pretending to be Annemarie’s late sister. This is a
great book to use when touching on the holocaust in younger grades, such as fifth or
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sixth grade. Teachers could read the story during a history unit and then provide
students with reading and writing activities to test their comprehension. For example,
students could create an Open-Mind Portrait or Character Traits Chart for Ellen and/or
Annemarie. They could also make a Beginning-Middle-End Map, Plot Profile, or Setting
Map of the story.