John, Paul, George, & Ben

Smith, Lane. (2006). John, Paul, George & Ben. New York, New York: Hyperion Books.

Laced with historical humor, this book is a (mostly) accurate telling of the events leading to the American Revolution and the men involved. It shows how the five men, John Hancock, Paul Revere, George Washington, Ben Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson, acted when they were children and how that behavior led to their bravery and ingenuity as adults.

Connecting to the Standards
Grade 2 RL (1): Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text

• .The books main characters are familiar historical figures and the book does a good job of differentiating each character and what part they play in the story. Students will be able to recognize at least who they are, what they did, when they lived, and how they effected the outcome of the story.

Grade 3 RL (3): Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.

• Through a little more research, students will be able to understand and describe each character including their behaviors and their individual personalities. They will also be able to explain the effect they cause through their actions.

Grade 2 W (7): Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations).

• Students will participate in a group project exploring one of the five characters in the books in more detail. 

Grade 3 W (7): Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic.

• Students will participate in a group project that researches in detail the lives of one of the five characters from the book.

Grade 2 SL (1): Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

• Students will discuss, in small groups, the cause-and-effect shown in this story, the characters of the story, and how it connects to previous discussions on the American Revolution.

Grade 2 SL (2): Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.

• Students will present their findings from their research project to the classroom in a group effort.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this lesson, students will have, at least, a basic understanding of cause-and-effect and will be able to explain how cause leads to effect. Students will be able to set out to research any topic using various resources. Students will be able to effectively collaborate with group partners to implement and execute a research plan. Students will be able to present their research findings clearly and effectively to the classroom.

Adapted to the Classroom

First off, it is important to establish some background knowledge on the American Revolution and, in particular, the five people mentioned in the book. Students will watch informational videos, read about the war, and talk about what they know about the American Revolution.

Once students are familiar with the Revolution, I would read the book in a teacher-guided read-aloud. Students should be able to make connections to what they know to what they hear during the reading. They will be encouraged to raise their hands and ask questions or make comments (within the boundaries of the rules).

Students will then engage in a project with small groups of 5 or 6 to research one of the individuals from the story. They will learn to work as a team by doing group research and assembling a presentation together. Students will use a variety of resources to research including internet, informational texts, historical accounts, etc. Finally, students will present the information they've accumulated to the class.

Bloom's Taxonomy

Who, what, when, where, and how. (Knowledge)

Why is _______ significant? (Application)

Outline (Analysis)

What is most important? (Evaluation)

Differentiation

Because this lesson does have a lot of research involved, a lot of support should come from the teacher. This may be one of the first time students engage in a large amount of research and may not know exactly where to look, giving the teacher an opportunity to establish a scaffold. Once students have enough knowledge on research, the scaffold can be slowly removed. SPED students can still participate in this project and should be paired with traditional students who can give them some additional support.