T E A C H I N G G U I D E

TEACHING

On My OwnHistory

3rd Grade Reading Level

T E A C H I N G O N M Y O W N H I S T O R Y2

Copyright © 2004 by Lerner Publications Company

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StandardsWriting • Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process.

• Demonstrates competence in the stylistic and rhetorical aspects of writing.• Uses grammatical and mechanical conventions in written compositions.• Gathers and uses information for research purposes.

Reading • Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the reading process.• Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies for reading a variety of

literary texts.• Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies for reading a variety of

informational texts.Listening and • Demonstrates competence in speaking and listening as tools for learning.Speaking

Visual Arts • Knows a range of subject matter, symbols, and potential ideas in the visual arts.• Understands the characteristics and merits of one’s own artwork and the artwork of

others.

Civics • Understands ideas about civic life, politics, and government.• Understands issues regarding personal, political, and economic rights.• Understands how certain character traits enhance the citizens’ ability to fulfill

personal and civic responsibilities.

Multiple Intelligences Utilized• Spatial, linguistic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal

Go to www.lernerclassroom.comfor a complete list of titles in theOn My Own History series.

T E A C H I N G O N M Y O W N H I S T O R Y 3

Pretest(class, teacher)• Have students share where they live, describing the

houses or features near their homes. • Discuss what a setting is.

Read(student)• Read an On My Own History book.

Model(class, teacher)• Imagine all the streets, homes, and landmarks in your

own neighborhood.• List these on the board.

Practice(student, class)• Complete Brainstorming Where I Live p. 8.• Draw and color or paint neighborhood features on

the mural, or decorate separate sheets of paper tocut and glue onto the mural (this provides texture tothe mural).

• Add figures or self portraits to the scene.

Discuss(class, teacher)• How did you decide which were the best or most

representative features of your neighborhood? • How is your neighborbood similar to the setting in

the book?

Evaluate(student)• Select a name for the neighborhood, add it to the

mural, and display it.• Complete the Reflections form p. 9.• Compare the neighborhood illustration with the

book setting.

Lesson 1 My Neighborhood, theSettingPurpose: Students will use prior knowledge to draw amural of their neighborhood and compare it to thesetting in a book.

Objectives• Recall geographic features of a community.• Define setting.• Illustrate the buildings and features of a

neighborhood.• Select appropriate drawings.• Organize buildings and features on a mural.• Compare two settings.

Activity Procedures

Prepare(teacher)• Collect materials for the art project. • Copy one Brainstorming Where I Live p. 8 and one

Reflections Student Self-Assessment Form p. 9 foreach student.

Materials• mural paper• drawing paper• cotton balls• crayons or markers• tempera paint• paint brushes

• school glue• On My Own History books

• Brainstorming WhereI Live p. 8

• Reflections StudentSelf-Assessment Formp. 9

T E A C H I N G O N M Y O W N H I S T O R Y4

Read(pairs)• Each pair of students will read the same On My Own

History book.

Model(class, teacher)• Help students phrase interview questions to avoid yes

and no answers.• Role-play an interview to show students how the

questions might be answered.

Practice(student, pairs)• Write interview questions for the main character of

the book you read on Interview Notes p. 10.• Exchange papers with your partner and take turns

asking and answering interview questions.

Evaluate(student, teacher)• Use Reporter’s Assessment and Character’s Assessment

p. 11 to evaluate your partner’s interview questionsand answers.

• Check Interview Notes and Student Assessments forcompletion and accuracy.

Lesson 2 Reporters in ActionPurpose: Students will write interview questions forthe main character in the story. Acting as the story’smain character, students will also answer interviewquestions.

Objectives• Recall details and events from a story.• Transform events into questions.• Apply knowledge of a story to answer questions.• Explain details from a story.• Invent plausible details and events. • Evaluate each other’s work.

Activity Procedures

Prepare(teacher)• Copy Interview Notes p. 10, Reporter’s Assessment,

and Character’s Assessment p. 11 for each student.

Pretest(class, teacher)• On the board, list questions a reporter might ask in

an interview.

Materials• On My Own History books

• pencil or pen • Interview Notes p. 10

• Character’sAssessment p. 11

• Reporter’sAssessment p. 11

Read(student)• Read an On My Own History book.

Model(class, teacher) • Brainstorm and list a series of events from the book. • Write these on the board as students suggest them.

Practice(student)• Choose one event from the book to demonstrate

the 5 W’s: Who was involved, When it happened,Where it happened, What happened, and Why itwill be remembered.

• Complete the First Draft News! worksheet p. 12. Go back to the book for information if necessary.

• After revising and editing your first draft, write yourfinal copy and illustrate your news story using FinalCopy Daily News p. 13.

Discuss (partner)• Trade papers and respond to each other’s writing.

Evaluate(teacher)• Use the Assessment Evaluation for News! p. 14 to

assess student work. • Have students read their news stories to the class.• Students may want to compile their stories into a

newspaper. Have them choose a name for theirpaper.

T E A C H I N G O N M Y O W N H I S T O R Y 5

Lesson 3 Write a News StoryPurpose: Using the five journalistic W’s, students willrewrite a story in the form of a news article andillustrate it with a black and white “photograph.”

Objectives• Recall significant events from a story.• Describe facts surrounding events.• Practice writing sentences to recount the events.• Distinguish facts from opinions.• Arrange facts into a news story.• Predict how an event will be remembered in history.

Activity Procedures

Prepare(teacher)• Copy one First Draft News! p. 12, one Final Copy

Daily News p. 13, and one Assessment Evaluation forNews! p. 14 for each student.

Pretest(student, partner, small group)• List the kinds of things that might be important to

include in a newspaper article.• Share ideas with a partner or within a small group. • Respond to each other’s ideas. • Distinguish between facts and opinions.

Materials• On My Own History books

• pencils• paper• First Draft News! p. 12

• Final Copy DailyNews p. 13

• AssessmentEvaluation for News!p. 14

• black pens ormarkers

Read(student)• Read On My Own History books.

Model(class, teacher)• Brainstorm and list events that occurred in the story.

Practice(student)• Use the Diary Worksheet p. 15 to write a diary entry

as if you were the book’s main character. • Students who finish ahead of the others can illustrate

scenes from their diary entry.

Discuss(small group, teacher)• Share diary entries with the class or within small

groups.

Evaluate(teacher)• Use the Assessment Evaluation for Diary p. 16 to

assess students’ writing skills and their understandingof the book’s main character.

T E A C H I N G O N M Y O W N H I S T O R Y6

Lesson 4 Write a DiaryPurpose: Students will explore the motives andfeelings of the story’s main character.

Objectives • Recall main ideas from a story.• Identify problems in a story.• Illustrate understanding of a character.• Solve problems a character could have had.• Compose a diary based on a character’s life.• Predict possible events in the life of a character.

Activity Procedures

Prepare(teacher)• Copy Diary Worksheet p. 15 and Assessment

Evaluation for Diary p. 16 for each student.

Pretest(class)• Discuss what a diary is and what it might include.

Materials• On My Own History books

• Diary Worksheet p. 15

• pencils or pens

• AssessmentEvaluation for Diaryp. 16

• colored pencils orcrayons

• paper

T E A C H I N G O N M Y O W N H I S T O R Y 7

Women’s History Month<http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/womenhist/program.html>This site has links to hundreds of women’sbiographies.

BOOKSBarnard, Bryn. Dangerous Planet: Natural Disasters

That Changed History. New York: Crown Booksfor Young Readers, 2003.This book details various natural disasters andtheir effects on the world.

Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. Growing Up In CoalCountry. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1999.This book tells about the life of coal miners,particularly children, during the nineteenth andearly twentieth centuries.

Beatty, Patricia. Turn Homeward, Hannalee. NewYork: William Morrow & Co., 1999.This book touches on themes of courage, childlabor, and the Civil War.

Cheney, Lynne. A is for Abigail: An Almanac ofAmazing American Women. New York: Simon &Shuster, 2003.This alphabet book features the accomplishmentsof American women through time.

Coles, Robert. The Story of Ruby Bridges. New York:Scholastic, 1995. This picture book tells the story of Ruby Bridges.

Dalgleish, Alice. The Courage of Sarah Noble. NewYork: Simon & Schuster Children’s, 1986.This Newbery Award-winning book tells the storyof one girl’s courage during her family’s move tothe Connecticut wilderness in 1707.

Denenberg, Barry. The Journal of William ThomasJefferson, A Revolutionary War Patriot (DearAmerica Series). New York: Scholastic, 1998.This is the story of one boy’s experience duringthe American Revolution.

Hoose, Phillip M. We Were There, Too! Young Peoplein U.S. History. New York: Farrar, Strauss &Giroux, 2001.This book places young people at the center ofsome of the most exciting events in U.S. history.

Treffinger, Carolyn. Li Lun: Lad of Courage. New York:Walker & Company, 1995.This Newbery Honor Book tells of a youngChinese boy’s courage when he is sent to live inthe mountains.

Additional ResourcesWEBSITES African-American History Biographies

<http://afroamhistory.about.com/library/blbiographies.htm?PM=ss13_afroamhistory> This site contains the biographies of many famousAfrican Americans, with links to topics such as theBlack Panthers, Civil Rights, and the Civil War.

Biographies of Notable Women<http://womenshistory.about.com/library/bio/blbio_list.htm>This site links to hundreds of women’sbiographies.

Colonial Kids: A Celebration of Life in the 1700s<http://library.thinkquest.org/J002611F/>This kid-friendly site gives students a glimpse intothe lifestyle of kids from the colonial period.

Eric Weisstein’s World of Scientific Biography<http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/> This site contains hundreds of scientists’ biographies.

History Channel.com<http://www.historychannel.com/>This site features hundreds of historical topics,events, and people.

Innovative Lives<http://www.si.edu/lemelson/centerpieces/ilives/index.html> This kid-friendly site features inventors of everythingfrom pacemakers to Scotchguard and robots.

Our Story in History<http://americanhistory2.si.edu/ourstoryinhistory/>This historical site for kids includes a number ofactivities and resources.

Our Virtual Underground Railroad Quilt<http://www.beavton.k12.or.us/greenway/leahy/ugrr/>This site, designed by students, providesinformation about the underground railroad,slavery, and Harriet Tubman.

Statue of Liberty—History<http://www.americanparknetwork.com/parkinfo/sl/history/liberty.html>This site gives the history of the Statue of Liberty,from its conception to its unveiling in the UnitedStates.

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Brainstorming Where I Live

Name________________________________

Date_________________________________

I live:

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In my neighborhood there are:

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These people live near me:

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Teaching On My Own History

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Teaching On My Own History

Reflections Student Self-Assessment Form

Name______________________ Date_________

Activity __________________________________

Directions: Use complete sentences to answer the following questions.1. What was the purpose of this activity?

_______________________________________________________________________

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2. What did you do in this activity?

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3. What did you learn from this activity?

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4. What worked well in your group?

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5. What could you have done to help your group work better?

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Teaching On My Own History

Interview Notes

Interviewer Name ________________________________

Interviewee Name ________________________________

Character _______________________________________

Directions: Write interview questions for the book’s character on the lines below.Exchange interview questions with a partner and answer interview questions from the pointof view of the book’s character.

1. Question _________________________________________________________________

Answer ____________________________________________________________________

2. Question_________________________________________________________________

Answer ____________________________________________________________________

3. Question_________________________________________________________________

Answer ____________________________________________________________________

4. Question_________________________________________________________________

Answer ____________________________________________________________________

5. Question_________________________________________________________________

Answer ____________________________________________________________________

6. Question_________________________________________________________________

Answer ____________________________________________________________________

7. Question _________________________________________________________________

Answer ____________________________________________________________________

8. Question_________________________________________________________________

Answer ____________________________________________________________________

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Teaching On My Own History

Reporter’s Assessment

Interviewer__________________________ 2 points for yes 1 point for no

_______________ answered all my questions. ■ yes ■ no

The answers were easy to read. ■ yes ■ no

The answers made sense. ■ yes ■ no

There were few or no errors. ■ yes ■ no

I know a lot more about _______________ now. ■ yes ■ no

Total points for______________________________(Main Character) = ___________

Character’s Assessment

Main Character ______________________ 2 points for yes 1 point for no

The questions were easy to read. ■ yes ■ no

The interviewer asked at least seven questions. ■ yes ■ no

The questions were easy to understand. ■ yes ■ no

I had to remember details from my experience. ■ yes ■ no

I was able to tell more about my character. ■ yes ■ no

Total points for______________________________(Interviewer) = ___________

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Teaching On My Own History

First Draft

News!Write a Headline _______________________________________________________

Read and revise your story. Correct all your mistakes.

WHO was involved in this event? _____

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WHEN did it happen? ______________

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WHERE did it happen? _____________

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WHAT happened? _________________

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Draw a picture of the event.

WHY will this event be remembered

in history?________________________

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Teaching On My Own History

Final Copy

DAILY NEWS_________________________________________________________

Reported by _______________________________

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(Headline)

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Teaching On My Own History

AssessmentEvaluation for NEWS!

Reporter________________________

Points Possible [ ]

[ ] Student read the book.

[ ] The news story is based on an event from the book.

[ ] The story contains facts to describe the event.

[ ] The drawing illustrates the event.

The story contains the 5 W’s:

[ ] Who was involved.

[ ] When it happened.

[ ] Where it happened.

[ ] What happened.

[ ] Why the event will be remembered.

[ ] There are few or no grammatical errors.

[ ] Total points earned

Comments__________________________________________________________________

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Teaching On My Own History

Diary Worksheet

Name ____________________________

Date _____________________________

Directions: Write a diary entry for your character on the lines below.

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AssessmentEvaluation for Diary

Writer’s name_________________________

Points Possible [ ]

[ ] Writing recalls main ideas from the story.

[ ] Writing includes other characters or family members.

[ ] Diary includes some description of settings.

[ ] Student shows the qualities of the main character.

[ ] Student included new events that could have occurred.

[ ] Student presented problems that the main character solved.

[ ] There were few or no grammatical errors.

[ ] Total points earned

Comments___________________________________________________________

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Teaching On My Own History