Why Don't You Get a Horse, Sam Adams?By: Jean Fritz

Grade Level:                 Fifth

Subject(s):                    Social Studies, Language Arts

Learner Outcomes:

• The students express opinions about events in a story.
• The students read for comprehension.
• The students identify major causes leading to the revolutionary war.
• The students identify roles of prominent colonial people.
• The students predict outcomes of reading materials.
• The students summarize information after reading.
• The students identify the process of a bill becoming a law.
• The students create diagrams to show sequencing.

Materials:

• "Colonial Days" poem by Kate Englehardt Clark
• Shh! We're Writing the Constitution by Jean Fritz
• For each student:
• Literature circle contract
• paper
• pencils
• Why Don't You Get a Horse, Sam Adams by Jean Fritz

• Multimedia computer
• Printer
• CD ROM drive
• "Shh!  We're Writing the Constitution" CD ROM series by Scholastic Software
• Internet
• One of these software programs:  Paint, Paint Shop Pro, Corel Word Perfect, or Microsoft Word

Pass out Why Don't You Get a Horse, Sam Adams by Jean Fritz the night before the lesson begins so that students have a chance to read the first block of assigned pages.  Reserve a time in the lab to complete the word processing activity.  Make sure all students have the approved Internet permission form before using or viewing material on the Internet.

1.  The teacher opens the lesson by reading the "Colonial Days" poem.
2.  The students will complete literature circles and work on the contract activities including SOPs (summary, opinions, and predictions).
3.  The teacher will discuss how a bill becomes a law.
4.  The class, as a whole, will visit the School House Rocks web site and listen to the song or watch the video "I'm Just a Bill."
http://genxtvland.simplenet.com/SchoolHouseRock/song.hts?hi+bill
5.  The class will create a document using either a graphics program such as Paint or Paint Shop Pro or word processing software such as Word Perfect or Word to create a graphic diagram of how a bill becomes a law.

The students will work in cooperative groups for most activities.

Students will complete literature circle activities using a word processing or desktop publishing program.

• Literature contract
• Contract activities
• Writing rubric
• Technology rubric

• English/Language Arts
• Listening/Speaking  5.2, 5.3, 5.5
• Reading Comprehension  5.15, 5.16, 5.20, 5.22, 5.23, 5.24, 5.34
• Vocabulary 5.36
• Writing  5.52, 5.53, 5.54, 5.56, 5.57, 5.58, 5.62, 5.63, 5.64
• Spelling 5.94
• Language  5.102, 5.103, 5.104
• Technology  5.180, 5.182, 5.183, 5.187
• U.S. History
• Civics 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.6, 5.7
• Geography 5.32
• History 5.39
• Technology 5.58

• U.S. History 4, 6
• Language Arts 1, 3, 4, 5, 8

Shh! We're Writing the Constitution by Jean Fritz
Why Don't You Get a Horse, Sam Adams by Jean Fritz
Kanawha County School Jean Fritz Unit Series
URLs
http://genxtvland.simplenet.com/SchoolHouseRock/song.hts?hi+bill
http://www.free-market.net/images/gallery/patriot6.gif
http://www.patswebgraphics.com/4th/4th.html
http://www.bena.com/lucidcafe/library/95sep/adams.html

Kanawha City Elementary

Lesson 1

Lesson 3

Lesson 4

Lesson 5

Lesson 6