Our class is a second grade inclusion class. The students represent all abilities from gifted to classified. Mr. Monaco is the special education teacher and I am the regular education teacher. We team teach, providing modifications, where needed, but all children are responsible for the core standards.

 

This was our first attempt at a literacy circle. The children borrowed books about famous Americans from the school library. They were given class time to read the book. Some read alone, some buddy read, and some had the book read to them. When all the books were finished, the children with the same famous American met together and those who did not have a match formed a group of their own. We jigsawed with each child responsible for a part of the person’s life. The groups shared facts about their person’s life, discussed why the person was famous, and shared interesting things they learned.

 

 As a class we discussed what characteristics make a person famous or a hero. We listed these on a chart. Then the students met in their groups again and discussed which of the characteristics they saw in their person. Integrating our required technology skills, the students used the Neo to write sentences about a characteristic of their famous American.

 

The homework assignment was to discuss with their families someone in their life that displayed this characteristic. When they returned to school they added sentences about their real life hero to the Neo. I then downloaded their work to power point slides.
-- Carol King

 

Our Famous And Not So Famous Americans

By Mrs. King’s and Mr. Monaco’s Class

 Johnny Appleseed was very kind.

My hero is my mom.  She is very kind.  She helps me with my homework.  She gives the neighbors sugar when they need it.

Johnny Appleseed was an explorer.

My hero is my dad.  I think he is an explorer.  He takes me on walks through the forest.  We look for rocks, leaves, and animals.

 George Washington was honest.  He always told the truth.

My friend, Jeffery, is honest.  He borrowed a cup from my mother and brought it back to her.

George Washington was fair.  George stayed with his men when he was leader of the army.  He stayed in the cold with his men instead of staying in a warm shelter.

My teacher is fair.  He listens to everyone.

George Washington was honest.  Many people say he told his father he cut down the cherry tree. 

My dad is very honest.  He never tells a lie.

George Washington was brave.  He fought in the Revolutionary War. 

My dad is brave.  He protects me from others who make fun of me or say mean things to me.

 George Washington was a leader.  He led the army in the American Revolution. 

My mom is a great leader.  She is gentle.  When she hugs me, she doesn’t squeeze too hard.

 Martin Luther King Jr. was nice.  He helped Rosa Parks boycott the buses.

My neighbor is very nice.  She lets me walk with her when she walks her dog.

 Martin Luther King Jr. was nice.  He helped the people in his church. 

My mother is nice.  She takes me to WalMart and lets me buy a toy.

 Martin Luther King Jr. was a hard worker.  He made many speeches in the United States.

My dad is a hard worker.  He works as a builder everyday.  On Sunday he plays with my brother and me.

 Martin Luther King Jr. was peace loving.  He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

My dad is peace loving.  He never yells or shouts.

Benjamin Franklin was a hard worker.  He worked in his dad’s candle and soap shop.

My dad is a hard worker.  He sells cars.  He never has any days off.  He still finds time to take me to the movies.

Alexander Graham Bell was an experimenter.  He experimented with his dog.  He worked with deaf people to help them hear.

My science teacher is an experimenter.  He makes eggs float on water.

 Mary McLeod Bethune was a dreamer.  She dreamer that one day she would know how to read and have books to read. 

My dad is a dreamer.  He always tells me how great I will be when I grow up and all the things I will do.

George Bush is brave.  He was shot down while flying a plane in the United States Navy. 

John Travolta is brave.  He is a pilot when he isn’t doing movies.

George Bush is respectful.  He taught Sunday school.

My dad is respectful.  When he is sick, I help him and he always says thank you. 

Clara Barton was helpful.  She helped the soldiers in the Civil War.  She gave them food and water.

My mom is helpful.  She brings me juice when I am sick.