Social Studies: People, Places and Environments

Pre-K-12: Standard 3

• Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of people, places and environments. The study of people, places and human-environment interactions assists learners as they create their spatial views and geographic perspectives of the world.

Social Studies: Power, Authority and Governance

Pre-K-12: Standard 6

• Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of how people create and change structures of power, authority, and governance. Understanding the historical development of structures of power, authority, and governance and their evolving functions in contemporary U.S. society, as well as in other parts of the world, is essential for developing civic competence.

National Council for the Social Studies, Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies (Washington, D.C.: NCSS, 1994). This book may be purchased by calling 800-683-0812. Electronic copies of it are not available.

Source: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies

English Language Arts: Communication Strategies

K-12: Standard 5

• Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.

English Language Arts: Evaluating Data

K-12: Standard 7

• Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.

Standards for the English Language Arts, by the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English, Copyright 1996 by the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English. Reprinted with permission.

Source: NCTE/IRA Standards for the English Language Arts

Make report writing fun with various report writing formats to engage students and inspire creativity. Guide students as they research open-ended questions regarding their famous figure. Allow students to develop their own questions to stimulate higher-level thinking. Students may share their reports with partners and even play a trivia game about famous figures based on questions in their report.

Figure A

Figure B

Figure C

Figure D

Figure E

Supplies Used: Cardstock, Double-Sided Tape, Glue, Page Protector, Paper Cutter, Pen, Scissors

The teacher will die-cut the materials for student use prior to the lesson.

1. Fold a 9" x 12" sheet of beige or white construction paper in half and fold along the perforated line. Open the paper and using the top half, die-cut a LG Patriot/Jefferson (or any desired shape) on the left side of the paper, centered from the top to the fold line (Figure A).
2. Trim off the three sealed sides of a clear page protector. Cut the two layers of page protector into halves (Figure B). This will create four see-through panels.
3. Open the folded die-cut sheet of paper. On the inside use a glue stick or double-sided tape around the edge of the die-cut opening and adhere one protector piece in place. Tape all four edges behind the silhouette of Thomas Jefferson (Figure C).
4. Fold paper along fold line to make a window pocket (Figure D).
5. Open the pocket and use double-sided tape or glue down both sides, leaving the top open. Close the folder again, securing the two sides.
6. Using scissors or a paper cutter, cut three or four pieces of red cardstock or construction paper to 7 1/2" x 6". Use the scraps to create tabs on the top edges of these pages (Figure E).
7. Students will label the tabs for different sections of their report, such as Personal Life, Political Career or Political Achievements.
8. Questions should be written on the red pages, posing questions that are answered in the report. For example, on the Personal Life page it would ask, "When was Jefferson born and where? Where did he study? Was Jefferson married? Where did he live? When did he die?"
9. Questions can be answered briefly to the right of the question but hidden so the answer does not show through the window. Complete answers and details will become part of the student's report.
10. Students will cut 7 1/2" x 6" pieces of lined paper to write the report on. As information is completed, it can be filed behind the correct page (see Main Photo).