February in First Grade

     I love February in First Grade, mostly because it's a turning point.  Most of my students have become readers and they can write a sentence or sentences on a topic.  Since my GLAD (Guided Language Acquisition Design) training, my students, I believe, have learned to love learning.  I hear, more and more, phrases like, "I LOVE Martin Luther King, Jr.!" and "I LOVE the presidents!"  I don't believe I've ever heard anyone exclaim that before this year.
     I've found two children's books about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln that I cherish and that really make these two beloved presidents come alive for children.  Not only do the kids learn a lot from these two books, but I learned a little something as well.  George Washington actually had very bad dental problems and lost his teeth while he fought the Revolutionary War!  Since children in first grade are in the midst of losing their own baby teeth, they can relate.  The timeline at the end of the book, along with pictures of his false teeth, only adds to their fascination.

photo by amazon.com

     Another book I really like is called Mr. Lincoln's Whiskers.  It's about a little girl named Grace Bedell, who wrote to Mr. Lincoln about growing whiskers.  The back of the book has a photo of her actual letter.  This book also brings to light the issues of equal rights (they gasp at the fact that women couldn't vote!) and are appalled at the idea of slavery.  They also get a glimpse of what life was like before tv, cars, internet, and cell phones!

photo by amazon.com

     I sometimes feel bad that I make them genuinely care about these historic figures and then they get the bad news:  they're dead.  Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot.  Abraham Lincoln was shot.  At least George Washington died of natural causes (I think).  

     But on a lighter note, I taught them how to draw each president, mounted the drawings, and then they wrote sentences about each one.  I gave them the first sentence to copy, then after they discussed as a group what other facts they remembered, I had volunteers tell me some facts they might like to write for their second sentence.  I wrote those on the board.  

Here are some samples:

    I cut gray paper to 8" x  6".  I used gray so white crayon would show.  I also had visuals of both presidents and I talked a little about how artists use colors to show shadows (the picture of Washington had hints of purple and blue in his white hair).  When I was a new teacher, I got Art for All Seasons by Evans and Moore, which had a lesson on drawing Lincoln and Washington, which is very easy to follow.  This is the version I have:

photo by amazon.com

     

     Another great book I have, that's on a lighter note and fun for the kids, is Abe Lincoln's Hat.   My students really liked the notion of putting important things up inside a stovepipe hat, so they got to make a hat to wear and write what they'd put in their own hat.  I loved the responses...my stuffed bunny, my mom and my legos, and "my shrink ray, so I can fit all my toys inside."  Awesome!

photo by amazon.com

     And then there's Valentine's Day...