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Portraits of Character
She Touched the Future—Christa McAuliffe
Portraits of Character are easy-to-read stories that are just a few pages long. They feature everyday heroes as well as celebrities. Each story highlights an extraordinary display of character. In th1
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Portraits of Character are easy-to-read stories that are just a few pages long. They feature everyday heroes as well as celebrities. Each story highlights an extraordinary display of character. In this story, Christa McAuliffe loses her life on a shuttle mission. After reading the story, use the Thinking Questions to have students discuss in pairs or teams. For example, “Should NASA have ended the shuttle program after this tragedy? Why or why not?” Use the Writing Ideas to have students write and share their writing with teammates or classmates. For example, “Imagine NASA has once again decided to take citizens into space. This time, they are selecting some students to make the trip. Would you want to go or not? Write a journal entry about your reaction.” Develop students’ character as well as thinking, reading, writing, and discussion skills as students read and reflect on this portrait of character.
Write! Social Studies
Team Travelers
Some students have been to exotic corners of the world; some have never left the state. In this activity, students write about and share their travels. This a fun way to broaden students’ global awar1
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Some students have been to exotic corners of the world; some have never left the state. In this activity, students write about and share their travels. This a fun way to broaden students’ global awareness and bring students’ personal experiences into learning.
Portraits of Character
The Sky's the Limit—Christopher Marshall
Portraits of Character are easy-to-read stories that are just a few pages long. They feature everyday heroes as well as celebrities. Each story highlights an extraordinary display of character. In th1
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Portraits of Character are easy-to-read stories that are just a few pages long. They feature everyday heroes as well as celebrities. Each story highlights an extraordinary display of character. In this story, Christopher Marshall pilots a daring flight. After reading the story, use the Thinking Questions to have students discuss in pairs or teams. For example, “Would you consider Christopher a hero even before he learned to fly? Explain.” Use the Writing Ideas to have students write and share their writing with teammates or classmates. For example, “Write about a time when you overcame a personal problem or weakness. Or write about how you plan to overcome one of your present problems or weaknesses.” Develop students’ character as well as thinking, reading, writing, and discussion skills as students read and reflect on this portrait of character.
Write! Social Studies
Map Interpretation
Astute map readers can induce generalities about an area when presented with specifics on a map. For example, seeing little ears of corn on the map tells you more than corn grows there. It speaks vol1
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Astute map readers can induce generalities about an area when presented with specifics on a map. For example, seeing little ears of corn on the map tells you more than corn grows there. It speaks volumes about the landforms, water supplies, soil condition, life styles, population. In this activity, students develop their map reading skills by reaching conclusions based on specifics.
Portraits of Character
Taking a Stand—Rosa Parks
Portraits of Character are easy-to-read stories that are just a few pages long. They feature everyday heroes as well as celebrities. Each story highlights an extraordinary display of character. In th1
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Portraits of Character are easy-to-read stories that are just a few pages long. They feature everyday heroes as well as celebrities. Each story highlights an extraordinary display of character. In this story, Rosa Parks protests Jim Crow laws. After reading the story, use the Thinking Questions to have students discuss in pairs or teams. For example, “What risks does a hero run by taking a stand? What good might he or she do by taking a stand?” Use the Writing Ideas to have students write and share their writing with teammates or classmates. For example, “Suppose a friend of yours was arrested for fighting a law he or she thought was wrong. What would you do? Write a paragraph or two explaining how you would react and why.” Develop students’ character as well as thinking, reading, writing, and discussion skills as students read and reflect on this portrait of character.
Write! Social Studies
Social Studies Songs
Do you seem to remember all the lyrics to songs you haven’t even heard in years? Putting the curriculum to music not only makes learning fun, but it also helps with mastery of concepts and recall, es1
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Do you seem to remember all the lyrics to songs you haven’t even heard in years? Putting the curriculum to music not only makes learning fun, but it also helps with mastery of concepts and recall, especially for your musically inclined students. In this activity, pairs work together to create a social studies song. They sing their song to the class as a duet.
Portraits of Character
He'll Never Be the Same—Tony Melendez
Portraits of Character are easy-to-read stories that are just a few pages long. They feature everyday heroes as well as celebrities. Each story highlights an extraordinary display of character. In th1
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Portraits of Character are easy-to-read stories that are just a few pages long. They feature everyday heroes as well as celebrities. Each story highlights an extraordinary display of character. In this story, Tony Melendez triumphs over his disability. After reading the story, use the Thinking Questions to have students discuss in pairs or teams. For example, “What birth defects created problems for Tony?” Use the Writing Ideas to have students write and share their writing with teammates or classmates. For example, “Think of a life-changing experience that you or someone you know has had. Write about this experience. Explain what happened and what effect that experience had.” Develop students’ character as well as thinking, reading, writing, and discussion skills as students read and reflect on this portrait of character.
Portraits of Character
The Day the Earth Shook - Jim Betts
Portraits of Character are easy-to-read stories that are just a few pages long. They feature everyday heroes as well as celebrities. Each story highlights an extraordinary display of character. In th1
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Portraits of Character are easy-to-read stories that are just a few pages long. They feature everyday heroes as well as celebrities. Each story highlights an extraordinary display of character. In this story, Jim Betts saves an earthquake victim. After reading the story, use the Thinking Questions to have students discuss in pairs or teams. For example, “What damage did the San Francisco earthquake cause? Why did that damage make it hard to get help to the Berumens?” Use the Writing Ideas to have students write and share their writing with teammates or classmates. For example, “Write about one of the toughest decisions you ever had to make. In your writing, tell what your decision was and why it was so tough. Also tell what happened because you made the decision.” Develop students’ character as well as thinking, reading, writing, and discussion skills as students read and reflect on this portrait of character.
Write! Social Studies
The Me Map
In this activity, students mark on a map of the world where they and their ancestors came from. Students write about their cultural background and share it with teammates. This activity promotes appr1
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In this activity, students mark on a map of the world where they and their ancestors came from. Students write about their cultural background and share it with teammates. This activity promotes appreciation of cultural diversity, geography knowledge and makes the content more personally relevant.
Portraits of Character
Crisis in Church - Geronimo Barreras
Portraits of Character are easy-to-read stories that are just a few pages long. They feature everyday heroes as well as celebrities. Each story highlights an extraordinary display of character. In th1
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Portraits of Character are easy-to-read stories that are just a few pages long. They feature everyday heroes as well as celebrities. Each story highlights an extraordinary display of character. In this story, Geronimo Barreras disarms a gunman. After reading the story, use the Thinking Questions to have students discuss in pairs or teams. For example, “What made the crisis in the church so frightening and tense?” Use the Writing Ideas to have students write and share their writing with teammates or classmates. For example, “Have you ever been sad or angry because you couldn’t have something? Write about this experience. How did you overcome your emotion?” Develop students’ character as well as thinking, reading, writing, and discussion skills as students read and reflect on this portrait of character.