Stacia Kohlstedt
Content Reading EDUC 650
Summer 2011
American Revolution Text Set – Grade 7
Johnny Tremain
By Esther Forbes
ABOVE LEVEL READING
ISBN-13: 978-0440442509
Copyright: 1944
Description: Set in revolutionary times, Johnny Tremain tells the story of a
young boy living in Boston. He begins the book as an apprentice to a
silversmith where he does work for such figures as John Hancock, but due to a
hand injury, he is forced to find other work. Johnny finds himself thrown into
the world of politics as he takes a newspaper job with The Boston Observer, a
Whig publication. Between new events in the war and his starting romance with
Cilla, Johnny is forced to examine his thoughts, beliefs and relationships as he
experiences a very tumultuous time in U.S. History.
Lexile: 840 Lexile
Rational: Johnny Tremain is part of the regular curriculum at Richland Middle
School, but I am choosing to continue to use it because it gives the students a
look at an important time in history through a young protagonist. The 7th
graders are also covering the American Revolution, so it is a great crosscurricular piece. It deals with loss and destruction but also focuses on the
positive outcomes and hopefulness in the future, which is something to which
we can all relate. Even though the lexile is 840, I think this book may be more
challenging due to the content nature and motivation level.
Strategies: As my plan is to use all three leveled books, I would keep the
strategies similar so they could be taught explicitly and then applied by each of
the students to their own books. I will begin with Alphaboxes and Connect Two,
then use 6 Thinking Hats and Questioning the Author during reading, and RAFT
as a consolidating strategy.
Source: Classroom Library
Sarah Bishop
By Scott O’Dell
AT LEVEL READING
ISBN13: 9780590446518
Copyright: 1980
Description: In this fact based story, Sarah Bishop, a teenager during the
Revolutionary War, is from a family torn apart by the American Revolution. Her
brother, a patriot, defies their father to fight on the side of independence.
Meanwhile her father, a Tory, dies for his own beliefs and Loyalty to England.
Now that Sarah is left orphaned, she has to survive on her own. Living in New
York City she is accused by the British of committing a crime and must run
away to save her own life. In the wilderness, Sarah is forced to use the skills she
has to create a new life for herself and work through challenges of living on her
own.
Lexile: 760 Lexile
Rational: I included this book as a middle level novel that would be high
interest to many students. Many students can relate to living in a family torn
apart, and those that are not living that situation will eventually witness or even
deal with those realities. Again, this story has a teenage protagonist dealing
with the effects of the Revolution, and it gives students a chance to read about
the other “battles” of war.
Strategies: As my plan is to use all three leveled books, I would keep the
strategies similar so they could be taught explicitly and then applied by each of
the students to their own books. I will begin with Alphaboxes and Connect Two,
then use 6 Thinking Hats and Questioning the Author during reading, and RAFT
as a consolidating strategy.
Source: Google Search on Revolution War Books for Middle School:
“Early America and the Revolutionary War.” Plymoth Library. 13 November
2010. 26 June 2011 <http://plymouthlibrary.org/amhistbib.htm>.
Fever 1793
By Laurie Halse Anderson
LOWER LEVEL READING
ISBN-13: 978-0689848919
Copyright: 2000
Description: Also set in revolutionary times in 1793, this story too has a
teenage protagonist, Matilda, who begins the story working in her family’s
thriving coffeehouse but ends up basically orphaned after a series of events,
including a deadly plague, sweeps through her Philadelphian home. Matilda
ends up taking in a young girl while continuing to care for the sick as much as
she can while falling ill herself. Because of this she is forced to grow up much
faster than she otherwise would have. However, the story ends with a happy
ending after Matilda is reunited with her mother and returns to work at the
coffeehouse.
Lexile: 580 Lexile
Rational: I chose Fever 1793 as an easier level book for students who could not
handle Johnny Tremain. As in other books, there is still the teenage protagonist
who must deal with the conflicts of her time. I think this would be a high
interest book for reluctant readers due to its approachability and topic.
Strategies: As my plan is to use all three leveled books, I would keep the
strategies similar so they could be taught explicitly and then applied by each of
the students to their own books. I will begin with Alphaboxes and Connect Two,
then use 6 Thinking Hats and Questioning the Author during reading, and RAFT
as a consolidating strategy.
Source: Classroom Library
Katie’s Trunk
By Ann Turner
PICTURE BOOK
ISBN-13: 978-0689810541
Copyright: 1985
Description: Katie is a young girl from a Tory family at the time of the
American Revolution. Their family is shunned by neighbors and friends because
of their loyalty to Britain. One day Katie and her family hide in the woods from
approaching revolutionists, but Katie runs back in out of stubbornness at first,
but then sees the danger and must hide in a trunk to keep hidden from them.
As the men ransack the house, she is feeling more and more enclosed in the
trunk. Finally, a former friend of the family opens the trunk and finds Katie,
but rather than give her up, asks the men to leave. Katie sees one of the very
men who shunned her family for their beliefs turned on his to save her life. The
story ends in a happy reuniting with her family but leaves us wondering what
will happen to them following this incident when the men will surely return to
their home.
Lexile: 660 Lexile – AD; AD stands for adult directed, a label commonly given to
picture books. This is because it is recommended that due to the high lexile, an
adult should first read the book to younger children.
Rational: First of all a picture book is a great way to draw students in and have
some discussion about serious topics. What makes this book different is that
Katie’s family is loyal to Britain, which is a bit different perspective than what
we are used to. This would be a great discussion and writing piece for students.
Strategies: Read aloud to model skills; Visual Imagery, Save the Last Word for
Me
Source: learned about through EDUC650 classmate’s presentation; ordered on
Amazon
The Fight for Freedom
An American History Graphic Novel
NON-FICTION GRAPHIC NOVEL – HIGH INTEREST for RELUCTANT READERS
ISBN-13: 978-1-59905-357-8
Copyright: 2009
Description: The Fight for Freedom is a graphic novel that illustrates the time in
American History from 1750-1783. It is part of a larger series of books that
uses a comic strip set-up to teach about important periods in our history. This
book covers everything from the French and Indian War up to the signing of the
treaty to end the Revolution.
Lexile: 910 Lexile – this was found by typing in portions of the graphic novel
and submitting it to Lexile Analyzer. I think it seems a little high, but it would
actually be suitable for struggling readers due to the illustrations that they
could use to guide them through the piece.
Rational: Before I teach about the American Revolution, I want to review some
key facts (even though they get it in history). Graphic novels are more
approachable for some students, especially reluctant readers. It is another text
that I am able to teach them how to read, while they are getting the facts to
establish greater prior knowledge.
Strategies: **need to model and teach how to read graphic novels; CrossChecking (words and pictures – accuracy); Vocabulary Overview Guide; RolePlaying as Readers
Source: Classroom Library
1776
A Kids Discovery Magazine
NON-FICTION MAGAZINE ARTICLES – HIGH INTEREST FOR RELUCTANT READERS
ISBN: n/a
Copyright: n/a
Description: 1776 is a short magazine (18 pages) with various articles about the
American Revolution, ranging from “1776 – What a Year!” to “Declaring
Independence” to “Around the World in 1776.”
Lexile: 920 Lexile – I think due to the nature of the graphics that this would still
be an approachable piece for a variety of reading levels. The articles are short
and filled with interesting facts and I don’t think students would realize the
difficulty in the writing due to this.
Rational: I think with the bright colored pictures and variety of text styles, this
magazine has something for everyone. I would see using the articles in the
magazine for jigsaw or some reciprocal teaching approach because students
could have choice and share what they learned. This is another nice alternative
for background information without the lecture and teacher-driven approach;
this activity would be wholly student-centered.
Strategies: **need to model and teach how to read magazine articles; I would
also use these articles as a jigsaw; Discussion Web
Source: learned about through EDUC650 classmate’s presentation; ordered on
Amazon
“American Revolution”
By Michael Hingham
POEM
ISBN: n/a
Copyright: n/a
Description: “American Revolution” is a poem written by a teenager for the
Teen Ink website and magazine. It gives great imagery of the American
Revolution but then transitions into what the founding fathers may think of our
world today.
Lexile: not given with a poem; looking at the language and structure of the
stanzas, I would estimate that it would be around 850L and readable for middle
school students
Rational: I really like this poem because it is student written. This is also a
great way to expose students to Teen Ink, a site with student work that allows
students to see discussion boards and comment as well. This poem also causes
the students to think about what the forefathers would say about the direction
our country is heading, and I think this would be a great wrap-up
piece/reflection on what we learned and how to apply it to today.
Strategies: **need to model and teach how to read poems; Story Impressions
Source: searched on Teen Ink; citation below:
Hingham, Michael. “The American Revolution.” Teen Ink. 21 June 2011. 21 June
2011<http://www.teenink.com/poetry/all/article/14531/AmericanRevolution/>.
Work Cited
Buehl, Doug. Classroom Strategies For Interactive Learning. Newark, Del:
International Reading Association, 2009.