| February
2007
Dear Fellow Book
Lovers:
TRUTH
& HONOR
When
I was very young, I remember hearing the story about “George
Washington and the Cherry Tree.” One day it dawned on me how
many different versions of the story I had heard or read.
“Father, I cannot tell a lie” was the one line that appeared
in every version of the story. But, instead of focusing on
the message of this famous legend, my kindergarten and first
grade teachers had us make hatchets out of construction paper
to decorate the walls of the classroom. Then there were the
stories about Abraham Lincoln and how he became known as “Honest
Abe.” We were told that he walked a distance to return a few
cents to a man that he overcharged at a country store where
he worked. But that was the extent of our knowledge of this
much revered president. We made top hats to adorn the bulletin
boards of the classroom. In retrospect, these activities to
honor these two men were counter to the true meaning of their
contribution to this nation.
As
we prepare birthday celebrations for these two presidents,
I propose that we focus on the true meaning of these legends,
and use books to help students think about truth and honesty.
Here are a few programming suggestions:
- Point out reference books on presidents that students
might use is learning more about Washington and Lincoln.
Random Houses offers The
Look-It-Up Book of Presidents
(Ages 10-13) by Wyatt Blassingame. Have students find an
unusual or little known fact about these men, and use this
information to write and illustrate a legend to be shared
with other readers.
- Introduce students to books about George
Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Those from Random House
include:
George
Washington and the General's Dog (Ages 6-8)
by Frank Murphy; illustrated by
Richard
Waiz
Meet
George Washington (Ages 7-10) by Joan Heilbroner
Abe
Lincoln's Hat (Ages 6-8) by Martha
Brenner; illustrated by Donald Cook
Abe
Lincoln (Ages 10 up) by Sterling North
Meet
Abraham Lincoln (Ages 7-10) by Barbara
Cary
- Take a virtual field trip to the Washington
Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. Have young children read
Capital
Mysteries #5: Who Broke Lincoln's Thumb (ages
7-9), by Ron Roy and illustrated by Timothy Bush,
after they have visited the Lincoln Memorial.
www.nps.gov/archive/wamo/home/htm
www.nps.gov/archive/linc/home/htm
- Take a virtual field trip to the homes
of Washington and Lincoln. www.mountvernon.org
is the official website for Washington’s home in Virginia
and www.nps.gov/liho/
is the official website for Lincoln ’s home in Springfield,
Illinois.
- Display books that deal with truth and
honesty and ask young readers to read one of the books and
prepare a brief presentation that relates these virtues.
Have them talk about how courage relates to truth and honesty.
How would the main characters’ lives been different had
they not been honest in the first place? Discuss how the
adults in the stories aren’t always honest. Appropriate
titles from Random House include:
On
My Honor (Ages 9-12) by Marion Dane Bauer
Arthur
In a Pickle (Ages 5-8) by Marc Brown
Arthur's
Science Fair Trouble (Ages 5-8) by Marc
Brown
The
Berenstain Bears and the Truth (Ages 5-8)
by Stan & Jan Berenstain
The
Book of One Hundred Truths (Ages 9-12)
by Julie Schumacher
Junie
B., First Grader: Cheater Pants (Ages 6-9)
By Barbara Park & Illustrated by Denise
Brunkus
Lily's
Crossing (Ages 8-12) Patricia Reilly Giff
Burning
Up (Ages 12 up) by Caroline B. Cooney
Killing
Mr. Griffin (Ages 12 up) by Lois Duncan
Swallowing
Stones (Ages 12 up) by Joyce McDonald
Swear
to Howdy (Ages 10 up) by Wendelin Van Draanen
Flush
(Ages 10 up) by Carl Hiaasen
You
may email me at pscales@bellsouth.net.
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