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1 A Great President, A Great American Guided Reading Level Ī - - No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY Written by Violet Findley Illustrated by Doug Knutson Designed by Maria Lilja ISBN-13: ISBN-10: Copyright 2007 by Scholastic Inc. Published by Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in China

2 Abe Lincoln was president from 1861 to Abraham Lincoln was our 16th president. But he was a lot of other things, too. Turn the page to learn about this amazing man.

3 This kind of hat is called a coonskin. Abe was born in Kentucky in He lived in a log cabin. He loved the outdoors and sometimes wore a fur cap with a raccoon tail!

4 Abe worked to help his family earn money. He went to school for only a few weeks each year. Abe grew tall and strong. During his life, he had many jobs. His first one was chopping wood for 25 cents a day. He was ten years old.

5 Abe made all the customers laugh with his funny stories. As a young man, Abe drove a boat and was a soldier. He also worked in a general store. It sold different kinds of things, such as axes, spoons, and candy.

6 Throughout his life, Abe often wore a stovepipe hat like this one. Abe also worked as a farmer and a postmaster. He would stick letters in his hat and walk many miles to give people their mail.

7 Abe always loved to read. Abe decided he wanted to be a lawyer. Back then, there were only a few law schools. So he taught himself by reading books. It worked! Abe soon became a great lawyer.

8 Abe s sons sometimes came by his office to play. In 1842, Abe married Mary Todd. Soon they started a family. Abe loved to play with his sons.

9 Abe was great at giving speeches. During his years as a lawyer, Abe also worked in the state government of Illinois. He wanted to make America a better place to live.

10 Abe grew his famous beard right before he became president. People called Abe Honest Abe because he was so trustworthy. Honest Abe, why don t you run for president? they said. So he did. And, in 1860, he won.

11 Northern and western states Southern states In 1861, this part of the country did not yet have any states. Oregon Territories United California Being president was a hard job. At that time, the United States had big problems. 10

12 States, 1861 Minnesota New Hampshire Vermont Massachusetts Maine Wisconsin Iowa Illinois Michigan Ohio Indiana New York Pennsylvania Virginia Rhode Island Connecticut New Jersey Delaware Maryland Washington, D.C. Kansas Missouri Arkansas Kentucky Tennessee North Carolina South Carolina Alabama Georgia Texas Mississippi Louisiana Florida The southern states wanted to break away. They wanted to make their own country and continue to own slaves. 11

13 As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master, Abe once said. Abe disagreed. He thought America should stay together. He also thought slavery was very wrong. In 1861, the southern states attacked the northern states. This started the Civil War. 12

14 More than three million people fought in the war. The Civil War lasted four years. Many battles were fought. Many lives were lost. But, in 1865, Abe Lincoln s army won. 13

15 When the war was over, people came to the White House and cheered for Abe. America stayed together. In 1865, an important law was passed that freed all the slaves. 14

16 You can visit the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. On Presidents Day, we honor Abraham Lincoln. He was a great speaker and lawyer. But most of all, he was a great leader. 15

17 Glossary Civil War (noun) the United States war between southern and northern states, which lasted from 1861 to 1865 lawyer (noun) a person who gives people advice about the law and speaks for them in court master (noun) a person who owns slaves president (noun) the person chosen by Americans to run the country slave (noun) a person who is owned by another person trustworthy (adjective) honest and reliable 16

18 Guided Reading Level: I Word Count: 631 Average Words Per Page: 39 Spotlight Nonfiction Feature: Map Abraham Lincoln A Great President, a Great American Abraham Lincoln lived from 1809 to 1865 and was president for the last four years of his life. Called Honest Abe, this great American leader kept our country together with a victory in the Civil War, and helped to abolish slavery. From postmaster to lawyer to president, Abraham Lincoln was a man of determination. Ask: What makes someone a great leader? What qualities should a leader have? Begin a web on the board by writing Leader in the center circle. Invite children to suggest attributes, such as honest, fair, and brave, and write these words in surrounding circles. Introducing the Book Tell children that they will be reading about a very famous man who was an important leader many years ago: Abraham Lincoln. If children are familiar with this famous American, invite them to share any facts they know. Provide students with background information about the time period. Spotlight Nonfiction Feature: Map Discuss that a map shows what a place looks like from above. Explain that it s a flat picture of land on Earth viewed from above. Next, point out that there are many different kinds of maps. For instance, a physical map shows features like mountains and rivers. A political map shows borders of countries or states. Turn to pages First, read the main text. Then read the title and caption. Explain that the caption works like a map key it tells what the colors on the map mean. Call on volunteers to read the names of the southern states. Ask: What did these states want to do? (They wanted to form their own country.) Point out the compass rose in the corner and explain how to use it. Review what the letters N, S, W, and E stand for. Using the Reproducible Distribute page 37 and review with children that an effect is what happened and a cause is why it happened. Help children fill in the missing causes and effects. Lead them to see that Abraham Lincoln ran for president because people asked him to; that the Civil War started because the southern states attacked the northern states; and that the United States stayed together because Abraham Lincoln s army won. Book Links A For more information on Abraham Lincoln, try these titles: Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books by Kay Winters (Simon & Schuster, 2002) Abe Lincoln s Hat by Martha F. Brenner (Random House, 1994) Mr. Lincoln s Whiskers by Karen B. Winnick (Boyds Mills, 1996) 36

19 Name Cause and Effect Date Read the causes and effects in the hats below. A cause is the reason something happened. An effect is the event that happened. Fill in the missing information. CAUSE Why It Happened EFFECT What Happened People asked Abraham Lincoln to run for president. The Civil War began. Scholastic Teaching Resources, page 37 Abraham Lincoln s army won the Civil War.

20 Name Date Sequencing Timeline Write the person s name on the line. Then write important events in the order in which they happened. Important Events in s Life

21 Name Vocabulary Chart Date Record new words on the chart. First, write the vocabulary word. Next, write what it means. Then, use the word in your own sentence. Word What It Means Sentence Using Word

22 Name Date Character Map Write the person s name in the center box. Then fill in the other boxes. Important Events in the Person s Life: His or Her Accomplishments: Name: What the Person Was Like: How I Feel About the Person:

23 Name Date Venn Diagram Write one person s name over each circle. Write facts about this person in that circle. In the center, write what the two people had in common. Name Name Both