Non-fiction: Presidents Day is Here! Presidents Day Is Here! Learn more about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Presidents Day is celebrated on the third Monday of February. Do you know why we honor George Washington and Abraham Lincoln on that day? Both presidents were born in February. George Washington was our first president. He was born in Virginia on February 22, 1732. He was president from 1789 to 1797. Getty Images Fun Facts (1) When he was a boy, his favorite subject was math. 1+1 = 2 3x7 = 21 (2) He started writing in a journal at age 16. He had good handwriting. He wrote about what he did each day. (3) He was a soldier and a farmer before he became president. (4) He had many dogs and horses. He also had a parrot named Polly. (5) At the age of 22, he started to lose his teeth. When he became president, he had only one tooth left. He wore false teeth. (6) He never lived in the White House. Why? It had not been built yet. Work on the White House was started in 1792. It was finished in 1800. 2012 ReadWorks, Inc. All rights reserved. Article: Copyright 2009 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved. Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation. Used by permission. 1
Non-fiction: Presidents Day is Here! Abraham Lincoln was our 16th president. He was born in Kentucky on February 12, 1809. He was president from 1861 to 1865. Getty Images Fun Facts (1) When he was a boy, he loved to read. One of his favorite books was about the life of George Washington. (2) He was known for being honest. People often called him Honest Abe. (3) He was a shop owner and a lawyer before he became president. (4) He had goats, dogs, and a cat named Tabby. Tabby was the first cat to live in the White House. (5) He was the tallest president. He was 6 feet 4 inches tall. (6) He was the first president to have a beard. He grew it after getting a letter from a little girl named Grace. She told him that his face was thin. She said he would look better with a beard. 2012 ReadWorks, Inc. All rights reserved. Article: Copyright 2009 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved. Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation. Used by permission. 2
Name: Date: Directions: For questions 1-4, circle the correct answer. 1. When is Presidents Day? a) the first Monday of February b) the second Monday of February c) the third Monday of February 2. The passage lists facts about which two presidents? a) Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama b) George Washington and Abraham Lincoln c) George Washington and Barack Obama 3. George Washington never lived in the White House because the White House wasn t finished until 1800. Abraham Lincoln was president from 1861 to 1865. What can be concluded about whether Abraham Lincoln lived in the White House based on this information? a) Abraham Lincoln most likely lived in the White House. b) Abraham Lincoln probably did not live in the White House. c) Abraham Lincoln lived in the White House for only a few months. 3
4. What is Presidents Day is Here! mostly about? a) George Washington s childhood b) Abraham Lincoln s presidency c) facts about two U.S. presidents 5. A) Who was America s first president? America s first president was. B) Draw a picture of George Washington doing something described in the passage. 4
6. What did you learn from Presidents Day is Here!? 7. Class Discussion Question: Compare and contrast George Washington and Abraham Lincoln by explaining how they were different and alike. Use information from the passage to support your answer. 5
Teacher Guide & Answers Note to Teacher: Read each question out loud to your students and have each student complete the worksheet independently. For questions 5 A) and 6, you can have students draw their answers, answer orally, or write their answers depending on your students progress. If you have them write their answers, you may want to write the word(s) on the board for them to copy. Question 7 is a class discussion question. Passage Reading Level: Lexile 440 Directions: For questions 1-4, circle the correct answer. 1. When is Presidents Day? a) the first Monday of February b) the second Monday of February c) the third Monday of February 2. The passage lists facts about which two presidents? a) Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama b) George Washington and Abraham Lincoln c) George Washington and Barack Obama 3. George Washington never lived in the White House because the White House wasn t finished until 1800. Abraham Lincoln was president from 1861 to 1865. What can be concluded about whether Abraham Lincoln lived in the White House based on this information? a) Abraham Lincoln most likely lived in the White House. b) Abraham Lincoln probably did not live in the White House. c) Abraham Lincoln lived in the White House for only a few months. 4. What is Presidents Day is Here! mostly about? a) George Washington s childhood b) Abraham Lincoln s presidency c) facts about two U.S. presidents 1
5. A) Note to Teacher: See note at the top of the first page. Who was America s first president? Suggested answer: America s first president was George Washington. B) Draw a picture of George Washington doing something described in the passage. Suggested answer: Students pictures may vary but should depict any of the things described in the passage. For example, students may depict Washington solving math problems or being a farmer. 6. Note to Teacher: See note at the top of the first page. What did you learn from Presidents Day is Here!? Suggested answer: Answers may vary and should be supported by the passage. 7. Note to Teacher: See note at the top of the first page. Class Discussion Question: Compare and contrast George Washington and Abraham Lincoln by explaining how they were different and alike. Use information from the passage to support your answer. Suggested answer: Answers may vary but students answers should be supported by the passage. For example, students may say that both men were presidents. However, Washington didn t live in the White House whereas Lincoln did. 2