The American Reader
Author: Kathy-jo Wargin
Illustrator: K.L. Darnell
Guide written by Cheryl K. Grinn
Portions may be reproduced for use in the classroom
with this express written consent of Sleeping Bear Press
Published by
Sleeping Bear Press
310 N. Main St., Suite 300
Chelsea, MI 48118
800-487-2323
www.sleepingbearpress.com
“The Sandman” is a wonderful story about an imaginary
boy who puts children to sleep at night. Enjoy reading
this story in The American Reader.
A compound word is formed by gluing two words
together to form a new word. Some compound words use a hyphen.
Write the 3 hyphenated compound words in “The Sandman.”
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Circle the compound words in this list.
1. sandman
2. birthday
3. parachute
4. jellyfish
5. oatmeal
6. barefoot
7. vowel
8. reduce
9. umpire
10. skateboard
Make up three compound words and explain the meaning of each.
1. _______________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________
The Lady
and the
Bell
What do you know about the Liberty Bell and the Statue of Liberty? The American
Reader will give you many interesting facts about these two amazing American symbols.
Answer these questions.
1. How tall is the Statue of Liberty?_______________________________________
2. What do the seven rays of Liberty’s crown symbolize?
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3. What is the date on Liberty’s tablet?_____________________________________
4. Liberty is made of which metal?_________________________________________
5. Liberty was a gift from which country?___________________________________
6. What does her torch represent?__________________________________________
7. Where was the Liberty Bell made?_______________________________________
8. How many times has the bell been recast?_________________________________
9. When does the bell ring?______________________________________________
10. In which city was the bell when it first cracked?__________________________
What’s your state’s nickname? Do you think
the name represents your state? Learn the
nicknames of all 50 states in The American Reader.
Many nicknames are those of birds, animals, flowers,
trees, mountains, or oceans.
Using the categories below put the state’s name under the
appropriate category based on its nickname. Some have been done
for you, but not all state nicknames fit into the categories.
Birds or Animals
Flowers or Trees
Michigan
Kansas
Mountains or Oceans
Rhode Island
The American Reader is a wonderful book about being an American. Read “I Am
a Citizen of the United States of America.” This will help you to understand what
we value as citizens. These rights and responsibilities are called core democratic
values.
WORD BOX
pursuit of happiness
patriotism
truth
popular sovereignty
justice
equality
common good
liberty
diversity
Using words from the word box, write the
value described next to each statement.
1. I will do my share to help my community.
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2. I can vote for the people I believe in.
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3. The people have authority over the
government.
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4. All people have a right to the same treatment.
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5. I can use words or actions to declare my love for my country.
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6. I am allowed to do what I enjoy as long as I don’t hurt others in the
process.
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7. I will treat people fairly.
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8. All people are special regardless of the way they speak, dress, or
the heritage they have.
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9. I expect the government to be truthful at all times.
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Throughout The American Reader you will learn about many
famous people and their accomplishments.
Name the person associated with each of these deeds.
1. Wrote the first American dictionary
2. Discovered America was a continent
3. Set the stage for the founding of the American Red Cross
4. Wrote the first pledge to our flag
5. Invented the electric telegraph
6. Wrote the “Star-Spangled Banner”
7. Became a symbol for preventing forest fires
8. Created paintings about life on the frontier
Roses, Flags, and Eagles
What do roses, flags, and eagles have in common? They are all
symbols of the United States. The American Reader has the stories
behind what makes these symbols special.
Write each answer
1. Which President made the rose the official national symbol?
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2. On our flag, what does each color stand for? ________________
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3. How may stars were on the original flag? __________________
How many are on our current flag? _______________________
4. Name two places you can find the symbol of the bald eagle
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5. In what year did the eagle become the national bird? ________
6. Name your favorite symbol ____________________________
Sequence of Events
Enjoy the story of Hotfoot Teddy in The American Reader. Pay
attention to the order in which events take place.
Put these events in the correct order.
____ Little bear cub ran from the fire.
____ The bear cub was playing in the meadows.
____ A spark started a forest fire.
____ Smokey Bear was buried in New Mexico.
____ The cub was renamed Smokey.
____ Smokey was sent to the National Zoo.
____ Firefighters gave the bear the name Hotfoot Teddy.
Draw a picture of Smokey
What do you think the moon and the stars
see at night as they shine over our great
country? Discover some possibilities in
The American Reader.
Choose four descriptions from the book that you liked the best.
Take a large sheet of manila paper and fold it into fourths. In each
panel draw a picture of exactly what is described in the scenes you
chose.
Write a paragraph about your favorite place in America.
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The American Reader is packed with stories and poems about America.
Read the “American Pledge” on page one. Think about what this pledge
might mean to each of us. America is made up of people from all over the
world.
Some families have been here for many years and some are new citizens.
Survey all the classes in your grade level at school to find the country each
student and his or her family is originally from.
Survey
Use this data to make a bar graph showing your results.
How many countries are represented in your school?___________________
Samuel Morse developed a code to send messages. You can
learn about this code in The American Reader.
Invent your own code for the alphabet. Write your code here.
Write a message using your code. Exchange messages with a
classmate. See if you can unscramble the codes. Have fun!
Help Your City—Be a Volunteer
Clara Barton saw a need and worked to fill it. Learn about this
courageous and determined woman in The American Reader.
Some people think kids don’t care about others! Make a list of all
the things kids could do to help others in their community. Choose
one thing on your list and DO IT!
Enjoy the poem “The Four Leaf Clover” in The American Reader.
Poetry is always fun to read and to listen to and enjoy. The poem
talks about the luck of the four leaf clover.
Work with a partner and brainstorm as many things as you can
that are considered lucky. Share your list with another group and
see if you can add to the list.
It’s the
American Way
The American Reader is full of stories and poems that describe life in
America. The story “I Am a Citizen of the United States of America”
describes our rights and responsibilities as citizens.
Put a G on the line before each sentence that shows good responsible
citizenship.
____ 1. Voting for your town’s mayor
____ 2. Displaying the American flag
____ 3. Not letting a new religious group in your town
____ 4. Boys and girls are treated differently
____ 5. Stealing someone’s bike because it makes you happy
____ 6. Helping clean the local park
____ 7. Singing the national anthem
____ 8. Recycling your lunch bag or tray
____ 9. Daring a friend to do something dangerous
____ 10. Old people have to sit at the back of the bus just because they’re old
Our Beautiful
National Parks
People love to be in the outdoors. What better place
to enjoy nature than in our many beautiful national
parks. Discover the part George Catlin had in the development of
our parks in The American Reader.
Place these parks on the state where they are found.
Acadia, Everglades, Zion, Grand Canyon, Glacier
Jack’s Neighbor
Do you know anyone with a disability? If you don’t, think about
the person in “Jack’s Neighbor.” Have you ever felt
uncomfortable around someone with a disability? Were you afraid
to talk to the person because you didn’t know what to say? The
American Reader has a wonderful story about one boy and his
experience called “Jack’s Neighbor.”
Write a story about a child with a disability.
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Read the story of Hotfoot Teddy in The American Reader. You’ll
discover the story of this brave little bear and how you can help to
keep our forests safe.
Smokey has been a symbol for the National Forest Service fire
prevention for many years. Pretend it’s time to choose a new
symbol for fire prevention. Draw a picture of the symbol you
would use and explain why this is a good choice.
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The poem “Ten Little Bunnies” is a counting poem that you will
have fun reading in The American Reader. After you have read this
poem use the same style of poetry to write a poem about five funny
frogs. Start with one frog.
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Amerigo’s Journal
Did you know that the word
“America” comes from an
Italian name? Learn how our
country ended up with its name in The
American Reader.
Pretend you are Amerigo Vespucci. Write a
journal entry describing your discovery of the
new continent that became America.
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The United States of America is a very large country. The land
differs as we travel from one coast to the other. Read a
description of our land in The American Reader.
Write a description of the area of the United States where you
live.
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Draw a picture of what you just described.
Watch Me Write a
Nonsense Poem
You will find a piece called “A Nonsense Poem” in the wonderful
book The American Reader. Read this silly poem and enjoy how it
plays with words.
Try writing your own nonsense poem.
Draw an illustration of your poem to help your audience enjoy it.
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Eagle vs. Turkey
opinion
The American Reader is a fun, fact-filled book about America.
Read about the symbols of America. You will find that some
people wanted the wild turkey as our symbol instead of the eagle.
Write an opinion piece stating your opinion on why the wild turkey
should or shouldn’t have become our national symbol.
• First sentence—clearly state your opinion.
• Second through fourth sentences—In each sentence state a
FACT that supports your opinion.
• Fifth sentence—restate your opinion using different words.
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I Pledge Allegiance…
Discover the history of the Pledge of
Allegiance in The American Reader. You
will find that several additions were added
to the pledge over the years.
Use your dictionary to find the definition of
the following words.
1. pledge ______________________________________________
2. allegiance ___________________________________________
3. republic ____________________________________________
4. indivisible ___________________________________________
5. liberty ______________________________________________
6. justice ______________________________________________
Use your best penmanship to copy the pledge.
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The American Reader has a wonderful short story about the
sandman. After you’ve read this story see how much you can
remember.
1. Does the sandman have any brothers or sisters? _____________
2. Does the sandman have a dream cap or dream
slippers?_____________________
3. Do children find sleep dust beneath their eyes in the morning or
at night?____________________________________
4. Does the sandman peek at the children through the door or a
window?____________________
5. Does the sandman have clouds, stars, or moons in his
eyes?__________________
6. Does the sandman carry a wallet, backpack, pouch, or
envelope?_____________________________
7. Who does the sandman live with?__________________________
Many small steps make one long journey. Enjoy reading “One Dream at
a Time” in The American Reader. It’s fun to think of each small step it
takes to complete a task.
Write 10 examples of small steps.
How does a __________________________________.
1. __________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________
4. ___________________________________________________
5. ___________________________________________________
6. ___________________________________________________
7. ___________________________________________________
8. ___________________________________________________
9. ___________________________________________________
10. __________________________________________________
The American Reader
Answer Key
Compound words- sandman, birthday, jellyfish, oatmeal, barefoot, skateboard
Lady and the Bell- 1) 151 ft. 2) seven seas and the continents 3) July 4, 1776
4) copper 5) France 6) liberty 7) London, England 8) 3 9) every 4th of July
10) Philadelphia
Nickname categories- Birds and Animals ( Alabama, Louisiana, Michigan, Oregon,
Wisconsin); Flowers and Trees ( Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina,
Washington); Mountains and Oceans ( Massachusetts, Rhode Island, South Dakota,
Vermont, West Virginia)
Core Democratic Values- 1) common good 2) liberty 3) popular sovereignty
4) equality 5) patriotism 6) pursuit of happiness 7) justice 8) diversity
9) truth
Who Did It- 1) Noah Webster 2) Amerigo Vespucci 3) Clara Barton 4) Francis
Bellamy 5) Samuel Morse 6) Francis Scott Key 7) Smokey 8) George Catlin
Roses, Flags and Eagles- 1) Ronald Reagan 2) red = valor, bravery; white = purity,
innocence; blue = vigilance, perseverance, justice 3) 13, 50 4) dollar bill, Great Seal,
Presidents’ flag 5) 1782
Find the Order- 3, 1, 2, 8, 6, 4, 7, 5
American Way- 1, 2, 6, 7, 8
National Parks- Acadia-Maine Everglades-Florida
Grand Canyon- Arizona
Glacier-Montana
Zion- Utah