Teacher’s Guide: Historical Fiction
™
Reading Objectives
•C
omprehension: Make inferences;
Analyze story elements
• Tier Two Vocabulary: See book’s Glossary
• Word study: Synonyms
• Analyze the genre
• Respond to and interpret texts
• Make text-to-text connections
• Fluency: Read with inflection/tone: volume
Writing Objectives
Ben Franklin,
Apprentice Printer
The Education
of Abigail Adams
• Writer’s tools: Simile
• Write a historical fiction story using
writing-process steps
Level R/40
Related Resources
•
•
•
•
Comprehension Question Card
Comprehension Power Tool Flip Chart
Using Genre Models to Teach Writing
Ponce de Leon and the True Fountain of
Youth; Sail On, Columbus! (Level R/40)
Unit-at-a-Glance
Day 1
Prepare to Read
Day 2
Read “Ben Franklin, Apprentice Printer”
Day 3
Read “The Education of Abigail Adams”
Day 4
Reread “The Education of Abigail Adams”
Day 5
Literature and Circle Discussion/
Reinforce Skills
Days 6–15
®
B
While you are meeting with small groups, other
students can:
• reread the text with a partner to practice fluency or
read independently from your classroom library
• reflect on their learning in reading response journals
• engage in literacy workstations or meet with
literature circles/discussion groups
Write a historical fiction story using the
process writing steps on page 10.
e n c h m a r k
E
d u c a t i o n
C
o m p a n y
Day 1
Prepare to Read
Build Genre Background
• Write the word genre on chart paper. Ask: Who
can explain what the word genre means? (Allow
responses.) The word genre means “a kind of
something.” Comedies and dramas are different
kinds of television shows. Each has its own
characteristics that we can use to identify it. In the
same way, we can identify literary genres by their
characteristics. As readers, we pay attention to the
genre to help us comprehend. Recognizing the genre
helps us anticipate what will happen or what we will
learn. As writers, we use our knowledge of genre to
help us develop and organize our ideas.
• Ask: Who can name some literary genres? Let’s make
a list. Allow responses. Post the list on the classroom
wall as an anchor chart.
• Draw a concept web on chart paper or the
chalkboard. Write Historical Fiction in the center
circle of the web.
• Say: Historical fiction is one example of a literary
genre. Think of any historical fiction stories you
know. How would you define what historical
fiction is?
• Turn and Talk. Ask students to turn and talk to a
classmate and jot down any features of historical
fiction they can think of. Then bring students
together and ask them to share their ideas. Record
them on the group web. Reinforce the concept
that all historical fiction stories have certain
common features.
Introduce the Book
• Distribute the book to each student. Read the title
aloud. Ask students to tell what they see on the
cover and table of contents.
• Ask students to turn to pages 2–3. Say: This week
we are going to read historical fiction stories that
will help us learn about this genre. First we’re going
to focus on this genre as readers. Then we’re going
to study historical fiction from a writer’s perspective.
Our goal this week is to really understand this genre.
• Ask a student to read aloud the text on pages 2–3
while others follow along. Invite a different student
to read the web on page 3.
• Point to your historical fiction web on chart paper.
Say: Let’s compare our initial ideas about historical
fiction with what we just read. What new features of
this genre did you learn? Allow responses. Add new
information to the class web.
2
• Post this chart in your classroom during your historical
fiction unit. Say: As we read historical fiction stories
this week, we will come back to this anchor chart.
We will look for how these features appear in each
historical fiction story we read.
• Ask students to turn to pages 4–5. Say: The historical
fiction in this book is about two famous American
colonists, Benjamin Franklin and Abigail Adams. Let’s
read about Franklin and Adams.
• Have a student read aloud the biographical
information while others follow along.
• Say: Neither Ben Franklin nor Abigail Adams had
much formal education, but both read widely. What
can you infer, or tell, from this? Allow responses.
Prompt students to understand that reading many
books is a way to get an education.
Introduce the Tools Writers Use: Simile
• Read aloud “Tools Writers Use” on page 5.
• Say: Many writers use similes to help them describe
their characters and settings vividly. The historical
fiction stories in this book contain examples of similes.
Let’s practice identifying similes so we can recognize
them in the historical fiction stories we read.
• Distribute BLM 1 (Simile). Read aloud sentence 1
with students.
• Model Identifying Simile: The first sentence
describes how Kevin runs. It compares the way Kevin
runs to the way a rabbit runs. The author uses the
word like to make the comparison. The comparison
creates a vivid image in the reader’s mind. The author
has used a simile to make the description vivid.
• Ask students to work with a partner or in small
groups to identify the examples of similes in the
remaining sentences, to complete two sentences
using similes, and to write their own simile.
• Bring the groups together to share their findings.
Point out that although each simile uses the word
like or as, these words do not always signal a simile
in our reading and writing.
• Ask each group to read one of the sentences
they completed. Use the examples to build their
understanding of how and why writers use simile.
Remind students that similes can help readers
visualize, make connections, and make inferences
about the characters, plot, and setting of a historical
fiction story.
• Ask groups to hand in their sentences. Transfer
student-written sentences to chart paper, title the
page “Simile,” and post it as an anchor chart in
your classroom.
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC. All rights reserved. Teachers may photocopy the reproducible pages for classroom use. No other part of the
guide may be reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
ISBN: 978-1-4509-0011-9
two historical fiction stories
about colonial-ERA americaNS
Day 2
Name _________________________________________________
Date ___________________
Simile
Directions: Read each sentence. Underline the example of simile. Circle the
word that signals the simile.
1. Kevin jumped over the bush _____________
like a rabbit.
2. The night was _______________
as dark as ink.
3. The cell phone sounded _______________________
as loud as a foghorn in the quiet
room.
4. The army swept through the town _______________
like a tornado.
5. Laura’s red hair shone ______________
like a penny.
Directions: Complete each simile below.
orchestra warming up,
6. The birds sounded like an
______________________________________
a_______________________________________________________________.
chorus
rainbow, jewels
7. The wildflowers were as bright as a
__________________________.
Directions: Write your own simile below.
Possible answer: The blanket felt as soft
8. _______________________________________________________________
as a kitten
_______________________________________________________________.
TWO HISTORICAL FICTION STORIES
ABOUT COLONIAL-ERA AMERICANS
BLM 1
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Reflect and Review
• Turn and Talk. Write one or more of the following
questions on chart paper.
What is a literary genre, and how can understanding
genres help readers and writers?
What did you learn today about the historical
fiction genre?
How can readers recognize when an author is using
the technique of simile?
Ask partners or small groups to discuss their ideas
and report them back to the whole group as a way
to summarize the day’s learning.
Management Tips
• Throughout the week, you may wish to use
some of the reflect and review questions as
prompts for reader response journal entries in
addition to turn and talk activities.
• Have students create genre study folders. Keep
blackline masters, notes, small-group writing,
and checklists in the folders.
• Create anchor charts by writing whole-group
discussion notes and mini-lessons on chart
paper. Hang charts in the room where students
can see them.
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Before Reading
Introduce “Ben Franklin,
Apprentice Printer”
• Reread the historical fiction anchor chart or
the web on page 3 to review the features of a
historical fiction story.
• Ask students to turn to page 6. Ask: Based on
the title and illustrations, what do you predict
this historical fiction story might be about?
Allow responses.
• Invite students to scan the text and look for the
boldfaced words (expensive, baffled, bookish,
concentrate, hilarious). Say: As you read, pay
attention to these words. If you don’t know what
they mean, try to use clues in the surrounding
text to help you define them. We’ll come back to
these words after we read.
Set a Purpose for Reading
• Ask students to read the historical fiction story,
focusing on the genre elements they noted on
their anchor chart. They should also look
for examples of simile and think about how
the author’s use of simile helps them better
understand the setting, plot, and characters.
Read “Ben Franklin,
Apprentice Printer”
• Place students in groups of three or four based
on their reading levels. Ask students to read the
historical fiction story silently or whisper-read. If
students need more support, you may have them
read with a partner.
• Observe students as they stop and think about
the historical fiction story. Confer briefly
with individual students to monitor their
understanding of the text and their use of
fix-up strategies.
Management Tip
Ask students to place self-stick notes in the
margins where they notice examples of simile
or features of the genre.
After Reading
Build Comprehension: Make Inferences
• Lead a student discussion using the “Analyze
the Characters, Setting, and Plot” questions on
page 13, or use the following steps to provide
explicit modeling of how to make inferences
about a historical fiction story.
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3
Day 2 (cont.)
• Explain: When authors write a story, they can’t tell
readers everything about the characters, setting, and
plot. Sometimes readers have to make inferences.
They base their inferences on one or two clues
or pieces of evidence in the story. As readers, we
pay attention to details an author gives about
the characters, setting, and plot. Then we make
inferences about these story elements to add to what
the author says.
• Distribute copies of BLM 2 (Make Inferences) and/or
draw a chart like the one below.
• Model: When I analyze a historical fiction story, I
think about the characters, setting, and plot. I think
about what the author says about each of these
elements. I also think about things the author does
not say that I can infer. I can make an inference by
using one or two clues or pieces of evidence to state
a fact. In “Ben Franklin, Apprentice Printer,” Ben’s
father tells says that since Ben is almost thirteen
and knows how to read and write, he needs to start
making a living. From these details, we can make an
inference about colonial America. I can infer that
most colonists did not have much formal schooling.
• Guide Practice. Work with students to make
inferences about the story’s characters, plot, and
setting. Help them identify clues or evidence on
which they can base an inference. Ask students
to think about how the inference helps them
understand more about the story elements.
• Have students keep BLM 2 in their genre
studies folder.
Ben Franklin, Apprentice Printer
Clues or Evidence
Inference
Ben quickly learned how to use the
printing press. He became skilled at
printing newspapers, pamphlets, and
posters.
Ben was intelligent and hardworking.
Ben wanted to try his hand at writing,
but James was opposed to it. Ben
didn’t admit he had written the
article.
Ben didn’t think James would
publish the article if he knew who
wrote it.
Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for
ELA Assessment
• Remind students that when they answer questions
on standardized assessments, they must be able
to support their answers with facts or clues and
evidence directly from the text.
• Use the Comprehension Question Card with small
groups of students to practice answering textdependent comprehension questions.
4
two historical fiction stories
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•S
ay: Today I will help you learn how to answer Find
It! questions. The answer to a Find It! question is
right in the book. You can find the answer in one
place in the text.
• Model. Read the first Find It! question on the
Comprehension Question Card. Say: When I read
the question, I look for important words that tell
me what to look for in the book. What words in
this question do you think will help me? (Allow
responses.) Yes, I’m looking for the words brother
and James. On page 8, I find the words “. . . we
have a printer in the family, your brother James.”
This sentence answers the question.
• Use the Comprehension Power Tool Flip Chart to
help you develop other Find It! questions to use
with students.
Focus on Vocabulary: Synonyms
• Explain/Model: Synonyms are words that have the
same or almost the same meaning. For example,
the author of this story says that Ben and his father
are taking a walk. Then he describes them taking
a stroll. The words walk and stroll are synonyms.
Sometimes readers can figure out an unfamiliar word
by looking for a synonym of the word in the text.
• Practice. Ask students to find synonyms for the
words humorous, popular, and hoax in the story.
List the words and synonyms. (humorous/amusing,
popular/well-liked, hoax/deception)
• Say: Let’s find the boldfaced words in this historical
fiction story. What can you do if you don’t know
what these words mean? (Allow responses.) You can
look in the glossary or a dictionary, but you might
not have a glossary or dictionary. In that case, you
need to look for clues in the text to help you figure
out the meaning of the unfamiliar word. One kind
of clue you can look for is a synonym of the word
in the text.
• Ask students to work with a partner to complete the
“Focus on Words” activity on page 13 using BLM 3
(Focus on Synonyms). Explain that they should look
in the sentences around each boldfaced word to find
a synonym that helps define the word. They should
also be able to explain how they know the word
is a synonym.
• Transfer Through Oral Language. Ask groups of
students to share their findings. Then ask the groups
to create oral cloze sentences for the words, but
using the words in different contexts from those in
the story. Have one group member say each sentence
aloud leaving out the word. Ask other students to
listen carefully and say the sentence using the word
that they think completes it.
• Ask students to save their work in their genre studies
folders to continue on Days 3 and 4.
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Day 3
Before Reading
Ben Franklin, Apprentice Printer
Page
Word
Synonym
Part of Speech
7
expensive
costly
adjective
7
baffled
puzzled
adjective
8
bookish
loved to read
adjective
9
concentrate
pay attention
verb
10
hilarious
very funny
adjective
Reflect and Review
• Turn and Talk. Ask partners or small groups to
reread the “Features of Historical Fiction” web on
page 3 and decide whether all of these features are
present in “Ben Franklin, Apprentice Printer.” Ask
groups to share and support their findings.
Fluency: Read with Inflection/Tone: Volume
• You may wish to have students reread the historical
fiction story with a partner during independent
reading time. Have them focus on reading with
appropriate volume to reflect the feelings of the
characters. Explain that increasing or decreasing
volume can help show a character’s feelings. For
example, James’s words on page 11 would be
read loudly to show his anger and frustration. Ask
students to read the conversation at the top of
page 8 using volume to characterize Ben and his
father. Encourage students to discuss the feelings
each character shows and to express those feelings
by speaking louder or softer.
Introduce “The Education of Abigail Adams”
• Ask students to turn to page 14. Say: Today we
are going to read “The Education of Abigail
Adams.” This historical fiction story is written in
a different format from the other story we read.
Notice how in the margins there are notes to
you, the reader. The first time we read the text,
we will read to understand the story, focusing on
the characters, plot, and setting. Tomorrow, we
will read this story like a writer and think about
the notes in the margin as a model for how we
can write our own historical fiction story.
• Say: Let’s look at the title and illustrations of this
story. What do you predict it might be about?
Give students time to share their predictions.
• Ask students to scan the text and look for the
boldfaced words (avid, assortment, frank,
glorious, fascinating, represent). Ask: What
do you notice about these words? Why do you
think they appear in boldfaced type? Allow
responses. Encourage students to notice that the
words are nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
• Say: As you read, try to figure out the meanings
of these words. Look for synonyms in the text.
After we read, we will talk about how you used
synonyms and other context clues provided by
the author.
Set a Purpose for Reading
• Ask students to read the historical fiction story,
focusing on the details of the characters and the
historical period in which the story is set. Encourage
students to notice the author’s use of simile.
Read “The Education of
Abigail Adams”
• Place students in groups of three or four based
on their reading levels. Ask students to read the
historical fiction story silently or whisper-read. If
students need more support, you may have them
read with a partner.
• Observe students as they stop and think about
the story. Confer briefly with individual students
to monitor their understanding of the text and
their use of fix-up strategies.
After Reading
Build Comprehension: Make Inferences
• Say: Yesterday we made inferences about “Ben
Franklin, Apprentice Printer.” We used clues in
the text to make inferences about the plot and
characters, to figure out things that the author
did not directly state. For example, we inferred
that Ben knew that his brother would not publish
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
two historical fiction stories
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5
Day 3 (cont.)
his articles if he knew Ben were the author. What
can we infer about the plot, setting, or characters’
feelings in “The Education of Abigail Adams”? Allow
responses. As students share their analyses, synthesize
their responses into a whole-group chart like the
one here.
The Education of Abigail Adams
Clues or Evidence
Inference
Abigail stomped out of her father’s
library and stormed across the family’s
vegetable garden.
Abigail was upset or angry about
something.
Abigail was impressed with the young
man’s good manners. She was excited
when she learned that he had come to
see her father.
Abigail liked the young man.
Johnny rode five miles to read books
from Abigail’s father’s library.
There were few public libraries in
colonial America.
• Discuss Making Inferences Across Texts. Lead a
discussion using the following questions.
How did making inferences help you better
understand the characters in “Ben Franklin, Apprentice
Printer” and “The Education of Abigail Adams”?
How did making inferences help you better
understand the settings in the two stories?
How did making inferences help you better
understand the plot of each story?
Where in the stories has the author used simile?
How do these examples of simile help you better
appreciate the characters and setting?
Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for
ELA Assessment
• Use the Comprehension Question Card with small
groups of students to practice answering textdependent questions.
• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer
Look Closer! questions. The answer to a Look Closer!
question is in the book. You have to look in more
than one place, though. You find the different parts
of the answer. Then you put the parts together to
answer the question.
• Model: Read the second Look Closer! question on the
Comprehension Question Card. Say: I will show you
how I answer a Look Closer! question. The question
says, “How was the way boys were treated and the
way girls were treated in colonial times different?”
This question asks me to compare and contrast.
I know because the question has the cue word
different. Now I need to look for other important
information in the question. These words tell me what
to look for in the book. What information do you
think will help me? (Allow responses.) Yes, I’m looking
for details about the ways colonial boys and girls were
6
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treated. Now I will look back in the book. On page 15,
I read that boys learned Latin, Greek, history, math,
and science, and that they trained to become
teachers, lawyers, doctors, and ministers. Girls were
taught to read and write, but it was believed that
it was more important for girls to learn household
tasks. This is how the treatment of boys and girls was
different. I have found the answer in the book.
I looked in several sentences to find the answer.
• Guide Practice. Use the Comprehension Power Tool
Flip Chart to help you develop other Look Closer!
questions to use with students.
Focus on Vocabulary: Synonyms
• Ask students to work with a partner to complete the
“Focus on Words” activity on page 21 using BLM 3,
which they started on Day 2. Have groups of students
share their findings.
The Education of Abigail Adams
Page
Word
Synonym
Part of Speech
14
avid
enthusiastic
adjective
14
assortment
collection
noun
16
frank
honest
adjective
17
glorious
magnificent
adjective
18
fascinating
very interesting
adjective
20
represent
stand for
verb
• Transfer Through Oral Language. Invite pairs of
students to act out a scene between Abigail and John
in which each word is used. Students should make up
their own dialogue using the word and incorporate
gestures and facial expressions to portray the feelings
and actions of the characters.
Reflect and Review
• Turn and Talk. Ask partners or small groups to discuss
the following questions and report their ideas to the
whole group.
How do Abigail and John feel about one another when
they meet on the beach? What causes these feelings?
Think of a person who has helped you with a conflict
or problem. What happened?
Fluency: Read with Inflection/Tone: Volume
• You may wish to have students reread the historical
fiction story with a partner during independent reading
time. Have them focus on reading with appropriate
volume. Ask students to discuss Abigail’s and John’s
feelings throughout the story. Then each student should
find a passage in the story that illustrates one or more
of the feelings. Encourage students to read the passage
adjusting their volume to show each character’s feelings.
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Day 4
Before Reading
Set a Purpose for Rereading
• Have students turn to page 14. Say: Until now, we
have been thinking about historical fiction from
the perspective of the reader. Learning the features
of historical fiction stories has helped us be critical
readers. Now we are going to put on a different hat.
We are going to reread “The Education of Abigail
Adams” and think like writers. We’re going to pay
attention to the annotations in the margins. These
annotations will help us understand what the author
did and why he did it.
Reread “The Education of
Abigail Adams”
• Place students in groups of three or four based
on their reading levels. Ask students to read the
historical fiction story silently or whisper-read. If
students need more support, you may have them
read with a partner.
• Observe students as they stop and think about
the story. Confer briefly with individual students
to monitor their understanding of the text and
annotations and their use of fix-up strategies.
After Reading
Analyze the Mentor Text
• Explain to students that the text they have just read
is a mentor text. A mentor text is a text that teaches.
This text is designed to help them understand what
writers do to write a historical fiction story and why
they do it.
• Read and discuss each mentor annotation with
students. Encourage them to comment on the
writer’s style, dialogue, setting, and use of literary
techniques such as simile.
Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for
ELA Assessment
• Use the Comprehension Question Card with small
groups of students to practice answering textdependent questions.
• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer Prove
It! questions. The answer to a Prove It! question is
not stated in the book. You have to look for clues
and evidence to prove the answer.
• Model: Read the second Prove It! question on the
Comprehension Question Card. Say: I will show you
how I answer a Prove It! question. The question says,
“John is interested in the idea of helping people. What
words on page 19 tell you this?” This question asks
me to analyze character. I know because the question
asks about a trait of one of the characters, John. Now
I need to look for other important information in the
question. What information do you think will help me?
(Allow responses.) Yes, I need to find clues and evidence
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
that show John wants to help people. On page 19,
I read that John says, “. . . one day you might be
able to help change things and make things better
for girls.” I have located the clues I need.
• Guide Practice. Use the Comprehension Power
Tool Flip Chart to help you develop other
Prove It! questions and support students’ textdependent comprehension strategies.
Analyze the Writer’s Craft
• Ask students to turn to page 22. Explain: In the
next few days, you will have the opportunity
to write your own historical fiction story.
First, let’s think about how the author wrote
“The Education of Abigail Adams.” When he
developed this historical fiction story, he followed
certain steps. You can follow these same steps to
write your own historical fiction story.
• Read step 1. Say: When you write your historical
fiction story, the first thing you’ll do is decide
on a time and a place in history as the setting
for your story. Let’s turn back to pages 7 and 14
and look for details that tell about the settings
of the historical fiction stories we read. Write
the settings on chart paper. What time and place
would you like to write about? For example,
I might write a story set during the founding
of Jamestown in Virginia in 1607. What other
historical settings could we use? Allow responses.
Write down students’ ideas on chart paper.
• Read step 2. Say: In the two historical fiction
stories we read, the main characters were
historical figures. Some historical fiction stories
describe real historical events but use fictional
characters. What could our characters be like?
Let’s make a list of characters who could help
us show what life was like at a certain time and
certain place in history. Remember, our characters
should be based on real people or on the
experiences of a typical person of the time.
Allow responses. Write down students’ ideas on
chart paper.
• Read step 3. Say: Before you’re ready to write
your story, you need a plot and a problem that
fits the time and place in history. For example,
in “The Education of Abigail Adams,” Abigail is
not allowed to go to school. The events of the
plot show how Abigail works toward a solution
to this problem. She reads many books from her
father’s library, and she meets a young man who
encourages her to educate herself and help other
girls. When you write your story, think about
the problem that the main character will have.
What plot, or actions, will help show how that
problem develops and is resolved? Choose some
of the characters and a problem the class has
brainstormed, and work as a group to construct a
possible setting and plot.
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Day 4 (cont.)
Day 5
Build Comprehension: Analyze Story Elements
Analyze & Synthesize
• Explain: We learned yesterday that a historical
fiction story has an authentic historical setting. The
story describes characters who really lived or could
have lived at that time and in that place. Like
any story, a historical fiction story has a plot that
revolves around a problem the characters have and
how they deal with, or resolve, the problem. When
you read the story, you need to pay close attention
to all of these elements. Analyzing the story’s
setting, characters, and plot can help you better
understand how the story’s historical background
affects all the story elements.
• Model: In “The Education of Abigail Adams,”
the problem the main character faces is the direct
result of the time and place in which she lives. To
understand Abigail’s problem, I have to understand
what life was like for girls in colonial America. They
did not go to school as boys did. This historical
fact affects the characters and how they feel. It
also affects what happens in the plot and how the
characters relate to one another.
• Guide Practice. Work with students to continue
analyzing the story elements. Help them identify
other ways in which the historical setting affects the
characters and plot of the story. Discuss how, as with all
stories, all the elements work together to tell the story.
Reflect and Review
• Ask and discuss the following questions.
How is thinking about a historical fiction story as
a reader different from thinking about a historical
fiction story as a writer? How is it similar?
What new words have you added to your
vocabulary this week? Which is your favorite?
Which of the historical fiction characters you’ve met
do you find most interesting and why?
How can you use descriptions or simile as a writer?
Fluency: Read with Inflection/Tone: Volume
• You may wish to have students reread the historical
fiction story with a partner during independent
reading time. Have them focus on reading with
appropriate volume to reflect the feelings of the
characters. Ask students to read the conversation
on page 17. Ask each student to take the part of
Abigail or of John and use volume to dramatize the
characters’ changing attitudes and emotions.
8
two historical fiction stories
about colonial-ERA americaNS
Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for
ELA Assessment
• Use the Comprehension Question Card with small
groups of students to practice answering textdependent questions.
• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer Take It
Apart! questions. To figure out the answer to a Take
It Apart! question, you must think like the author.
• Model: Read the Take It Apart! question on the
Comprehension Question Card. Say: This question
says: “Why did the author use words such as sunlight,
sparkled, and twinkling on page 15?” This question
asks me to think about the author’s purpose. I know
because it asks why the author used specific words.
Now I need to look for other important information
in the question. What information do you think will
help me? (Allow responses.) Yes, I need to reread
page 15 to look for the words sunlight, sparkled,
and twinkling. I find a sentence that says, “The
sunlight flashed and sparkled on the water, like
hundreds of floating, twinkling diamonds.” I think
the author used these words to paint a picture of a
beautiful day. Thinking about the author’s purpose
helped me find the answer.
• Use the Comprehension Power Tool Flip Chart to
help you develop other Take It Apart! questions to
use with students.
Summarize & Make Connections Across Texts
• Engage students in a discussion about the two
historical fiction stories in this book. Invite a different
student to summarize each story. Encourage other
students to add their ideas and details.
• Ask students to turn to the inside back cover of the
book. Say: Good readers think about how literary
works are related. We know, for example, that
both of these historical fiction stories share certain
features. They both have an authentic historical
setting. They both have characters who lived in
the time and place portrayed. What else do they
have in common? (Allow responses.) Today we will
think about the points of view, settings, characters,
problems, and solutions in these stories. We will
think about how these story elements are alike and
different and what we can learn from them.
• Ask students to work individually or in small groups
to complete BLM 4 (Make Connections Across Texts).
• Class Discussion or Literature Circles. Facilitate a
whole-class discussion or keep students in their small
groups for a literature circle discussion. If you choose
to conduct literature circles, share the rules for good
discussion below. Each group should discuss and be
prepared to share its ideas about the following prompts.
Did the stories have different points of view? How
do you know?
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Day 5 (cont.)
Which main character do you think has the more
serious problem to solve? Why?
How are the settings alike? How are they different?
How are the main characters like people living
today? How are they different?
• Tell students that at the end of their discussion, you
will ask them to share the important text-to-text, textto-world, and text-to-self connections they have made.
• While each small group of students discusses the book,
confer with individual or small groups of students.
You may wish to revisit elements of the genre, take
running records, or model fluent reading skills.
Ben Franklin,
Apprentice Printer
The Education of
Abigail Adams
Point of View
third person
third person
Settings
Boston; Ben’s brother’s
printing shop
Abigail’s father’s
library; the beach near
Weymouth, MA
Main Characters
Ben Franklin, his father
Josiah, his brother James
Abigail Smith, John
Adams
Problem
Ben wants to write for his
brother’s newspaper, but
his brother won’t let him.
Abigail wants to go
to school, but girls are
not allowed.
Solution
Ben secretly writes stories
for the paper; he moves
to Philadelphia after his
brother finds out and
punishes him.
John Adams encourages
Abigail to read and
learn so someday she
can help girls get better
educations.
Rules for Good Discussion
• Pay attention to the person who is talking and do
not interrupt him or her.
• Think about what others are saying so you can
respond and add to their ideas.
• Allow and encourage everyone in the group
to speak.
• Be respectful of everyone’s ideas.
Reinforce Skills
If time permits, choose from the following activities to
reinforce vocabulary and fluency.
Reinforce Vocabulary: Find Synonyms
• Tell the other partner to identify the appropriate
glossary word and use it in a sentence. If the
second student cannot recall the glossary word,
the first student provides another synonym for it,
continuing until the second student identifies the
glossary word. Then the second student draws a
slip of paper from the box.
• Continue until all words have been used at
least twice.
Reread for Fluency: Oral Reading
Performance
• Discuss with students the character traits
shown by the main characters in the historical
fiction stories.
• Say: The main characters show traits such as
intelligence and friendliness. When you read
the stories aloud, you can demonstrate your
understanding of these traits through your
expression. This helps your listeners appreciate
the characters more and understand the
story better.
• Invite individual students to read a section
of one of the historical fiction stories with
expression that helps listeners understand the
character’s trait.
• Encourage students to have fun with their
readings and to make them as dramatic
as possible.
• As a whole class, discuss each reader’s
interpretation. Think about alternate ways to
interpret character traits.
Review Writer’s Tools: Simile
• Ask students to scan books from your classroom
library or the school’s library for additional
examples of simile. Each student should select
one title at his or her independent reading level.
Ask students to read pages specifically to find an
example of simile.
• Invite students to share their examples with
the class. Encourage them to discuss how the
similes help them better visualize characters and
settings. Point out that not all students
will have found examples in the books they
chose. Simile is not a tool all writers use all of
the time.
• Write each word from the glossary on a slip of paper.
Place the slips in a box and mix them.
• Pair students and have one partner draw a slip from
the box and, without saying the glossary word, give
a synonym for the word.
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
two historical fiction stories
about colonial-ERA americaNS
9
Days 6–15
Write a Historical Fiction Story
• Use the suggested daily schedule to guide students
through the steps of process writing. Allow
approximately 45 to 60 minutes per day. As students
work independently, circulate around the room and
monitor student progress. Confer with individual
students to discuss their ideas and help them move
forward. Use the explicit mini-lessons, conferencing
strategies, and assessment rubrics in Using Genre
Models to Teach Writing for additional support.
• Before students begin planning their story, pass out
copies of BLM 5 (Historical Fiction Checklist). Review
the characteristics and conventions of writing that
will be assessed. Tell students that they will use this
checklist when they complete their drafts.
• This daily plan incorporates the generally accepted six
traits of writing as they pertain to historical fiction.
Days 6–7: Plan
• Ask students to use BLM 6 (Historical Fiction Planning
Guide) to brainstorm the time and place in history,
characters, and plot for their stories.
• Encourage students to refer to the “Features of
Historical Fiction” web on page 3 and to the steps in
“The Writer’s Craft” on pages 22–23 of the book.
• Confer with individual students and focus on their
ideas. Did students begin their historical fiction story
with an actual historical figure or event in mind? Did
students support the historical aspect through the
setting and plot?
Days 8–9: Draft
• Tell students that they will be using their completed
Historical Fiction Planning Guides to begin drafting
their stories.
• Say: Remember that when writers draft their ideas, they
focus on getting their ideas on paper. They can cross
things out. They can make mistakes in spelling. What’s
important is to focus on developing your characters,
setting, and plot. You will have an opportunity to make
corrections and improvements later.
• Confer with students as they complete their drafts.
Use the Historical Fiction Checklist to draw students’
attention to characteristics of the historical fiction
genre that they may have overlooked. Focus on how
students have organized their ideas and the voice of
the writer. Did students introduce the time and place at
the beginning of the story? Did they set up a problem
and then show a resolution? Does the story have a
strong voice? Will the voice keep readers interested?
• Pair students for peer conferencing.
• Confer with students focusing on sentence fluency,
word choice, and conventions. Did students include
both long and short sentences? Do the sentences read
smoothly? Have students used interesting words and
phrases? Did they use examples of similes? Did they
use appropriate spelling, punctuation, and grammar?
• You may want students to continue their editing and
revision at home.
Days 12–13: Create Final Draft and
Illustrations
• Ask students to rewrite or type a final draft of their
historical fiction stories.
• Invite students to illustrate their final drafts with
one or more drawings that depict specific characters,
settings, or events in their historical fiction stories.
• Confer with students about their publishing plans
and deadlines.
Days 14–15: Publish and Share
• Explain: Authors work long and hard to develop
their works. You have worked very hard. And one
of the great joys of writing is when you can share
it with others. Authors do this in many ways. They
publish their books so that people can buy them.
They make their work available on the Internet.
They hold readings. We can share our writing, too.
• Use one or more of the ideas below for sharing
students’ work:
Make a class display of students’ completed historical
fiction stories.
Hold a class reading in which students can read
their historical fiction stories to one another and/or
to parents.
Create a binder of all the historical fiction stories
and loan it to the library so that other students can
read them.
Create a binder of all the historical fiction stories for
your classroom library.
Name _________________________________________________
Historical Fiction Checklist
Features of the Genre Checklist
1. My story has a strong lead.
2. My story is told in first or third person.
3. My story has a real historical setting with time
and place.
4. The characters could have lived in this setting.
5. The events could have happened in this setting.
6. At least one character deals with a conflict.
7. I tell the problem at the beginning of my story.
8. I have 3 to 5 events in my story.
9. My story has a solution to the problem.
10. My story has a believable ending.
11. I used figurative language in my story.
Quality Writing Checklist
• Based on your observations of students’ writing,
select appropriate mini-lessons from Using Genre
Models to Teach Writing.
• Remind students to use the Historical Fiction Checklist
as they edit and revise their stories independently.
10
two historical fiction stories
about colonial-ERA americaNS
Yes
No




Name _________________________________________________
Historical Fiction Planning Guide
Yes








• run-on sentences
• sentence fragments
• verb tense
• punctuation
• capitalization
• spelling
• indented paragraphs
TWO HISTORICAL FICTION STORIES
ABOUT COLONIAL-ERA AMERICANS
BLM 5
Date ____________________
 
 
Directions:
 Use the steps below to plan your own historical
 
 1.Decide on a time and place in history.
 
 
 2.Brainstorm characters.
 
I looked for and corrected . . .
• subject/verb agreement
Days 10–11: Edit and Revise
Date _________________
Title ______________________________________________________________________________
Characters
No
fiction story.
Traits, Goals, Changes
Character 1:
_______________

Character 2:

_______________

Character 3:
_______________


Character 4:
_______________


3.Brainstorm plot.
Problems
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Events
Solutions
TWO HISTORICAL FICTION STORIES
ABOUT COLONIAL-ERA AMERICANS
BLM 6
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Name _________________________________________________
Date ___________________
Simile
Directions: R
ead each sentence. Underline the example of simile. Circle the
word that signals the simile.
1. Kevin jumped over the bush like a rabbit.
2. The night was as dark as ink.
3. The cell phone sounded as loud as a foghorn in the quiet room.
4. The army swept through the town like a tornado.
5. Laura’s red hair shone like a penny.
Directions: Complete each simile below.
6. The birds sounded like ______________________________________
_______________________________________________________________.
7. The wildflowers were as bright as __________________________.
Directions: Write your own simile below.
8. _ ______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________.
two historical fiction stories
about colonial-ERA americaNS
blm 1
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Name _________________________________________________
Date ____________________
Make Inferences
Directions: Use the chart below to make inferences.
Clues or Evidence
Inference
Ben Franklin, Apprentice Printer
The Education of Abigail Adams
two historical fiction stories
about colonial-ERA americaNS
blm 2
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Name _________________________________________________
Date ___________________
Focus on Synonyms
Directions: R
eread each historical fiction story. Find synonyms for each word
and identify the word’s part of speech.
Page Word
7
expensive
7
baffled
Ben 8
Franklin, Apprentice Printer
9
concentrate
hilarious
14
avid
14
assortment
frank
glorious
18
fascinating
20
represent
two historical fiction stories
about colonial-ERA americaNS
Part of Speech
bookish
10
16
The Education of Abigail 17
Adams
Synonym
blm 3
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Name _________________________________________________
Date ____________________
Make Connections Across Texts
Directions: Use the chart to compare the stories.
Ben Franklin,
Apprentice Printer
The Education of
Abigail Adams
Point of View
Settings
Main Characters
Problem
Solution
1. Which characters in the stories are alike? How are they alike?
_______________________________________________________________
2. How are the story endings alike? How are they different?
_______________________________________________________________
two historical fiction stories
about colonial-ERA americaNS
blm 4
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Name _________________________________________________
Date _________________
Title ________________________________________________________________________­______
Historical Fiction Checklist
Features of the Genre Checklist
1. My story has a strong lead.
2. My story is told in first or third person. 3. My story has a real historical setting with time and place. 4. The characters could have lived in this setting.
5. The events could have happened in this setting.
6. At least one character deals with a conflict.
7. I tell the problem at the beginning of my story.
8. I have 3 to 5 events in my story.
9. My story has a solution to the problem.
10. My story has a believable ending.
11. I used figurative language in my story.
Quality Writing Checklist
Yes No






















Yes No
I looked for and corrected . . .








• run-on sentences
• sentence fragments
• subject/verb agreement
• verb tense • punctuation
• capitalization
• spelling
• indented paragraphs
two historical fiction stories
about colonial-ERA americaNS
blm 5








©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Name _________________________________________________
Date ____________________
Historical Fiction Planning Guide
Directions: Use the steps below to plan your own historical fiction story.
1. Decide on a time and place in history.
2. Brainstorm characters.
Characters
Traits, Goals, Changes
Character 1:
_______________
Character 2:
_______________
Character 3:
_______________
Character 4:
_______________
3. Brainstorm plot.
Problems
Events
Solutions
two historical fiction stories
about colonial-ERA americaNS
blm 6
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC