LESSON 19 TEACHER’S GUIDE
The People’s President
by Lisa Cocca
Fountas-Pinnell Level R
Biography
Selection Summary
Although Franklin Delano Roosevelt lived a life of privilege, he learned
at a young age to appreciate the challenges others faced. When he
was stricken with polio, he had to face a challenge of his own. As
president of the United States, FDR worked to improve the lives of the
American people.
Number of Words: 1,372
Characteristics of the Text
Genre
Text Structure
Content
Themes and Ideas
Language and
Literary Features
Sentence Complexity
Vocabulary
Words
Illustrations
Book and Print Features
• Biography
• Third-person narrative
• Events described in chronological order.
• Life of FDR and his accomplishments as president
• The Great Depression
• Lessons learned early in life can leave lasting impressions.
• People can overcome great personal challenges.
• Value of public service
• Conversational language
• Figurative language: blizzards of dust; dived into the sea of politics
• A mix of short and complex sentences
• Sentences with nouns, verbs, or adjectives in series, divided by commas
• Many government terms, some of which might not be familiar, such as senate, Treasury
Department, federal
• Many multisyllable words, some challenging, such as politics, candidate, unfortunately
• Many proper nouns name people, schools, foundations, government agencies
• Black-and-white photos with captions
• Thirteen pages of text with easy-to-read chapter headings
• Timeline
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
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The People’s President
by Lisa Cocca
Build Background
Help students use their knowledge of the presidency to visualize the biography. Build
interest by asking a question such as the following: What are some responsibilities
of the U. S. president? Read the title and author and talk about the cover photograph.
Tell students that this selection is a biography, which tells about events in the life of
one person.
Introduce the Text
Guide students through the text, noting important ideas, and helping with unfamiliar
language and vocabulary so they can read the text successfully. Here are some
suggestions:
Page 2: Explain that this is a biography of a famous American president.
Suggested language: Turn to page 2 of this book. Look at the photograph and
read the caption. The initials FDR stand for the name Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Ask: What other famous people are on U.S. coins?
Page 3: Explain that as a young man, FDR grew up in a wealthy family and got
a fine education. FDR went to the Groton School. There, he learned a lasting
lesson—the importance of helping others. Ask: How might this lesson have
influenced him later in life?
Page 4: Tell students that FDR became a lawyer and chose to dedicate his life to
public service. Ask: Do you think being wealthy helped FDR to enter politics? Why
or why not?
Page 5: Point out the photo and read the caption. FDR faced a personal challenge
when he became ill with polio. Ask: How did the disease affect him?
Page 7: Explain that FDR was elected president of the United States and faced new
challenges. When FDR became president, farmers couldn’t grow crops. One reason
was drought. Can you guess why drought would cause problems for farmers?
Now turn back to the beginning of the biography and read to find out how FDR
faced polio, drought, and other challenges in his life.
Target Vocabulary
association – a group of people
officially organized for a
specific purpose, p. 11
brilliant – very bright, p. 11
capitol – a building in which a
government meets to create
laws, p. 4
Grade 4
conflicts – problems or
disagreements, p. 10
overcome – to solve or conquer a
difficulty p. 5
dedicate – to devote something
to a specific purpose, p. 4
publicity – information given out
to get people’s attention, p. 11
drought – little or no rain, p. 7
violence – the use of physical
force to cause harm, p. 10
horizon – the place at which the
earth and the sky meet, p. 12
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Read
Have students read silently while you listen to individual students read aloud. Support their
understanding of the text as needed.
Remind students to use the Infer/Predict Strategy
predictions about events as they read.
and to make
Discuss and Revisit the Text
Personal Response
Invite students to share their personal responses to the biography.
Suggested language: FDR helped other people as a governor, a president, and a person
with polio. Which of FDR’s accomplishments did you find most inspiring? Why?
Ways of Thinking
As you discuss the text, help students understand these points:
Thinking Within the Text
Thinking Beyond the Text
Thinking About the Text
• FDR served as governor of New
York and president of the United
States.
• Young people can learn and
remember important lessons.
• The chapter heads let readers
know what they will read about
in each section.
• FDR faced challenges and solved
problems throughout his career.
• Facing a personal challenge
doesn’t have to prevent you from
accomplishing goals.
• FDR set up associations and
raised money to help find better
treatments and a cure for polio.
• One person’s life of public
service can have an impact on
many people.
• The author provides many
examples that persuade readers
to believe that FDR worked hard
for others.
• The author includes a timeline to
list the important events in FDR’s
life on one page.
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
Choices for Further Support
• Fluency Invite students to choose a passage for choral reading. Remind students to
use punctuation and to put words together in meaningful groups to show them when
to pause during reading.
• Comprehension Based on your observations of the students’ reading and discussion,
revisit parts of the text to clarify or extend comprehension. Remind students to go
back to the text to support their ideas.
• Phonics/Word Work Provide practice as needed with words and word parts, using
examples from the text. Explain that a prefix is a word part added to the beginning of
a word to form a new word. Tell students that the word regain on page 5 means to get
something back again that had been lost. Other words with the prefix re- that have a
similar meaning include retrieve, recover, recapture.
Grade 4
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Writing about Reading
Critical Thinking
Have students complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 19.8.
Responding
Have students complete the activities at the back of the book, using their Reader’s
Notebook. Use the instruction below as needed to reinforce or extend understanding
of the comprehension skill.
Target Comprehension Skill
Persuasion
Remind students that the author provided details to convince
them to believe an idea. Model how to add details to the Graphic Organizer, using a “Think
Aloud” like the one below:
Think Aloud
On page 5, you read that FDR founded a group that helped Americans
who needed treatment for polio. On page 6, you read that as governor, he
helped the farmers in New York. On page 8, you read that as president,
FDR began programs that created jobs and helped people keep their
homes. List details such as these in the chart as ways the author
persuades readers that FDR tried to make life better for others.
Practice the Skill
Have students share an example of another biography in which they found reasons that
supported an author’s view or belief about a person.
Writing Prompt: Thinking Beyond the Text
Have students write a response to the prompt on page 6. Remind them that when they
think beyond the text, they use their personal knowledge to reach new understandings.
Assessment Prompts
• This selection is mostly about
________________________________________________________________.
• What can readers tell about the Great Depression from reading the paragraph on
page 7?
• Which sentence on page 3 shows that FDR appreciated what he learned at the
Groton School?
Grade 4
4
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English Language Development
Reading Support Check regularly on students’ oral reading to determine accuracy,
fluency, and comprehension.
Idioms Point out the idiom took to heart, on page 14, and ask students to tell what they
think the phrase means.
Oral Language Development
Check student comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches your students’
English proficiency level. Speaker 1 is the teacher, Speaker 2 is the student.
Beginning/Early Intermediate
Intermediate
Early Advanced/ Advanced
Speaker 1: Who is this biography
about?
Speaker 1: What important lesson did
FDR learn at the Groton School?
Speaker 1: In what ways did FDR
help people with polio?
Speaker 2: FDR
Speaker 2: FDR learned that it is
important to help other people.
Speaker 2: FDR founded
the Georgia Warm Springs
Foundation. This foundation
helped people who needed
treatment for polio. He tried to
find new treatments and a cure.
And he raised money by having
Birthday Balls.
Speaker 1: What job was FDR elected
to four times?
Speaker 2: President
Speaker 1: Where can you see FDR’s
picture?
Speaker 1: Why is FDR so well thought
of today?
Speaker 2: He devoted himself to
helping other people who were in need.
Speaker 2: on a dime
Lesson 19
BLACKLINE MASTER 19.8
Name
Date
Critical Thinking
The People’s President
Critical Thinking
Read and answer the questions. Possible responses shown.
1. Think within the text Which influences from Franklin Delano
Roosevelt’s childhood and early adulthood helped him learn the
importance of helping others?
His teachers at Groton School challenged him to help others, and having polio
made him want to help others with the illness.
2. Think within the text How did FDR deal with the problems
caused by the drought and dust storms?
FDR started programs that taught farmers better ways to farm that protected the
soil. He also began a program that planted trees to keep soil from blowing away.
3. Think beyond the text Why do you think FDR was elected to
a fourth term as president?
He had helped people through many problems, including the Depression, polio
and war. They probably felt they knew him well because he had been president
for so long.
4. Think about the text What details does the author use to
persuade the reader that FDR was a strong, effective leader?
The author describes numerous ways in which FDR or his policies helped people.
The author describes how well liked FDR was and the fact that he was elected to
office four times.
Making Connections Polio was a big issue in the early part of the twentieth
century. Think of a current issue that needs to be addressed. Develop a plan
for bringing awareness and possibly even a solution to this problem.
Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.
10
Critical Thinking
Grade 4, Unit 4: Never Give Up!
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Name
Date
The People’s President
Thinking Beyond the Text
Think about the questions below. Then write your answer in two paragraphs.
Remember that when you think beyond the text, you use your personal
knowledge to reach new understandings.
How do you think FDR’s personal life prepared him to face challenges like
the Great Depression and World War II? Do you think FDR is still an
inspiration for young people today? Why or why not?
Grade 4
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Lesson 19
BLACKLINE MASTER 19.8
Name
Date
Critical Thinking
The People’s President
Critical Thinking
Read and answer the questions.
1. Think within the text Which influences from Franklin Delano
Roosevelt’s childhood and early adulthood helped him learn the
importance of helping others?
2. Think within the text How did FDR deal with the problems
caused by the drought and dust storms?
3. Think beyond the text Why do you think FDR was elected to
a fourth term as president?
4. Think about the text What details does the author use to
persuade the reader that FDR was a strong, effective leader?
Making Connections Polio was a big issue in the early part of the twentieth
century. Think of a current issue that needs to be addressed. Develop a plan
for bringing awareness and possibly even a solution to this problem.
Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.
Grade 4
7
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Student
Lesson 19
Date
BLACKLINE MASTER 19.12
The People’s President • LEVEL R
page
11
Selection Text
The People’s President
Running Record Form
Errors
Self-Corrections
Accuracy Rate
Total SelfCorrections
FDR also continued to try to help people with polio during this
time of great need. Roosevelt had tried to find new ways to
treat the disease and make life better for people with polio. He
started an association dedicated to finding new treatments and
a cure. The association provided help for people with polio
who could not help themselves.
At first, Roosevelt used his own money for this work. Before
long, the association needed more money. One of the
president’s friends suggested having a party to raise money on
Roosevelt’s birthday. He believed the president’s name would
bring publicity to the event.
Comments:
(# words read
correctly/103 ×
100)
%
Read word correctly
Code
✓
cat
Repeated word,
sentence, or phrase
®
Omission
—
cat
cat
Grade 4
Behavior
Error
0
0
Substitution
Code
cut
cat
1
Self-corrects
cut sc
cat
0
Insertion
the
1
cat
Error
1413995
Behavior
ˆ
Word told
1
8
T
cat
1
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