How To Teach Kids

Presidents Day (also Presidents’ Day) is known as Washington’s Birthday and is celebrated in February on the third Monday.  The reason the celebration of his birthday was moved to the third Monday in 1971 was to simplify the calendar.

Many people celebrate both Washington and Lincoln’s birthdays or all of the presidents’ birthdays on Presidents Day, but it was originally instituted to celebrate George Washington’s birthday alone.  However, it is convenient to celebrate more than one president on that day and most people do that.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS ON PRESIDENTS:

• So You Want to Be President? by Judith St. George.  (2001 Caldecott Medal Award Winner)  Great for ages 8-12.
• Our Country’s Presidents:  All You Need to Know About the Presidents, from George Washington to Barack Obama by Ann Bausum.  Great for ages 9-12.
• You’re Kidding!  Incredible Facts About the Presidents by Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff.  Great for ages 8-12.
• Don’t Know Much About the Presidents by Kenneth C. Davis.

CHILDREN’S DVD’S & VIDEOS:

• Presidents Day DVD ( Holidays for Children DVD Series)  by Library Video Company
• Presidents 2-DVD Special – Abraham Lincoln and George Washington by Nest Learning System

MORE INFORMATION ON WASHINGTON & LINCOLN:

• Teaching About George Washington
• Teaching About Abraham Lincoln
  

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INTERESTING FACTS:

• George Washington was the first president of the United States.
• It is not a fact that George Washington chopped down a cherry tree.  His biographer, Mason Weems, made this up to illustrate how honest Washington was in dealing with people.  It is a fact that Washington was an honest person.
• He is known as “The Father of our Country.”
• Washington is known for being “First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen.”

TEACHING UNIT ON GEORGE WASHINGTON:

• Short biography on Washington that students can read plus free printable worksheets (These were written by an experienced teacher and are free for teachers and homeschooling parents.)
• FREE online test for George Washington (also printable)

CHILDREN’S BOOKS:

• The Story of George Washington by Patricia A. Pingry.  Great for ages 2-6.
• George Washington’s Teeth by Deborah Chandra and Madeleine Comora.  Great for ages 4-8.
• George Washington:  Soldier, Hero, President  (DK Series) by Justine Korman and Ron Fontes.  Great for ages 5-8.
• George Washinton by Ingri d’Aulaire and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire.  Great for ages 5-11.
• George Washington and the General’s Dog (Step Into Reading) by Murphy.  Great for ages 6-8
• A Picture Book of George Washington by David A. Adler.  Great for ages 7-10.
• George Washington (History Maker Bios Series) by Candice F. Ransom.  Great for ages 7-10.
• George Washington by Cheryl Harness.  Great for ages 8-10.
• George Washington:  A Photographic Story of a Life (DK Series) by Lenny Hort.   Great for ages 9-12.
• Our Country’s Presidents:  All You Need to Know About the Presidents, from George Washington to Barack Obama by Ann Bausum.  Great for ages 9-12.
• George Washington, Spymaster:  How the Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War by Thomas B. Allen.  Great for ages 10-12.
• George Washington’s World by Geneviev Foster and Joanna Foster.  Great for ages 12 and up.  Contains world history.

CHILDREN’S DVD’S & VIDEOS:

• George Washington:  Great Americans for Children Series – DVD by Schlessinger Media
• Presidents 2-DVD Special – Abraham Lincoln and George Washington by Nest Learning System
• Presidents Day DVD ( Holidays for Children DVD Series)  by Library Video Company

ACTIVITY:

• Read George Washington’s Breakfast by Jean Fritz.  Make “hoecakes” for the children.

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These six levels start with the simplest and progress to the most complex level of higher level thinking.  As teachers, we need to make sure we cover all six areas.

1.  KNOWLEDGE

• Recalling of information such as places, dates, and events (who, what, when, where, how)
• Knowledge of subject matter, main ideas, basic concepts and principles
• Memorizing

2.  COMPREHENSION

• Understanding meaning
• Applying knowledge in a different context
• Simple comparing and contrasting
• Making inferences
• Predicting outcomes
• Describing in one’s own words
• Making interpretations
• Making sumarizations

3.  APPLICATION

• Problem solving
• Applying what has been learned through exhibits, demonstrations, graphs, charts, etc.
• Using information, concepts, and methods in different situations
• Using facts to answer questions such as “How is ___ related to ___?”

4.  ANALYSIS

• Dividing a whole into its component parts
• Outlining and diagramming
• Identifying literary elements and breaking the story down into different parts
• Distinguishing between inferences and actual facts
• Analyzing components of an event in history
• Identifying motives and hidden meanings
• Separating the components of the scientific process
• Seeing patterns
• Teacher asks questions such as “What is the order of steps in ___?”  or “What are the functions of ___?”  or “How does ___ compare/contrast with —?”

5.  SYNTHESIS

• Using already existing concepts to create new concepts or ideas
• Creating and designing something new and original.  This could be a short story, poem, music, plan for an experiment, new way of classifying ideas, etc.
• Combining information from several sources
• Finding solutions
• Teacher asks questions such as “How would you create a new ___?”  or “What ideas can you add?”

6.  EVALUATION

• Comparing ideas
• Developing opinions and judgments
• Judging the value of something for a given purpose, based on definite criteria
• Resolving differences of opinion
• Making value decisions about issues
• Teacher asks questions such as “Do you agree?”  or “What do you think is most important?”

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