Booker T Washington Reading Writing and Puzzle Activity Historic Figures
- Google Drive™ folder
- Internet Activities
Description
Celebrate significant historical figures and moments with MYSTERY HISTORY!
Address ELA, Social Studies, and Social/Emotional curriculum points simultaneously with this 3-part elementary activity!
Mystery History: Booker T. Washington helps teach about post-Civil War America and the challenges faced by so many people who were enslaved, while providing students with reading comprehension and writing practice, and spatial reasoning.
Inside you will find differentiated texts about Booker T. Washington’s life, comprehension questions, leveled puzzles, and writing prompts! Ready for your classroom or distance learning needs, the Google Drive folder includes a Google Slides version, ready for online learning, as well as a printable PDF!
Envisioned Use: Explain to students that the class will be solving a mystery to discover who the mystery figure is by reading a passage and solving a puzzle! The reading passages are written from the first person perspective. Students will use clues from the passage to begin thinking about who the text is about - an awesome way to test their knowledge after studying a wide range of historical figures! The passages are accompanied by comprehension questions and a puzzle. The passages and puzzles are available at 3 levels to meet the needs of your diverse group of learners!
Finally, 3 writing prompts are provided for students to engage in a follow-up activity about Booker T. Washington to reinforce content! Give students a choice of which writing prompt to complete, or embed this resource as a part of a larger unit and have the class work on all 3 writing prompts!
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Useful Tips
- Printable version: teachers may want to cut puzzle pieces before giving them to the student to add to the element of suspense and surprise - that way, students will truly be building the puzzle to discover who the passage is about! You may also consider partnering students up to solve the puzzle in teams or groups to save on prep time! Laminate those pieces or print on card stock so these materials are ready again for repeated future use! Make sure to click “Fit to Print” on your printer settings before printing! This will ensure all content makes it on the page!
- Google Slides version: consider creating unique assignments for students by copying specific slides that meet the needs of your students' reading levels, and pasting those slides into a new Google Slide presentation! (Click here for Youtube Tutorial - fast forward to 3:09) Then, upload to your Google Classroom and assign your various versions to whichever students need them! If you want to provide each student with the same version of this activity in Google Classroom, don't forget to "Make a Copy" for each student before assigning!
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This resource is perfect for any K-5 classroom and can be used in the following ways:
1. As a part of a history unit on the Civil War or post Civil War era;
2. During Black History celebrations;
3. As an accompaniment to a social / emotional study on overcoming challenges;
4. A guided reading or writing lesson on point of view;
5. A back-to-school or end of school year activity to discuss and connect to students goals for their own education;
...and so much more!
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Mystery History resources available:
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Happy Learning!
Danielle aka “Little D”
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