Who Was Benjamin Franklin, Really?
Pre-reading activity and initial lesson Alex Johnson-Jimenez 5th Grade Classroom Objective: Students will be able to identify traits that represent Benjamin Franklin and then evaluate Internet sites or articles from an interactive encyclopedia in an effort to judge whether their identified traits are accurate or false. Materials Needed: Text set of Ben and Me by Robert Lawson Plain white paper Cluster worksheet–see attached example Computers with Internet access and CD-ROM Microsoft Encarta or similar computer reference program Small mouse in a cage–if animals are allowed in the school otherwise a stuffed mouse will do. List of instructions for caring for the mouse-you will need to find this out from the pet store. Books about Massachusetts Mouse shaped journal cover–See pattern Manila folders Daily Journal sheets My Private Dictionary Estimated Time: 60 minutes Motivation: After the texts have been passed out, have a student read the title of the book and ask, “Who do you think is
