In honor of President's Day, I sat down with my students this past week and read Judith St. Georges witty yet informative story, So You Want To Be President? Both St. George and illustrator, David Small, created a story that informed readers of past Presidents of the United States with an underlying message that it is true that anyone can be President. My class experienced a variety of reactions from the text based on the facts and humorous details about each President.
It is true that a lot of my students had learned about past presidents based on their involvement in history and content lessons they have learned; such as with George Washington - he was an important leader and general in the American Revolution, but did he attend college, NOPE! This lead into a discussion about the time period and how the importance of education has changed greatly since Washington's presidency.
One of the most hilarious illustrations and descriptions was that of William Howard Taft, when they learned he had to get a special tub put into his bathroom in the White House because of the fact that he was over 300 pounds! The political cartoon-like illustrations of Taft coupled with these specific details gave quite the reason for uncontrollable laughter in our classroom!!
Readers of all ages, yes even adults, would enjoy this book. It shows readers that even though these individuals hold an important role in our country, that they are human and live some-what normal lives like us. After reading this story, students began ask me questions about details that were not in the book about a President. This book does not give an in-depth description and bio about each of the 41 Presidents profiled, but gives a glimpse into each of their lives and overall importance in our country. Therefore, while giving only a snapshot, students become inquisitive and pursue a fascination that sparked their interest within the story. This story can lead into possible writing exercises for students to create an extension of the story based on the Presidents we've had since the book was published in 2000. Students can illustrate and write about research information while giving trivial and humorous information about their President.
I am excited to take a look at this book after reading your review. So often, teachers get into the routine of only teaching the "essential" information required by the SOLs, yet there is so much more information available. Reading the snapshots of the presidents presented in this book leaves an open door for students to explore more...beyong what the SOLs require (knowing the historical facts and also knowing the humorous tales associated with each president creates an entire picture of an individual). The illustration you mentioned about Taft is going to stick with those students! I also love your suggestion of having the students continue these "portraits" of presidents by continuing with where the book left off in 2000. Very creative!
ReplyDeleteI have read this book, and agree about how enjoyable it is! I love that readers get to see the "human-side" of our past leaders - sometimes we put them on such a pedestal we forget they are just like us! These personal anecdotes definitely help students remember and distinguish the Presidents. I agree with Leslie's comment about the great idea about continuing with the book - I recently went to buy the book, but chose not to because of the lack of an update. However, with this solution it doesn't matter how un-updated the edition is, and offers an additional challenge to students to research and characterize our most recent Presidents. Great idea!
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