Lessons with Miss Walker: President's Day

"Good morning students."

"Good morning Miss Walker."

"Today is February 18th and it is Presidents Day. To begin today I'd like you to make an entry in your writing journal answering who your favorite president is and why. Once you have done that close your journals to show me you are ready to begin today's lesson."

"In honor of this special day we have been learning about the great presidents of the United States and today we will discuss my personal favorite President Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was born in 1809 and was the president from 1861 to 1865. He was assassinated shortly after being reelected  into his second term of presidency. Your assignment is to research him then make a report of what you've learned in any fashion you chose."

"Yes Kirsten."

"Miss Walker I lived before Abraham was president how will I be able to research him?" asked Kirsten nervously in her soft sweet voice.

"Excuse me Miss Walker but I think I have a good idea. With your permission I could use my time traveling machine to help Kirsten with her research. We could even do a partner report."

"I think that is a fine idea, Felicity. May I suggest you create some sort of a timeline as you travel through time."

[HOURS LATER]

"Alright students it's time to give your reports on Abraham Lincoln. I'm so anxious to hear what you have discovered!"

"Miss Walker we are ready to report our findings," piped up Felicity bravely. "We started our journey all the way back in my time period 1774...which happened to be an over shot because George Washington wasn't even president until 1789. Any ways, we then traveled forward throughout all the years seeing all the presidents up through and just after Lincoln's death."

"We made a timeline of all of the presidents before Lincoln's term," added Kirsten gaining confidence with Felicity beside her. "We spent some time in my time period of 1854 when Franklin Pierce was president from1853 to 1857. At that point we learned that he supported the Kansas-Nebraska Act and also his wife hated Washington D.C. so much that she  fainted when she found out he got elected!"
The girls giggled.

"Yeah and before that we found out that James Madison (the fourth president) became president the same year Abraham was born in 1809."

"We didn't record this on the timeline but we also found out that Andrew Johnson became president after Lincoln died and Johnson served until 1869."

"Very good girls. This is a very well made timeline, we will definitely need to hang that in the classroom. Who would like to share next?"

"I will," Samantha said as she gracefully pulled out her sketchbook and walked to the front of the class room.

 "I learned that an eleven-year-old girl named Grace Bedell wrote to Abraham Lincoln suggesting he grow whiskers to hide his skinny face and that perhaps he would gain more votes that way. Being a humble man, Lincoln thought people would think he was vain if he grew a beard but he he took Grace's suggestion and grew the beard and that is why he has a beard. I happen to think he has a charming and kind face which inspired me to create a charcoal portrait of him in my sketchbook." 

"My goodness! Samantha you are talented! You definitely captured his gentle spirit."

Samantha grinned and blushed humbly then walked back to her seat as Molly stood up.

"I'll share next Miss Walker. I'd like to give an oral report about what I've learned."

"You may proceed Molly."

"Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky in a dirt floor log cabin.  His mother died when he was nine years old. His father remarried a year later. Lincoln's new step-mother encouraged him to read often. Lincoln didn't get very much schooling so he read all the time because he loved learning. When he grew up he continued his passion of reading, he also enjoyed debates, and practiced law with a friend. Eventually he was able to take and pass the law exams in 1836 and became a part of the legislator for four years. Lincoln meet Mary Todd at a dance and they got married in 1842. They had four boys but sadly only one lived past his teens. In 1846 he ran for the U.S. House of Representatives and won so the family moved to Washington D.C. In 1858 Lincoln ran for U.S. Senate but this time he lost against Stephan Douglas! When Douglas and Lincoln faced each other for a second time in 1860 Lincoln won and the Republican Party picked Lincoln as their candidate for president. Abraham Lincoln became the 16th president in 1861! Just as he was coming into office the Southern states were trying to become their own separate nation which they called the Confederate States of America. On April 12, 1861 the Southern soldiers fired cannons on the Northern troops on duty at Fort Sumter, South Carolina. Lincoln felt that they would have to fight in order to keep the country united. He didn't realize the war would last four years. The Civil War ended up being the worst war in American history with over 600,000 deaths! January 1, 1863 he decided the only way to end the war was to announce the Emancipation Proclamation freeing all the slaves in the South! Finally, on April 9, 1865 the Confederate General, Robert E. Lee, surrendered to the Union General, Ulysses S. Grant. It was only five days after the war ended that a Southerner who hated Lincoln shot him at a play. Abraham Lincoln tragically died on April 15th 1865 but he will be remembered and admired forever."

"Wow, Molly, that was very well spoken and so much valuable information! Thank you for sharing. Miss Rebecca it looks like you are up last."

"I know Miss Walker you were saving the best for last right!?" Rebecca remarked confidentially. "I learned that President Lincoln was a story teller and he came by it naturally as his father also was a good story teller. Everyone loved to listen to Lincoln's great stories. He often told stories with deep meaning but sometimes they were just for fun or to make people laugh. I really like that about him. So I am going to entertain you with a little puppet show of Lincoln's great and memorable quotes."

Rebecca took the "stage" behind Miss Walker's desk with her Abraham Lincoln puppet. She set him on the desk/ "stage", made a serious face turning her eye brows downward, and standing tall she said in her deepest manliest voice:

• “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
• “Character is like a tree and reputation its shadow. The shadow is what we think it is and the tree is the real thing.”
• “You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was.”
• “I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how a man could look up into the heavens and say there is no God.”
• “Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.” 
• “I don't like that man. I must get to know him better.”
• “Those who look for the bad in people will surely find it.”
• “I'm a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn't have the heart to let him down.”
• “My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.”
• “I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.”
• “Every man's happiness is his own responsibility.”

Rebecca came in front of the "stage" and took a dramatic bow with the flare that only Rebecca could pull off. The girls applauded her wildly as she continued to take bow after bow blowing kisses to her fans.


"Alright Rebecca you defiantly to have a knack for entertainment, I will give you that! And those quotes were beautiful. He was a wise man who said and did many thought provoking things.
Excellent job girls, your reports were fantastic!"

"I'd like to take a moment now to share with you the reason I admire President Lincoln the most of all the great presidents." 

Miss Walker unrolled a small scroll and attached it to the white board. "Abraham Lincoln is the reason my family and I get to be together. If he hadn't announced the Emancipation Proclamation Mama and  I may not have been reunited with the rest of my family. I admire him for sacrificing so much and standing firm in what he believed in. He was a good man and used his power for good and believed in the good of all people and for all people. He faced many struggles and hardships but persevered and rose above them." Addy went on to recite the Emancipation Proclamation to the girls.

The room was silent as they all thought contemplatively about what a great man he was. Miss Walker gave the girls a chance to let it all soak in. She saw in each of their faces a glimmer of hope for greatness. She knew in that moment they were being inspired to impact the world in some way and be a light of love as Lincoln was.

"Well thank you for joining our lesson today. I hope that you have gained some valuable knowledge. Lincoln said it best when he said 'Whatever you are, be a good one.' That is my hope for you."

My information was found from these rescources:

Osborne, Mary Pope, and Natalie Pope Boyce. Magic Tree House Fact Tracker- Abraham Lincoln. New York: Random House,  Inc. 2011.

Getting to Know Abraham Lincoln. Mike Venezia. Kurt Johns. Getting to Know, Inc, 2011. Video.

GoodReads. 2013 Goodreads Inc. February 18, 2013. <http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/229.Abraham_Lincoln>

Scholastics. 2013 Scholastic Inc. February 16, 2013<http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/timeline-guide-all-presidents>