Grade: Grade 4 Subject: English Language Arts Created by: Emma Beatty Lesson Length: 30 minutes or less Keywords/Tags: common core Lesson Description: Common core lesson plan for EDG 4012.
Common Core Standards Covered with This Lesson
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.3: Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.9: Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes and topics (e.g., opposition of good and evil) and patterns of events (e.g., the quest) in stories, myths, and traditional literature from different cultures.
Lesson Content: Reading
Instructions: Please read the following reading passage as many times as needed (aloud and silent) before starting to go through other lesson pages. Understanding the content of this passage is very important since the lesson activities will be all about this content. Feel free to print the passage if needed.
The Election
The Election
I was in Chicago when the country took a giant step. I saw history in the
making.
I was at the Wigwam, that’s what they called it. It is the Sauganash Hotel.
There at the corner of Lake Street and Wacker Drive the Republicans met and
fought. Most of them wanted William Seward. His manager Thurwood Weed said,
“Who is this man Lincoln? A nobody from nowhere.”
It looked like Seward had it locked up.
I met Thurwood Weed, who was there to get the votes for Seward. I have
rarely met a man who was so devious, He would promise one thing to one person.
Then another promise to a different person. And none of them would he keep. He
lied all day long.
“I’m going to offer Lincoln the Vice Presidency,” Weed told me. Of course he
has the Illinois votes. But who else would vote for him. He is not really ready to be
president. Look at my man. Seward is a leader. He is smart. He knows how to
make decisions. He will not let other people tell him what to do.”
I thought that Weed was a good name for him. He was not a decent man. He
was buying votes. He was going to make sure his man got the nomination. He did
not care about being honest.
I saw Lincoln’s team leader, David Davis, at the convention. I asked him what
he would do to make sure Lincoln got the nomination. He just smiled. Later I
learned he had gotten more of their supporters into the hall by giving them extra
tickets. They printed those tickets themselves. “Abe would not have liked this at
all,“ said Davis, but we were not bribing people like Weed. And the Lincoln team
gave them whistles. When Lincoln was nominated, there was so much noise that
everyone thought this is our man.
Later after he was elected, Lincoln did something surprising. He made
Seward his Secretary of State. I always thought this man is different. He knows
how to get elected. He knows how to work with others. He knows how to lead our
country.
I’m not sure what is next for our country. It is 1862 and we are at war. I
don’t think that Seward would have been able to lead us through this war. I believe
Abraham Lincoln can.
Task 1: Vocabulary Activity
(40 points)
Instructions: Please complete the following vocabulary activity by choosing the correct meaning of each word selected from the passage and use of each word correctly in a sentence.
Vocabulary Questions
Word/Phrase: devious | Tier: 2 | Points: 10
Q1
The author of the story writes, "I have rarely met a man who was so devious, He would promise one thing to one person.
Then another promise to a different person. And none of them would he keep. He lied all day long..."
What does the word "devious" mean in this sentence?
A. unattractive
B. dishonest *
C. talented
D. confused
Which of the following sentences uses the word "devious" correctly.
A. The man created a devious plan to steal the money from his business partner behind his back. *
B. The woman was a devious artist, with more artistic skill than any of her sisters.
C. The girl felt devious when she did not know how to complete her homework assignment.
D. The old man was devious, with lots dirt under his unclean fingernails.
Word/Phrase: nominated | Tier: 3 | Points: 10
Q2
The author writes, "When Lincoln was nominated, there was so much noise that everyone thought this is our man..."
What is the meaning of the word nominated as used in this sentence?
A. understood
B. kicked out
C. chosen *
D. injured
Which one of the sentences below uses the word "nominated" correctly?
A. The guest was nominated from the party after spilling his cup on purpose.
B. The newborn kitten was nominated for the *
C. The man was nominated after falling off of his ladder and breaking his arm.
D. The student nominated the water cycle once his teacher explained it using a diagram.
Word/Phrase: decent | Tier: 2 | Points: 10
Q3
The author writes, "I thought that Weed was a good name for him. He was not a decent man. He was buying votes."
What does the word "decent" mean in this sentence?
A. downward
B. bad natured
C. family
D. good natured *
Which of the following sentences uses the word "decent" correctly?
A. The decent stairs led customers from the second floor to the first.
B. She was a decent woman, and decided that she had to stop lying to her friends. *
C. The man was a teacher, decent from generations of teachers before him.
D. The dog was decent and tracked mud all over the clean tiles.
Word/Phrase: vote | Tier: 3 | Points: 10
Q4
The author writes, "Of course he has the Illinois votes. But who else would vote for him. He is not really ready to be
president. Look at my man. Seward is a leader."
What does the phrase "vote for" mean in this sentence?
A. pick *
B. injure
C. satisfy
D. write
Which of the following sentences correctly used the word "vote"?
A. The boy did not vote the requirements to graduate high school.
B. The cat cannot vote her story because she does not have a pencil.
C. The students will vote on a new set of class rules today, that they all agree on. *
D. He stuck out his foot, to vote for the woman and make her fall.
Standards Covered with This Lesson Activity: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.4,
Task 2: Discussion Activity
(30 points)
Instructions: This discussion forum will have questions for students to respond. Read the posted questions, and respond to each. Students are responsible for posting one initial and and two peer responses for each topic.
Topic Title
Replies
Character: Thurwood Weed In "The Election", is Thurwood Weed on the side of William Steward or Abraham Lincoln? Is Weed an honest man?
Sent on: Oct 4, 2023 by: Emma Beatty
0
The Narrator's Point of View
In "The Election", does the narrator of the story want William Steward or Abraham Lincoln to win the election? Why does he think that one man will do a better job as president than the other?
Sent on: Oct 4, 2023 by: Emma Beatty
0
Reader's Vote
Based on this story, did Abraham Lincoln win the election "honestly"? What evidence in the story suggests that Lincoln won the election dishonestly?
Sent on: Oct 4, 2023 by: Emma Beatty
0
Standards Covered with This Lesson Activity: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.3, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.9,
Task 3: Writing Activity
(30 points)
Instructions: At the end of "The Election", the narrator says that it is 1862, and the country is at war. In the 1860s, Abraham Lincoln was president during the Civil War in the United States. In a few sentences, explain why you would want "Honest Abe" to be president during a war, instead of the other candidate William Steward.
Standards Covered with This Lesson Activity: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.9,
