Abe Lincoln’s Jobs

Introduction: Abraham Lincoln was smart, strong, and sensible. With a love for learning but little formal education, the jobs he had in his youth often involved manual labor and hard work. He was able to use these early work experiences when he became president of the United States during one of the most challenging times in the nation’s history.

Grade Level: 2–5

Time: 15–20 Minutes

Objectives:

• ThestudentwillrankjobsthatwereheldbyAbrahamLincolnaccording to various criteria.

• Thestudentwilldiscussthemeritsanddifficultiesofvariousjobs.

Materials:

• Abe Lincoln’s Dream

• JobRankingCards(below), printed on card stock and cut into individual cards

• Optional:APennyforYourThoughtsactivitysheet(below)

• Optional:2009bicentennialone-centcoinsforstudentinspection

Procedure:

1. Introduce the lesson by telling the students that they will be listening to a story about a girl who meets the ghostofAbrahamLincoln,thesixteenthpresident.Challengethestudentstofigureoutwhatistrueinthestoryandwhatismake-believe.

2. ReadaloudthebookAbe Lincoln’s Dream.Thistakesaboutfourminutes.

3. Share the author’s afterword with the students. It gives details concerning the historical facts in the story.

4. TellthestudentsthatbeforeAbrahamLincolnbecamepresidenthehadmanyotherjobs.

5. Ask the students if they know what a “job” is. Jobcanbedefinedas“apieceofworkusuallydoneonorderatanagreed-uponrateorapaidpositionofregularemployment.”

6. Hold up the prepared job cards and read them one at a time, telling the students that these were some of the jobs that Lincoln had when he was younger. Discuss what kind of work each of these jobs entailed (RailSplitter:physicalstrengthandknowinghowtocutwoodwithanaxe.FlatboatPilot:physicalstrengthandknowledgeofboatsandtheMississippiRiver.StoreClerk:knowledgeofmoneyandmerchandiseandknowinghowtogetalongwithpeople.Postmaster:knowledgeofpostalregulationsandgeography.Surveyor:goodmath,writing,andgeographyskills.Lawyer:knowledgeofthelawandgoodspeakingskills.USCongressman:knowledgeoflaws,history,andpeoples’needsandwants).Allofthesejobsrequiredthetalent and energy of Mr. Lincoln.

7. Askforsevenvolunteerstocometothefrontoftheroomandgiveeachajobcard.Tellthevolunteerstohold the cards out so that the cards can be seen by the members of the class.

8. Instruct the students in the class to arrange the cardholders in order of the amount that Lincoln was paid for eachjob,fromleasttomost.Whenstudentsappearsatisfiedwiththerankingorder,discusstheirdecisions.Thereisno“correct”ordertothisranking.Continuetheactivitybyintroducingotherrankingscenarios:

• Healthiesttotheleasthealthy.

• Mostadventuroustothedullest.

• Safesttothemostdangerous.

• Onesneedingthemostamountoftraining/educationtotheonesneedingtheleast training/education.

• ThosethatmostpreparedAbrahamLincolntobepresidenttotheonesthatleastprepared him to be president.

9. ThislessonmaybeenrichedorextendedusingtheAPennyforYourThoughtsactivitysheet.Thecontentforthisactivityisbasedonthe2009bicentennialone-centcoins.Ifpossible,haveexamplesofthesecoinstoshow to the students.

10. Distributetheactivitysheetsandwritingtoolstothestudents.Theymayworkindependentlyorinsmallgroups.

11. Readtheintroductionanddirectionstothestudents.Emphasizethattherearenorightorwronganswersandthatcreativeanswersareencouraged.Possibleanswersincludearchitect,author,axemaker,barber,blacksmith,bricklayer,buttonmanufacturer,cabinbuilder,cobbler,flagdesigner,glassmaker,groundskeeper, lumberjack, printer, rail splitter, seamstress, shingle maker, stonemason, and weaver.

Web Resource · Library Lessons · November 2014 • LibrarySparks

Abe Lincoln’s Jobs


Job Ranking Activity Cards

Rail Splitter

Flatboat Pilot

Surveyor

Postmaster

US Congressman

Lawyer

Store Clerk

Thesefourdesignsappearonthereverseofone-centcoinsmintedin2009,the200thanniversaryofAbrahamLincoln’sbirthday.EachshowsatimeinLincoln’slife.ThelogcabinrepresentshisbirthplaceinKentucky.AsayoungmaninIndiana,he read every chance he got, even when splitting rails. Later was elected to the IllinoisGeneralAssembly.TheUSCapitoldomewasunfinishedwhenhefirstbecamepresident(itwascompletedbytheendoftheCivilWar).

Directions: Createalistofatleasttenjobsrepresentedbyitemsonthecoinsabove.Useyourproblem-solvingskillsandthink“outsidethecircle.”

Example: A tailor would have made Lincoln’s suit.

1. 6.

2. 7.

3. 8.

4. 9.

5. 10.


A Penny for Your Thoughts

Extension Activities

Drama: BecauseLaneSmithusesauniquefontforeachcharacter’sdialog,thisbookcaneasilybeturnedintoafour-partreaders’theaterscript.

Reading:ThroughoutAbe Lincoln’s Dream, Quincy and Abe Lincoln’s ghost tell each other sillyjokes.Takeadvantageofthissillinesstointroducethestudentstothelibrary’scollectionofjokeandriddlebooks(DDC818).

Web Resources:TherearemanyAbrahamLincolnlessonsandactivitiesavailable.

Macmillan’s activity guide features mapping skills, a creative writing prompt, anacrosticpoem,andawordsearchpuzzle:http://media.us.macmillan.com/activityguides/9781596436084AG.pdf

SomeexcellentLincolnlessonsandactivitiesarepostedontheUSMintTeacherResourcewebsite:www.usmint.gov/kids/teachers/lessonPlans/cents.

• StoryHourwithLincolnincludesaLincolnCentImagespage,LincolnBeardand Hat template, and a Lincoln Bookmark template.

• The2009LincolnBicentennialOneCentProgramincludesgrade-levellessonplans,worksheets, and activities.

Research: Thiswhimsicalpicturebookreferencesagreatdealofhistoricalcontent.Thetopicsin the list below are all mentioned in Abe Lincoln’s Dream and would work well as subjects for researchprojects.Someothersuggestionsfortheiruseincludethefollowing:

• Selectatopic.Writetwofactsandtwoopinionsconcerningit.

• Drawanillustrationofoneormoreofthetopics.

• Pickatopicandwritedownthreequestionsyouhaveconcerningit.

• Choosetwotopics.Listthreewaystheyarealikeandthreewaystheyaredifferent.

• Writesonglyricsbasedononeofthetopicstothetuneofeither “OldMcDonaldHadaFarm”or“LondonBridgeIsFallingDown.”


Abe Lincoln’s Dream

Research Topics1. Abraham Lincoln2. USFlag3. USCivilWar4. Fala(FranklinDelano

Roosevelt’sScottishterrier)5. George Washington6. Gettysburg Address7. Lincoln’s Bedroom 8. Apollo 11 Moon Landing

9. MountRushmore10.NationalCherryBlossom

Festival11.President’sDay12.Rex(RonaldRegan’sCavalier

KingCharlesspaniel)13.RiverQueenSteamboat14. Statue of Liberty 15.TheodoreRoosevelt

16.ThomasJefferson17.UnitedStatesCapitol18.Washington,DC19. Washington Monument20. White House 21.WhiteHouseRoseGarden22.Yuki(LyndonJohnson’s“mutt”)

Introduction: TheconversationbetweenQuincyandLincoln’sghostrevealsthatthepresidentis concerned about the fate of the nation. However, as troubled as he is, this does not prevent himfromrevealinghisloveforjokes,riddles,andwordplay.Lincoln,oneofourmostquotedpresidents, was also a master of practical advice and good common sense.

Grade Level: 2–5

Time: 20–30 minutes

Objectives:

• ThestudentwilluseadecodingkeytodiscoverfamousquotesfromAbrahamLincoln. • Thestudentwillinterpretquotesusingcontextcluesandpre-knowledge.

Materials:

• Abe Lincoln’s Dream • Visual:AbrahamLincoln’sWiseWords(seebelow) • Activitysheets:AbrahamLincoln’sWiseWords1,2,and3(seebelow) • Writingtools

Procedure:

1. Introduce the lesson by telling the students that this activity is based on the wise sayings ofPresidentAbrahamLincoln.Iftimeallows,readthebookAbe Lincoln’s Dream to the students.Thistakesaboutfourminutes.

2. DisplaytheAbrahamLincoln’sWiseWordsvisual.Readthedirectionsandfillintheremaininglettersonthegridasademonstrationforthestudents.Thecompletedquotationwillread:“Leavenothingfortomorrowwhichcanbedonetoday.”

3. AskthestudentswhattheythinkAbrahamLincolnmeantinthisquote.

4. Distribute the activity sheets and writing tools. Students may work individually or in groups.

5. Checkforunderstanding.

6. Discussthequotesandtheirmeaningswiththestudents.

EXTENSION:Challengestudentstocreatetheirownquotationcodes.Bepreparedtosupplythemwithpaper,pencils,anddirectionstothequotationbooksinthelibrary’scollection(DDC082).


Abraham Lincoln’s Wise Words

Answer Key

Activity I: “Whatever you are, be a good one.”

Activity II:“Thebestwaytodestroyanenemyistomakehimafriend.”

Activity III: “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spendthefirstfoursharpeningtheaxe.”

Abraham Lincoln had little formal education, yet he was a wise man. He is well known for his thoughtful speeches and sensible statements. Use the chart below to decode one of his quotationsbyplacingtheletterabovethecorrespondingnumber.Thefirstwordhasbeendone for you.



A B C D E F G H I1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9L M N O R T V W Y

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

What do you think Abraham Lincoln meant when he said this?

10–5–1–16–512–13–15–8–9–12–76–13–14

15–13–11–13–14–14–13–1717–8–9–3–8

3 – 1 – 12 2 – 5 4 – 13 – 12 – 5 15 – 13 – 4 – 1– 18.”

“ L E A V E

Usethechartbelowtodecodeoneofhisquotationsbyplacingtheletterabovethecorresponding number.



A B D E G H N1 2 3 4 5 6 7O R T U V W Y8 9 10 11 12 13 14


13–6–1–10–4–12–4–914–8–111–9–42–4

1 5 – 8 – 8 – 3 8 – 7 – 4

“

.”

,




A B D E F H I K1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8M N O R S T W Y9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16


14 – 6 – 4 2 – 4 – 13 – 14 15 – 1 – 16 14 – 11

3–4–13–14–12–11–161–104–10–4–9–167–13

14–119–1–8–46–7–915–12–7–4–10–3

“

.”





A C D E F G H I L M1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10N O P R S T U V W X11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

6 – 8 – 18 – 4 10 – 4 15 – 8 – 20 7 – 12 – 17 – 14 – 15 16 – 12 2 – 7 – 12 – 13

3–12–19–11116–14–4–41–11–3819–8–9–9

15 – 13 – 4 – 11 – 3 16 – 7 – 4 5 – 8 – 14 – 15 – 16 5 – 12 – 17 – 14

15 – 7 – 1 – 14 – 13 – 4 – 11 – 8 – 11 – 6 16 – 7 – 4 1 – 20 – 4

“

.”

Abraham Lincoln had little formal education, yet he was a wise man. He is well known for his thoughtful speeches and sensible statements. Use the chart below to decode one of his quotationsbyplacingtheletterabovethecorrespondingnumber.Thefirstwordhasbeendone for you.



A B C D E F G H I1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9L M N O R T V W Y

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18


10–5–1–16–512–13–15–8–9–12–76–13–14

15–13–11–13–14–14–13–1717–8–9–3–8

3 – 1 – 12 2 – 5 4 – 13 – 12 – 5 15 – 13 – 4 – 1– 18

“ L E A V E N O T H I N G

T O M O R R O W W H I C H

F O R

C A N D O N E T O D A YB E .”

ANSWER KEY




A B D E G H N1 2 3 4 5 6 7O R T U V W Y8 9 10 11 12 13 14


13–6–1–10–4–12–4–914–8–111–9–42–4

1 5 – 8 – 8 – 3 8 – 7 – 4

“

.”

,

ANSWER KEY

W H A T E V E R Y O U

A GOOD O N E

A R E B E




A B D E F H I K1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8M N O R S T W Y9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16


14 – 6 – 4 2 – 4 – 13 – 14 15 – 1 – 16 14 – 11

3–4–13–14–12–11–161–104–10–4–9–167–13

14–119–1–8–46–7–915–12–7–4–10–3

“

.”

ANSWER KEY

T H E

D E S T R O Y

T O A

B E S T

A N

M A K E

W A Y

E N E M Y

F R I E N D

T O

I S

H I M





A C D E F G H I L M1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10N O P R S T U V W X11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

6 – 8 – 18 – 4 10 – 4 15 – 8 – 20 7 – 12 – 17 – 14 – 15 16 – 12 2 – 7 – 12 – 13

3–12–19–11116–14–4–41–11–3819–8–9–9

15 – 13 – 4 – 11 – 3 16 – 7 – 4 5 – 8 – 14 – 15 – 16 5 – 12 – 17 – 14

15 – 7 – 1 – 14 – 13 – 4 – 11 – 8 – 11 – 6 16 – 7 – 4 1 – 20 – 4

“

.”

ANSWER KEY

G I V E

S P E N D

S H A R P E N I N G

D O W N

S I X

F I R S T

A X E

T R E E

H O U R S

F O U R

A N D

T O

I

C H O P

W I L L

M E

T H E

T H E

A

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Abe Lincoln’s Jobs