HOW IT WORKS
Benjamin Franklin said, “The doors
of wisdom are
never shut.” A mouse named Amos helps
open those doors and adds some creativity
to the fifth grade classroom. And a
hundred-dollar bill helps, too. Ben and
Us: Sparking the Standards uses an
inter-disciplinary approach to develop
research, writing, and word-processing
skills while giving students a chance to
explore, gain knowledge, and be
creative. Students complete a
teacher-created graphic organizer in the
style of an oversized hundred-dollar bill,
and use various resources to
research the life of Benjamin Franklin and
his accomplishments as a scientist,
inventor, statesman, and printer.
Becoming
familiar with Ben’s accomplishments
provides the background necessary to
appreciate Ben and Me by Robert Lawson. In
the novel, Amos the mouse takes full
credit for Mr. Franklin’s work,
including the Franklin stove and bifocals,
experiments with electricity and
lightning, and printing newspapers and
Poor Richard’s Almanack. As the
novel is read in class, students respond
by keeping journals, understanding
point-of-view narrative, and relating to
the maxims in Poor Richard’s Almanack.
Since the children have investigated the
life of Franklin, they are adept at
separating fact from fiction and putting
the novel into proper historical
perspective. The humorous-but-accurate
presentation of the scientific method
helps the students plan their own projects
for the Annual Science Fair in our school
and district. Next, the students research
the life of another scientist or inventor.
They then become authors, modeled after
Mr. Lawson, and create illustrated
storybooks such as Tom (Edison) and Me to
tell how the famous scientist or inventor
was guided through his/her accomplishments
by an Amos-like character. They use
word-processing programs on the computer
to generate the text, and do hand-drawn or
computer-assisted illustrations. The
stories are shared on Author’s Day in
our classroom.
THE
STUDENTS
All 31 of the students in my fifth
grade class participate in the learning
experience. We use the classroom computers
and our school’s computer lab, where
each child can work on an individual
computer for a limited time. The children
have one computer period a week with our
computer specialist, so by the time they
get to fifth grade, they are familiar with
basic computer operation and keyboarding.
THE
STAFF
Gloria Block has been teaching fifth
grade at P.S. 42 for ten years. She was a
TeachNet Disseminator Grant recipient in
1998-1999 for How Does it Feel to Find a
Fossil. Mrs. Block has given staff
development and new teacher workshops in
District 31.
WHAT
YOU NEED
We use a computer with Internet
access, encyclopedia CDs, reference books
from the library, and word processing
software. The novel Ben and Me by Robert
Lawson is available in a softcover edition
from Scholastic, and we use hardcover
blank books for the children's storybooks.
The hundred-dollar-bill graphic organizer,
printed on green paper, provides the
initial motivation for the children.
OVERALL
VALUE
Ben and Us addresses current standards
in English/language arts, social studies,
science, and technology, and provides
opportunities to respond to literature by
drawing upon historical knowledge and
exercising reading and writing skills. The
children view historic events through
first-hand accounts and learn how people
interact with their environment and use
resources to meet their needs. The final
product, an original storybook, serves as
a keepsake and the culmination of their
endeavor.
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