Across Five Aprils Discussion Guide
by Irene HuntPage 1 of 2
Jethro Creighton is nine years old in April 1861, when the Civil War begins. His southern Illinois farming family is torn apart when his brothers, cousin, and a close family friend leave to fight in the war. Jethro is forced to grow up quickly and tracks the progress of the war through letters and newspapers. Finally, four years later, the war is over and all are relieved. But then President Lincoln is assassinated. Suddenly, the future becomes frightening and uncertain once again.
Enrichment ActivitiesInternet ResourcesBooks by Irene Hunt
Enrichment Activities
- Compare and Contrast
Use a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast Jethro's life before and after his relatives leave to fight in the Civil War. - Comprehension Checks
Check your students' comprehension of Across Five Aprils with Test A, Test B, and Test C. Use the Answer Keys for correcting.
- Culminating Projects
Have students choose from a selection of six motivating and thought-provoking projects. Project types include report writing, creating a timeline, and model building. Use the Across Five Aprils Project Ideas sheet. - Emancipation Proclamation
On January 1, 1863, President Lincoln presented the Emancipation Proclamation to free slaves. Read and analyze the entire speech with your students, as a whole class or small group activity. - The Gettysburg Address
Read this famous speech with your students. Then, on the blackboard, create a list of instances in Across Five Aprils that relate directly to the words of President Lincoln. - Integrate Art
Contact your school's art teacher and brainstorm ideas that would integrate art and the book Across Five Aprils. Some suggested materials include clay, pastels, or paper collage. - The Underground Railroad
Students take a cyber-journey on the Underground Railroad – the path to freedom for slaves in the 1850s.
President-Elect Obama
Get your students involved in the issues facing the U.S. President-elect with these activities, articles, and lessons. Imagine a day in the life of the new president, read the inaugural addresses from past presidents, teach your class about the Cabinet, and more.
January Events
Find educational resources for every day in January. Fill your January lessons with activities for Letter Writing Week (Jan. 4-11), Martin Luther King Jr Day (Jan. 19), Chinese New Year (Jan. 26), National Puzzle Day (Jan. 29), National Book Month.
After-School Activities
Enrich before- or after-school programs with fun and educational activities. This slideshow features games, arts & crafts, holiday activities, science projects, and more for all ages.
2009 Calendar
Incorporate fun seasonal events and landmark dates, with our 2009 Educators' Calendar. Each day of the year features links to activities related to whatever is being celebrated that day, week, or month, from Martin Luther King Day to Letter Writing Week!
Bulletin Boards
Whether you teach science, reading, art, or social studies, you're sure to find the perfect bulletin board to fit your current theme or topic of discussion.
Theme Library
Our comprehensive Theme Library organizes TeacherVision content by seasonal and academic themes – making it easier for you to offer cross-curricular lessons and appeal to all of your students' needs and interests.
Daily Printables
Add a TeacherVision widget to your blog, personalized homepage (such as iGoogle or Pageflakes), or social networking sites (such as Facebook). Our widgets feature a different fifth-grade language arts printable or fourth-grade math printable for each day of the year.
