Lesson 1: Getting to Know Abigail Adams
Activities
Activity 1: Exploring the Book
Materials: Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution by Natalie S. Bober
It's easy to just pick up a book and open it to page 1, skipping over or paying little attention to the introduction and other material before the first chapter, but a reader can get a lot more out of the book by beginning with a thoughtful "pre-reading" of the book itself. Exploring the book before you actually read it can help you approach the book with a better understanding of what it will be about, develop some questions that you hope the reading will answer, and begin reading actively with curiosity and engagement instead of beginning the book passively without any prior knowledge or questions.
In this activity, you'll explore the book that you'll be reading in this unit by completing the "Exploring the Book" activity pages, which will allow you to analyze various elements of the book before you begin reading. Consult the book's table of contents to find the location of the pages or sections mentioned.
Note: If you are reading an electronic version of this book, use the following link to view the front cover of the book and learn about the awards the book has received.
Note: If you are reading an electronic version of this book, use the following link to view the front cover of the book and learn about the awards the book has received.
Web Link
Natalie Bober
This page describes the book Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution. Scroll down the page and click the plus sign beside "Awards and Honors" to view the awards the book has received.
This link was verified on 4/1/2023.
Student Activity Page
Student Activity Page
Student Activity Page
In this activity, your child will learn to "pre-read" a book by exploring its title, cover, front matter, and back matter to create an overall impression of what the book will be like and generate questions about the book's contents. This kind of pre-reading analysis can pique a reader's curiosity about the book, allow the reader to develop questions that the reading will answer, and set the stage for a more active and engaged reading experience. You may want to encourage your child to try this kind of activity with other books that he reads in the future.
Materials: Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution by Natalie S. Bober
Read Chapters 1 and 2 of Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution by Natalie S. Bober, which focus on the early life of Abigail Adams. Next, answer the following questions.
Questions
- What do you think Abigail's grandmother meant when she said that "wild colts make the best horses"?Answers will vary, but your child may suggest that she was expressing her confidence that even if Abigail was high-spirited as a child, she would become a respectable adult.
- What did Elizabeth Quincy Smith share with her daughters about her view of the appropriate role for adult women?Mrs. Smith emphasized marriage and motherhood.
- What were John and Abigail Adams' first impressions of each other?He thought that she lacked tenderness and she thought that he talked too much.
- What did John Adams mean that he needed "ballast" in his life?Answers will vary. John Adams felt an acute need for recognition and was very demanding of himself, insisting on perfection. He may have felt that he needed a steadying force in his life that would help him remain stable and grounded when he had doubts or felt pulled in many directions.
Activity 2: A Literary Correspondence
Materials: Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution by Natalie S. Bober, stationery*
In today's reading, you learned that Abigail Adams visited with her aunt and uncle in Boston and became friends with several girls her own age while she was there. When she returned home, these new friends engaged in a "literary correspondence" that they hoped would provide an opportunity to improve their writing and engage their minds (Bober, p. 9).
Think of a friend with whom you might start such an intellectual correspondence. In this activity, you will write a letter to your friend about any topic you choose. Ask a parent which option you should complete. (Both options will use the vocabulary found on the page "A Literary Correspondence.")
NOTE: If you are using the electronic version of this book, the page numbers may not work for you. If you learn how to use the "Search" function available in most electronic books, however, you will be able to find the words very quickly.
NOTE: If you are using the electronic version of this book, the page numbers may not work for you. If you learn how to use the "Search" function available in most electronic books, however, you will be able to find the words very quickly.
Student Activity Page
In this activity, your child will review a list of vocabulary terms drawn from the first six chapters of Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution. He will then write a letter to a friend using the vocabulary terms. In Option 1, your child will be asked to choose five vocabulary words. In Option 2, he will be challenged to use all seven vocabulary terms in his letter. Choose the option that will be more appropriate for your child.
Option 1: A Letter to a Friend with Five Vocabulary Terms
Read over the list of vocabulary terms and circle several that you either already use regularly or that you think you might be able to incorporate into your own daily speech and writing.
Next, plan a short letter to a friend that could incorporate five of those vocabulary terms. Your letter can be about any topic you like — just be sure that the finished letter reads like a letter that someone would actually send to another person, with all parts of the letter connecting to one another. You don't want to have five unconnected sentences that use the vocabulary terms accurately but don't have anything to do with one another or else your reader will be very confused! Also, please pay attention to spelling, grammar, and punctuation, and be sure to use each of the five vocabulary terms correctly in context. If you hand-write your letter, underline each vocabulary term. If you type it, use the editing tools in your word processing program to show each vocabulary term in bold type.
Share your letter with a parent when you are finished and, if you'd like, you can then mail it to your friend.
Share your letter with a parent when you are finished and, if you'd like, you can then mail it to your friend.
In this option, your child will read over the vocabulary terms and their definitions, identify words that he already knows or could incorporate into his daily speech and writing, and then write a short letter to a friend that uses five of the terms in context. Read over your child's letter to be sure that he has used each vocabulary term correctly. He will have either underlined each term or set it to display in bold type.
Option 2: A Letter to a Friend with Seven Vocabulary Terms
Read over the list of vocabulary terms and circle several that you either already use regularly or that you think you might be able to incorporate into your own daily speech and writing.
Next, plan a letter to a friend that could incorporate all seven of the vocabulary terms listed. Like Abigail Adams, you will use your letter as a way of working on your writing style and expanding your mind, so choose a topic of an intellectual nature. Perhaps you will want to write to a friend about the book that you're reading for this unit or another book that you are reading as part of your education. Perhaps you'll want to share your insights on current events or relate a conversation that you had with someone about an issue or cause that concerns you. Perhaps you'll want to share your thoughts on the arts, recent scientific discoveries, religion, or an amazing experience that you had recently. As you plan your letter, think about how you might use all of the vocabulary terms accurately to share your ideas. Your letter should be about one page long (200-300 words).
Be sure that the finished letter reads like a letter that someone would actually send to another person, with all parts of the letter connecting to one another. You don't want to have seven unconnected sentences that use the vocabulary terms accurately but don't have anything to do with one another or else your reader will be very confused!
Also, remember that this is an informal writing assignment. You'll want to pay attention to spelling, grammar, and punctuation, of course, but mostly focus on the content and be sure you use each of the seven vocabulary terms correctly in context. If you hand-write your letter, underline each vocabulary term. If you type it, use the editing tools in your word processing program to show each vocabulary term in bold type.
Share your letter with a parent when you are finished and, if you'd like, you can then mail it to your friend.
Be sure that the finished letter reads like a letter that someone would actually send to another person, with all parts of the letter connecting to one another. You don't want to have seven unconnected sentences that use the vocabulary terms accurately but don't have anything to do with one another or else your reader will be very confused!
Also, remember that this is an informal writing assignment. You'll want to pay attention to spelling, grammar, and punctuation, of course, but mostly focus on the content and be sure you use each of the seven vocabulary terms correctly in context. If you hand-write your letter, underline each vocabulary term. If you type it, use the editing tools in your word processing program to show each vocabulary term in bold type.
Share your letter with a parent when you are finished and, if you'd like, you can then mail it to your friend.
In this option, your child will read over the vocabulary terms and their definitions, identify words that he already knows or could incorporate into his daily speech and writing, and write an intellectual letter to a friend that uses all seven of the terms in context. Read over your child's letter to be sure that he has used each vocabulary term correctly. He will have either underlined each term or set it to display in bold type.