George Washington's obituary

The following lesson will introduce students to the research process -- formulating questions, choosing resources, fact finding, and note-taking. After completing their research, they will write a short obituary for George Washington. Activities will integrate Reading, Language, Social Studies, Writing, and Computer Skills.

A lesson plan for grade 5 Information Skills and Social Studies

By Kathy Blades

Learn more

• The Papers of George Washington From the University of Virginia, this is a good resource for George Washington’s letters and correspondence. FAQ is a wonderful resource for students.
• US Presidents - George Washington This subset of the official White House website is specifically for kids. This page provides age-appropriate information about George Washington's life and is a great resource for the students' research.

Related pages

• Formulating questions to meet information needs of ESL students: A multi-activity lesson plan to teach the concept of asking engaging, researchable questions prior to reading which leads to effective inquiries during project work. Using engaging questions creates a sense of connectedness by linking academic contents with students' personal concerns. The lesson is primarily designed for English Language Learners although it can be adapted for mainstream students. This lesson can also be modified for use with grades 4-8.
• Letters back home: A soldier's perspective on World War I: World War I traumatized many of the soldiers that participated in the war. It had a lasting effect on the political, economic, social, and cultural lives of Americans during the 1920's. By reading letters that one soldier wrote to his family back home. Students can gain insight into the reasons why the “Great War” had such a profound impact on the United States in years following the war.
• Letters home: Students will write letters home, taking on the role of one of the sons of the "Gold Star Mothers" from Union County, NC.

Related topics

• Learn more about American history, George Washington, United States, cooperative learning, graphic organizers, history, obituary, research skills, and social studies.

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

• practice research skills using print and non-print resources.
• write an obituary of George Washington after researching his life.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

4 Weeks

Materials/resources

• Classroom set of newspapers or obituaries from newspapers
• Newspaper death notices of famous people
• Reference Materials
• Booklets for notetaking
• Writing paper or chart paper
• Overhead and transparencies or chart paper
• Project Checklist
• Scoring Rubric

Technology resources

• Computers
• CD-Rom Encyclopedias
• Database Software such as Elementary SIRS
• Internet Access
• Word Processing Software
• Printer
• Individual disks

Pre-activities

Before beginning this lesson, collect several weeks of newspapers.

Also, it is very important to collect obituraries of famous people in advance. Examples - athletes, scientists, statesmen, authors, etc.

Review:

• how to use the newspaper legend to find the obituary section of a newspaper.
• note-taking skills.
• copyright laws.
• bibliographic citations, video citations, and electronic resource citations.
• AUP guidelines.

Teacher and students must decide upon a rubric for assessment. Create a KWL chart detailing what the students already know about George Washington. Students create a notetaking booklet or decide upon a note-taking strategy.

Activities

Week 1

Day 1

1. Divide students into groups.
2. Each group will read at least four or five obituaries from the local newspaper and make a list of the kinds of facts that are included in an obituary.
3. Each group will share and discuss their list of what is included in obituaries.
4. Discuss with the students the following:

• Newspaper articles usually have a certain structure or pattern. What is the pattern that is used? How is the information usually arranged? Why?
• Who writes the obituary?
• Why do you think the person’s name is listed immediately in the obituary?
• Why are the family members’ names listed?
• What would happen if the burial information was not included?
• What purpose does an obituary serve?
• Why are some longer than others?
• What special words used in obituaries?

5. Ask students to identify and create a list of examples of phrases or words that are unique to obituaries. These words and phrases will be used in the obituaries that the students write. As new words and phrases are found, add them to this list.

Day 2

1. Divide students into groups.
2. Students read “obituary articles” from local newspapers about famous people who have died, and list additional kinds of facts found in these articles.
3. Students share and discuss with the class what they found.
4. Discussion should include the following:

• What did this person contribute to our society?
• Why was he or she famous?
• Was anyone else interviewed and asked to remark on the accomplishments of the deceased? What were their comments or reflections?

5. Ask the students to determine what the difference is between a local citizen’s obituary and a famous person’s obituary.
6. As a whole group activity, make a master list of the facts that are included in an obituary and a master list of examples of phrases and words that are frequently used in obituaries.

Day 3

1. Divide students into groups.
2. Ask students to brainstorm questions which they need to use for their research about George Washington’s life.
3. After brainstorming, formulate a list of questions that will be used for the research and add these to the KWL chart.
4. Include the following questions:

• Why was George Washington famous?
• Why was he important to our country?
• What did other famous people say when George Washington died?
• What contributions did George Washington make as a soldier, a statesman, or a farmer?

5. As a whole group, the students will make a list of resources that they think will be useful.

Day 4

1. Students will record specific questions in their notetaking booklets.
2. Beside each question, students will note a “shorthand” list of resources they which they might use to find the answer Example, “E” = Encyclopedia

Day 5

1. Divide students into research groups.
2. Students will work in pairs to research specific questions and report their findings to their group.
3. Students will have access to the Internet and library resources to research the life of George Washington.

Week 2

1. As they record their answers, students must include their source. This will eliminate scrambling at the end of the project to produce the book, periodical, or website, CD, or video.
2. Students will check for accuracy and compare the information they find from different sources.
3. As a whole group activity, ask the groups to report their findings to the class. As new facts are discovered, add them to the KWL chart.
4. Students must have time for initial research before they begin the writing process.
5. After researching all of George Washington’s life, students will then choose Washington’s contributions as a soldier, statesman, or gentleman farmer to elaborate on in his obituary.

Week 3

1. Create a graphical organizer using the criteria and format established for an obituary and information about George Washington’s life.
2. Using the graphical organizer, students write the rough draft.
3. Students will conference with the teacher for revision of content and editing.

Week 4

1. Once their rough draft is completed and approved by the teacher, the students will complete their final copy.
2. Students type the final copy, save it to a disk, and print a copy.

Assessment

• Observations/discussions
• Individual note-taking booklets
• Completed obituary (see rubric attachment)
• Class participation
• Project Checklist (see attachment)

Supplemental information

Comments

This lesson plan was inspired by the 1999 DAR Essay Contest, and it would be easily adaptable to any famous person.

Students must be allowed enough brainstorming time, research time, and enough writing time.

This lesson was a collaborative effect between the media specialist and the fifth grade teachers at P.W. Moore Elementary. This lesson took four weeks to complete. For this project, the students worked about an hour a day for three weeks. The fourth week was used for the final revision, editing, and typing of the obituaries.