Build Background

• Involve students in a discussion about presidential elections. Have them tell what they know about the requirements for becoming president, how candidates are chosen for each major party, and how the president is elected. Record their responses on a KWL chart written on the board.
• Give students the vocabulary prediction worksheet. Explain that they are to write what they think or know each word means. Tell them that after they have finished reading the book, they will make a checkmark if their definition was correct, or write the new definition they learned from reading the book.

Preview the Book

Introduce the Strategy: Ask and answer questions

• Give students a copy of the book and have them preview the front and back covers of the book and read the title. Have students discuss what they see on the covers and offer ideas as to what kind of book this is and what it might be about. Have them think of things they would like to know about how they can become president. Write their questions on the KWL chart. Tell students that asking questions about a topic before beginning to read, and looking for the answers as they read will help them understand and remember the text.
• Direct students to the table of contents. Point out that 3 chapter titles have the same word in them. Have students identify the word (campaign). Point out that the word is used as a verb in 1 chapter title and as a noun in the other 2. After reviewing the table of contents, model using it as a way to think of questions.
• Think aloud: When I don’t know a lot about a topic, I can use the table of contents to help me think of questions I’d like to find the answer to as I’m reading. For example, I'm curious about why the word “campaign” is in 3 of the chapter titles. My guess is that the “campaign” and “campaigning” are an important part of the election process. I’ll write 3 questions on the KWL that I can look for the answers to as I read. First, where and when does a candidate campaign? Second, why are there 2 campaigns? And third, what does it mean to “finance” a campaign?
• Have students look at the other chapter titles. Write any questions they have about the election process on the KWL chart. Remind students that no question is ever inappropriate if they truly do not know the answer.
• Have students preview the rest of the book, looking at the photographs and map, and sidebar text. Add any additional questions students may have to the KWL.
• Point out the "Explore More" box on page 24. Encourage them to learn more about the topic when they have finished the lesson.
• Show students the index and review its purpose. For example, ask students on what page they would read about the Democratic Party or John F. Kennedy.

Introduce the Vocabulary

• Remind students of the strategies they can use to work out words they don't know. For example, they can use what they know about letter and sound correspondence to figure out the word. They can look for base words and prefixes and suffixes. They can use the context to work out meanings of unfamiliar words.
• Model how to apply word-attack strategies. For example, have students find the bold word Constitution on page 5. Tell students to use what they know about syllables and vowels (one vowel sound per syllable) to sound out the word. Tell students that since the word is capitalized, they know the word must be a proper noun. Point out that the text tells them that the rules for becoming president are written down in this document. Explain that they can then infer, or guess, that this is an important document used to help govern the country. Tell them that they can use a dictionary or the glossary to confirm the meaning since a definition context clue is unavailable.
• Remind students that they should check whether words make sense by rereading the sentence.
• Preview other vocabulary such as caucus, concession speech, and nominee before students begin reading.
• For additional teaching tips on word-attack strategies, click here.

Set the Purpose

• As they read, have students look for answers to the questions about the presidential election process written on the KWL.

Student Reading

• Guide the Reading: Have students read pages 4-15. Tell them to underline information that answers any of the questions written on the KWL. Tell students to go back and reread the section if they finish before everyone else.
• Model answering a question on the KWL.
• Think aloud: One of the questions I’d written on our KWL was about where and when a candidate campaigns. I had to read between the lines to figure out the answers. I read that a candidate begins campaigning once he or she has chosen a political party to represent, and once he or she has hired a campaign manager to map out what the candidate is going to do. Then I read that a person has to campaign twice; once to win the nomination of his or her party, and again to win against the other parties’ candidates. After I figured that out, I went back to page 9 to find out where a candidate campaigns. From what I read, candidates travel all over the country participating in many kinds of events that will draw attention to them. By asking one question, I learned a lot about the campaign process. I’m sure I’ll learn more as I continue reading and looking for answers to the questions written on the KWL, or looking for answers to new questions I think of as I’m reading.
• Review the remaining questions written on the KWL, circling and writing the answers as students provide the information.
• Ask students if they had any other questions while reading. Add these to the KWL.
• Tell students to read the remainder of the story, looking for answers to the questions on the KWL as they read.

    Tell the students to make a small question mark in their books beside any word they do not understand or cannot pronounce. These can be addressed in the discussion that follows.

Reflect on the Reading Strategies

• Ask students what words they marked in their books. Use this opportunity to model how they could read these words using decoding strategies and context clues.
• Have students share any other questions they had while they were reading. Discuss how questioning the text when reading keeps them actively involved in the reading process and helps them understand and remember what they read.
• Remind students that they can look in other resources, such as an encyclopedia or the Internet, to find answers to questions they did not find in the book.

Teach the Comprehension Skill: Author’s Purpose

• Introduce and model: Review or explain that writers have reasons for writing what they do. Write the following words/phrases on the board: inform or teach, entertain, persuade or convince. Tell students that a writer usually has 1 of these 3 reasons for writing, but some writers have 2 or even all 3. Explain that the writer's words, and sometimes the punctuation he or she uses, provide clues that help readers figure out the author’s purpose.
• Show students a encyclopedia and tell them that the author's purpose for writing this type of book is to tell or teach something. Point out a fact or other information and explain that these words are meant to teach the reader something about the topic he or she is researching. Show students a fiction book or a magazine and explain that writing like this is meant to entertain. Read a funny, scary, or mysterious line from the book, and explain that these words are clues that the author wants the reader to be entertained. Tell them this includes adventure books, mysteries, science fiction, etc. Show students a newspaper editorial or some type of campaign literature. Explain that these kinds of writing are meant to persuade or convince the person reading it to think the same thing as the person who wrote it. Point out a convincing statement and explain that these words are clues that the author wants the reader to think the way he or she does.
• Check for understanding: Ask students to think of something that they've read in which the author's purpose was to inform or teach (biography, how-to books, etc.). Ask students to think of something that they've read in which the author's purpose was to entertain (magazines, comic books, etc.). Ask students for an example of something they've read that was persuasive or convincing. (newspaper editorial, campaign pamphlet, etc.)
• Explain that an author may have more than 1 purpose in a sentence, paragraph, chapter, or book. Direct students to the first paragraph on page 5. Tell them to read the first sentence. Ask students what the author’s purpose was for writing this sentence (to inform and to entertain). Have them identify the clues that helped them figure out the author’s purpose (…only have to meet a few easy requirements..; punctuation). Remind students that an author may have more than one purpose in mind when writing.
• Discussion: Have students tell the steps in the process of becoming president. Write these across the board with arrows showing that the process is a continuum. For example, you might say: The first step in becoming president is to meet the requirements as written in the Constitution (discuss each one mentioned in the book). Write: Meet Constitution’s requirements --> Have students provide the additional steps.
• Independent Practice: Have students complete the author's purpose worksheet. Have them identify the author’s purpose for each section listed and write the clues they used to figure it out. In the discussion of their responses, point out that convincing or persuading the reader was not 1 of the author’s main purposes for writing this book. Ask students what kinds of things the author could have included to convince the reader of something.
• Extend the Discussion:

    Ask students to use the inside front cover of their book to list personality traits they think a president needs. Have students share their lists with the group.

Grammar and Mechanics: Possessive Nouns vs. Contractions

• Review or explain that apostrophes can be used to show ownership or as space holders for omitted letters in contractions. Tell students that recognizing how the apostrophe is used in a word will help them understand the word’s meaning.
• Review or explain that possessive nouns are used to show ownership of the noun that follows. Review that the possessive form of most singular nouns is formed by adding 's, that the possessive form of plural nouns ending in s is formed by adding only an apostrophe, and that the possessive form of plural nouns that do not end in s is formed by adding 's.
• Have students find the second sentence in the second paragraph on page 12. Have them identify the possessive noun (party’s). Ask them to tell if it is a singular or plural possessive noun.
• Have students find the second sentence in the first paragraph on page 20. Have them identify the possessive noun (candidates’). Ask them to tell if it is a singular or plural possessive noun and what was added to show ownership.
• Have students find the second sentence in the second paragraph on page 10. Have them identify the possessive noun (people’s). Ask them to tell if it is a singular or plural possessive noun and what was added to show ownership.
• Review or explain that an apostrophe in a contraction serves as a placeholder for letters that have not been used. Have students find the first sentence in the first paragraph on page 4. Have them identify the contraction (you’ve) and tell what 2 words were joined to form it.

Have students go through the book, underlining possessive nouns and circling contractions. Have them list the nouns and contractions on a sheet of paper. Discuss their responses.

Vocabulary: Content Words

• Have students complete the vocabulary prediction worksheet. Tell them to make a checkmark in the column if the word meant what they thought it did before reading the book. If not, tell them to write the definition.
• When completed, have students turn the worksheets over and write 2 sentences using 2 of the words. Tell them to erase the words and exchange with a partner. Each student should fill in the missing words in the sentences his or her partner wrote.

Independent Reading

• Allow students to read their books independently or with a partner. Partners can take turns reading parts of the book.

Home Connection

• Give students their books to take home to read with parents, caregivers, siblings, or friends.

Writing Connection

• Give students 2 sheets of paper. Tell them to use 1 sheet to brainstorm the following: reasons they would or would not like to be president; ways they would raise money for their campaign, or help someone else raise money; and things they would do as president or things they think a president should do. Tell students to use their brainstorming sheet to write 3 paragraphs. One should explain why they would or would not like to be president. Another should explain ways they would raise money for their campaign or for someone else’s. And the third should tell the things they would do as president or things they think a president should do. Encourage them to decide on their purpose before beginning to write. Have students share their paragraphs with the group.

Social Studies Connection

• Discuss the structure of local government before inviting a local government official such as the mayor or a councilperson to talk with the group. Have students prepare questions ahead of time. (The ideas listed above could help them think of questions to ask.)

Monitor students to determine if they can:

• use the reading strategy of asking questions about the topic prior to reading the book and looking for answers to the questions while reading
• recognize that an author may have more than one purpose for writing a book, which may include informing the reader of something, entertaining the reader, or persuading the reader of something
• understand that apostrophes are used in both possessive nouns and contractions and recognize each
• make predictions about the meaning of content vocabulary prior to reading, and self-check and/or correct definitions as needed.