Build Background

• Have students tell about people in history who are known for being peacemakers. Ask what these individuals did to become known as peacemakers. Create a KWL chart on the board and fill in the first column (K) with things students know about the topic. Give students the KWL chart worksheet to fill in with what they already know about the topic.
• As a group, brainstorm some things students would like to know about the topic and have students fill in the second column (W) of their worksheet. Write some shared ideas on the class chart, as an example.

Preview the Book

Introduce the Book

• Give students a copy of the book and have them preview the front and back covers 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 students preview the rest of the book. Show students the title page, photos, and glossary.
• Show students the index. Review or explain that an index is an alphabetized list with page numbers that tell where they can find information about topics in the book.

Introduce the Strategy: Ask and answer questions

• Direct students to the table of contents. Remind students that the table of contents provides an overview of what the book is about. After reviewing the chapter titles, model using the table of contents as a way to think of questions.
• Model asking questions.
• Think-aloud: I can use the chapter titles to think of questions I'd like to have answered about historic peacemakers. For example, the second chapter is titled "Mahatma Gandhi." This makes me wonder what this person did to be recognized as a historic peacemaker. I'll write the question on my chart. I'd also like to know if this person is still alive. I'll write this question on my chart, too.
• Ask students to share questions they have about historic peacemakers based on the covers and table of contents. Record questions in the second column of the KWL chart on the board. Remind students to write their questions on their own worksheet.
• Encourage students to use the photos, glossary, and other references to help them think of questions to add to their KWL charts.
• Tell students they might use the index to find answers to some of their questions. For example, tell them if one of their questions is about the Nobel Peace Prize, they can find information about it in the index. Have students tell the page numbers where they would find the information (pages 4, 7, 13, 15, and 18).
• As students read, they should use other reading strategies in addition to the targeted strategy presented in this section. For tips on additional reading strategies, click here.

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, prefixes, and suffixes. They can use the context to work out meanings of unfamiliar words.
• Model how to apply word-attack strategies. Have students find the bold word leprosy on page 15. Tell students that they can look at the letter the word begins with and use what they know about syllables and vowels (one vowel sound per syllable) to sound out the rest of the word. Tell students to first look for a clue to the word's meaning in the sentence. Explain that in this book they will not always find a context clue in the sentence with the unfamiliar word, but that other information in the paragraph or elsewhere in the book explains it.
• Model how they can use the glossary or a dictionary to find the word's meaning. Have a volunteer read the definition for leprosy in the glossary. Have students follow along on page 15 as you read the sentence in which the word leprosy is found to confirm the meaning of the word.
• Preview other vocabulary, such as apartheid, boycott, and mediation, in a similar fashion before students begin reading.
• For additional tips on teaching word-attack strategies, click here.

Set the Purpose

• Have students read the book to find factual answers to their questions about historic peacemakers.

Student Reading

• Guide the reading: Have students read to the end of page 13. Tell them to look for facts about historic peacemakers that will answer their questions. If they finish before everyone else, they should go back and reread.
• When they have finished reading, have students tell what each chapter is about and the interesting facts they found so far. Circle any questions on the KWL chart that students answered by reading, and add any new questions they came up with. Model answering a question on the KWL chart and writing it in the final column.
• Think-aloud: I wanted to know what Mahatma Gandhi did to become known as a historic peacemaker and if he is still alive today. I found out that Gandhi is famous for leading his country's people in nonviolent resistance against England's rule of India. I also learned that he was shot and killed in 1948, before he was ever awarded a Nobel Peace Prize. I'd like to learn more about the Nobel Peace Prize. What questions did you find answers to?
• Tell students to read the remainder of the book. As they read, remind them to look for answers to the remaining questions on their KWL chart or to think of other questions to add.

    Tell 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 can read these words using decoding strategies and context clues.
• Ask students what additional questions they answered or came up with while reading. Discuss how asking and answering questions kept them actively involved in the reading process and helped them understand and remember what they read.
• Think-aloud: I wanted to know more about the Nobel Peace Prize. I read in the book that it is the most well-known award for peacemakers worldwide. King won it in 1964, Mother Teresa won it in 1979, and Williams and Corrigan won it in 1976. I can write the answer on my chart. I have other questions that the book didn't answer. I'm going to have to look in other places, such as the Internet or an encyclopedia, to find those answers.

Teach the Comprehension Skill: Author's purpose

• Discussion: Have students tell what they think the author's purpose was for writing Historic Peacemakers.
• Introduce and model the skill: Explain that writers have reasons for what they write. Write the following words on the board: inform or teach, entertain, persuade or convince. Tell students that a writer usually has one of these three reasons for writing, but some writers have all three. Explain that the writer's words provide clues that can help readers figure out the purpose.
• Ask students to find clues in the text that show the book was written to inform (there is information about six well-known peacemakers, the Nobel Peace Prize, peer mediation, etc.). Ask students what other reason the author may have had for writing Historic Peacemakers (to persuade). Ask what clues the book gives to tell that it was also written to persuade (chapter 7: "The Peacemaker in You").
• Show students a textbook or encyclopedia, and tell them that the author's purpose for writing this type of book is to inform or teach something. To illustrate the point, open the book and read a piece of information from the text. Show students a fiction book and explain that books like this are 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. Explain that other books that are generally written to entertain include mysteries, science fiction books, etc. Show students an advertisement or editorial from a newspaper. Explain that this type of writing is meant to persuade or convince the reader to agree with the writer. 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 they've read recently that taught them something (science book, biography, etc.). Ask students to think of something they've read that was funny, scary, silly, mysterious, etc. (comics, fiction books). Ask students for an example of something they've read that was persuasive or convincing (an advertisement or poster).
• Independent practice: Have students complete the author's purpose worksheet. Discuss their responses.
• Extend the discussion: Ask students if they think the author's message in Historic Peacemakers was clear. Ask if they were persuaded to start or become involved in a peer mediation program.

Grammar and Mechanics: Pronunciations in parentheses

• Review or explain that pronunciation refers to how to articulate, or say, a word. Discuss how some words are particularly difficult to pronounce, especially if they are words from another language or someone's name. Point out that in these cases, an author may choose to write the pronunciation within parentheses directly after the word so that the reader may continue to read fluently through the text.
• Tell students that when writing the pronunciation for a word, the word is broken into syllables. Review that a syllable is a part of a word that is spoken with an uninterrupted sound of the voice. Words are broken into syllables by their sound, and each syllable must have only one vowel sound.
• Direct students to page 5. Ask them to find the pronunciation within parentheses (mah-HAT-mah GAHN-dee). Review or explain that when reading these broken syllables aloud, the syllable that is written in all capital letters is read with more emphasis. Point out that each syllable has one vowel sound and that each word has one syllable with emphasis. Ask students why the last syllable is spelled out dee when the name ends in an i (because the vowel sounds like a long /e/, not a short /i/). Practice pronouncing the name Mahatma Gandhi with the class.
• Direct students to page 8. Ask them to find the pronunciation within parentheses (ah-PAR-tide). Ask students which of the three syllables gets the emphasis (the second, PAR). Have students turn to a neighbor and practice pronouncing the word apartheid.
• Check for understanding: Have students turn to page 14 and identify the pronunciation given within parentheses (gon-KHA bo-yakh-YOO). Ask how many words are broken into syllables (two) and how many total syllables the two words have (five). Ask which syllables get the emphasis (KHA and YOO). Have students turn to a neighbor and practice pronouncing Gonxha Bojaxhiu. Listen to individual responses.

Word Work: Irregular content words

• Tell students that many of the vocabulary words in the book are used to tell about things having to do with important social issues. Provide opportunities for students to talk about difficult words such as apartheid and discrimination.
• Check for understanding: Provide opportunities for students to say the new vocabulary words from the book and to use the words in sentences. The content words listed in the beginning of this lesson plan are all words that could be highlighted in this section.
• Independent practice: Give students the vocabulary worksheet. Each worksheet provides an opportunity for students to work with two vocabulary words. Supply multiple copies for students to continue working on more words if they have time.

Independent Reading

• Allow students to read their books independently or with a partner. Encourage repeated timed readings of a specific section of the book. Additionally, 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

• Have students choose one of the six people highlighted in Historic Peacemakers. Provide print and Internet resources for students to research their topic in more depth and write a brief report about him or her. Have students include important information, such as dates of birth and death, if and when they won the Nobel Peace Prize, and what country they are from. They should also include at least three facts that are not given in the book they just read. Bind the reports in a book titled “Important Historic Peacemakers” and display on the classroom bookshelf for all to read.

Social Studies Connection

• Discuss the need for leaders such as Gandhi, King, Jr., Mandela, and Mother Teresa. Ask students if they think the world would be the same today if it were not for these leaders. Discuss that their choices and views weren't always popular, but they stuck to their convictions and did what they knew was right in order to make the world a more peaceful place.

Monitor students to determine if they can:

• use the strategy of asking and answering questions to understand informational text
• identify and understand the author's purpose
• understand and read pronunciations in parentheses
• understand and use content vocabulary