Chasing Lincoln's Killer

1. Chasing Lincoln's Killer Interacting With the Text Using 12 Reading Strategies

2. assassin (n) -a murderer, especially one who kills a politically prominent  person for fanatical or monetary reasons. etymology -- 1530s from the Arabic word "hashishiyyin" which means  "hashish users.“ A fanatical religious sect during the time of the Crusades had a reputation for murdering opposing leaders after intoxicating themselves by eating hashish. 

3. Before Reading: Make Predictions and Ask Questions • Fill in the first column of the KWL Chart.  What do you already know about President Lincoln's assassination? • Flip through the book, using the pictures and captions to pre-read.  Based on what you see there and on your own curiosity, list several things that you want to know or hope to discover while reading the book.  

4. April 15, 2011 3rd Period: Write down the list of 8 dates you will need to create your timeline. The first date should be March 4 and the last date should be April 14. Make sure to write what happened on each date. All other classes: Share your timeline with the person next you and compare dates and events.

5. Prologue and Chapter 1 • Create a timeline using all of the dates and events that the author mentions in these two chapters.  • Make sure your timeline is to scale. • Find all dates and events and write them down before you start the timeline. • Come get a sheet of graph paper and start plotting out the timeline.

6. Chapter 2Visualizing / Recalling Facts and Details • Create an accurate map that shows a "bird's eye view" of the events in this chapter. Each group's map will be assessed for • accuracy -- does it match the chapter • details -- does it include all of the details mentioned • ease of reading -- can it be read without explanation

7. Chapter 2A Writer's Eye -- Craft • How does the author create suspense in this chapter? • What character details bring these historical figures to life? • 3 examples of each!

8. Based on your reading, which illustration is most historically accurate?

9. Chapters 3 -4Making Inferences • Fill out your inference chart. • What can you infer about each character based on the author's description?  • How does the author feel about each character?  What words for phrases clue you in?

10. How Does News Spread in 1865 vs. 2014 • Warm-up: Create this in your warm-up section Fill in the 2014 side. Read pages 77-88 in Chapter 5.

11. Chapter 5Comparing and Contrasting • Reread pages 78 and 79.  Now re-imagine this scene in 2014.  How would news spread differently? How would it be the same? How would people's reactions and interactions differ today? 

12. Homework • For homework tonight, re-write the beginning of chapter five in one page detailing how the news of President Lincoln’s death would spread in 2014.

13. May 14, 2013 • List five main events that have happened so far in Chasing Lincoln’s Killer.

14. May 15, 2013 • Write two complex sentences about the Civil War or Chasing Lincoln’s Killer.

15. Chapters 6-7Recognizing Cause and Effect Raise your hand if you've heard this myth: NEVER START A SENTENCE WITH BECAUSE • "Because" always begins a dependent clause. • Dependent clauses always need to be attached to independent clauses. • You can start a sentence with "because" as long as you don't stop too soon; attach the independent clause. 

16. "Because" Sentences Incorrect: Because I was late to school. Correct: Because I was late to school, I missed the directions in art class. Incorrect:  Because I scored the winning point. Correct: Because I scored the winning point, my team was proud of me. Correct: Because I am afraid of the dentist, I try to avoid getting cavities. Because I lost my homework, I could not complete it.  Because Lincoln was busy during the Civil War, he did not get to spend much time with his family. 

17. Chapters 6-7 Recognizing Cause and Effect • Write ten historically accurate, properly punctuated sentences that begin with because and show the cause and effect relationships between events in these chapters. 

18. Creative Writing Write a 10-line complex thought poem on one of the following topics: • The mood of the country during the Civil War • The mood of the country after Lincoln’s assassination. • The mood of Booth as he is on the run.

19. April 14, 2014 • Give an example of what an outline of information would look like.

20. Chapters 8-9Finding the Main Idea • Outline the information in these two chapters.  • Use at least three "main ideas" to organize the information. • Use at least two supporting details underneath each one. • Main Idea • Supporting Detail • Supporting Detail • Main Idea • Supporting Detail • Supporting Detail

21. Here are some sample outlines: 

22. April 15, 2014 • Add five facts to your learned column. • Add three questions you are wondering about

23. Chapter 10Vocabulary in Context As you read the chapter, jot down two things for each word: • Your best guess at the definition. • The words or phrases in the context that helped you make that educated guess. • emitted (144) • hull (146) • greenbacks (146) • cavalry (148) • alleged (150) • couriers (150)

24. Chapter 11Interpreting Figurative Language Write down these five examples of figurative language from Chapter 11 along with the page references.  Using context clues, put each one in your own words.   1. The soldiers huddled with the fugitives and hatched a plan (155). 2. Booth spun a believable tale for the Garrets (155). 3. Finally, at the climax of a twelve-day manhunt that had gripped the nation, a heavily armed patrol . . . had cornered Lincoln's killer (167). 4. He frisked him and . . . , like a schoolmaster taking a disobedient student by the collar, marched him from the barn (168).  5. The pine twigs and straw burst into flames that licked the dry, weathered boards (171). 

25. Chapters 12-EpilogueChoose Your Strategy Choose one of the following:     1. Creating a timeline (Understanding Sequence)     2. Creating a map (Recalling Facts and Details)     3. Create a "chain of events" (Understanding Cause and    Effect)     4. Create an outline (Finding the Main Idea)     5. Create a poem using 5 challenging vocab words from these chapters (Understanding Vocabulary in Context)     6. Create a two paragraph essay comparing and contrasting the events at the end of the book to events that have been in the news during your lifetime (Comparing and Contrasting)     7. Create a one page dialogue between two of the convicts the morning of their execution (Making Inferences)

26. Creative Writing Activity • An Accurate Newspaper Article • A diary entry from a teenager during that time period • A letter from one friend to another • Use at least five facts from the novel. • It should be at least a page long.