{"id":251739,"date":"2010-01-29T22:09:09","date_gmt":"2010-01-30T03:09:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/openwidelookinside\/archives\/2286"},"modified":"2010-01-29T22:09:09","modified_gmt":"2010-01-30T03:09:09","slug":"teaching-civics-with-children%e2%80%99s-literature-abe-lincoln-crosses-a-creek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/251739","title":{"rendered":"Teaching Civics with Children\u2019s Literature: Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Introduction and Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n

Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek<\/a> is a great children’s\u00a0 historical fiction written by Deborah Hopkinson <\/a>and illustrated by John Hendrix<\/a>.\u00a0 Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek is, “an old tale of two boys who got themselves into more trouble than bear cubs in a candy store” as the author puts it.\u00a0\u00a0 Austin Gollaher, is Abraham Lincoln’s childhood friend who saved young Lincoln’s life a long time ago “on the other side of yesterday” and who the history books forgot.\u00a0 It is a story about childhood adventure, friendship, helping others and the important lesson of how our actions effect others.\u00a0 This book is amazingly creative both in it’s story and it’s illustrations.\u00a0 Through the book’s creativity the reader can really start to hear, see and feel the story.\u00a0 Near the end, the pages tell us how the Lincoln’s move from Kentucky, (where the boys had their adventures), to Indiana and and how Abe Lincoln goes on to the White House. \u00a0 Here the moral of the story really comes to life when the author asks us to,”Remember Austin Gollaher, because what we do matters, even if we don’t end up in history books.\u00a0 Yes, let’s remember Austin Gollaher, who, one day long ago, when no one else was there to see, saved Abe Lincoln’s life.\u00a0 And without Abraham Lincoln, where would we be?”<\/p>\n

Curriculum Connections<\/strong><\/p>\n

Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek<\/a> could be used creatively to connect children’s literature with the Virginia Standards of Learning\u00a0 civics curriculum (1.10).\u00a0 This book would serve as a great support tool when teaching first graders about the importance of helping others, valuing honesty and truthfulness in oneself and others and taking responsibility for one’s own actions.\u00a0 It could also be used as a companion source when introducing second graders (who have some background knowledge of Lincoln) to the civics curriculum of the Virginia Standards of Learning (2.11) as the student’s identify Abraham Lincoln and other great Americans whose contributions to this country improved the lives of others who came after them.<\/p>\n

Additional Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n