VIPs in United States History

Students in the fifth grade study the contributions of important individuals during the American Revolution such as Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, etc. To reinforce their learning, groups of two or three students create books with text and illustrations for their first and second grade little buddies at the school, and read their own and others' books to the children biweekly. The younger children will be able to take their books home at the end of the project to read to their younger siblings and parents. The fifth graders also design a Power Point presentation of their book with recorded narrative to be posted on the school website so other students in the school can access the stories at home (our school is part of the Computers for Families program in which families are given free, refurbished computers with inexpensive internet access). Aliso Elementary School is a K-5 school of 375 students, the majority of who are English Language Learners, in the small coastal city of Carpinteria, in California's Santa Barbara County.