Thomas Jefferson is one of the most recognized names and faces in America—but is there more to the third president of the United States? Upper elementary and middle schoolers conduct research on Jefferson, his famous home at Monticello, and his place in American history.

Concepts

thomas jefferson, monticello, Narrative Writing, historical fiction, research writing

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Create an interdisciplinary unit in which a social studies class focuses on the historical research, and learners complete the narrative writing project in language arts

Classroom Considerations

• Provides a link to an article detailing Jefferson's history of owning slaves, which would be most appropriate in an older and more mature classroom that can consider both aspects of his legacy
• Lesson requires two days to complete

Pros

• Comes with several additional sources for teacher and student reference

Cons

• None

Common Core

W.3.3.a W.3.7 W.4.3.a W.4.7 W.5.3.a W.5.7 W.6.3.a W.6.7 W.7.3.a W.7.7 W.8.3.a W.8.7 RH.6-8.1