Kindergarden Read - Aloud

Presidents and American Symbols: Supplemental Guide 5A | Thomas Jefferson 81

Presenting the Read-Aloud 10 minutes

Thomas Jefferson

 Show image 5A-1: 18th-century library

You are learning to read and write. One day, you will be able to pick

up almost any book, open it, and start to read the words. People who

write books are called authors—or writers.

[Point to and name the author of one of your class’s favorite picture books.]

 Show image 5A-2: Portrait of Thomas Jefferson

This is Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson was the third president

of the United States. He loved to read. While he was alive, he owned

more books than anyone else in the country! He said, “I cannot live

without books.”

 Show image 5A-4: Jefferson the writer

Thomas Jefferson was also one of the best authors—or writers—ever

to live in the United States. He wrote about the plants he grew on his

farm and how to grow them; he wrote about music and art; he wrote

about the best ways to build houses; he wrote about animals and

birds; he wrote about how to be a good friend; and he wrote about

Native Americans who had lived in America for a long, long time.

Jefferson wrote about so many things because he was curious and

interested in so many things! He was known for his curiosity—and his

desire to learn and to know about many things. According to a family

legend, each morning Jefferson would fill his pockets with items he

could measure and record things on.

[Ask: “Is a legend completely true?” Remind students that a legend is not

completely true.]

[Hold up the measuring tools as they are mentioned.]

According to the family legend, Jefferson would put a thermometer, a

compass, a scale, a notebook, a pencil, and sometimes even a small

globe into his pockets! He would use these tools throughout the day

to measure things.