John Hancock by Candice Ransom
Biography
John Hancock led a very interesting life. His family wanted him to become a minister, but he had other ideas for himself. His uncle adopted him after his father passed away, and all of a sudden John had money! When John was an adult, King George of England started to tax the colonists and the colonists became angry because they did not have anyone to represent them in Parliament, the place where all the laws are made. Some of the colonists, including John Hancock, formed a group called the Sons of Liberty. The Sons of Liberty protested Britain's taxes, and eventually they got them repealed! But the peace did not last for long, and eventually King George angered the colonists again with a new set of taxes. John was elected President of the Congress and was picked to sign the Declaration of Independence. He signed his name very large on the document to prove to King George that he was not afraid of him. Eventually the Revolution ended and America was free, and John was elected governor of Massachusetts. He married and lived a happy life until he died in 1793.
Not only is this book an example of a biography, a genre many students are unfamiliar with, it is also a book that covers many of the important events in our country's early history. It would be a good book to use to talk about the major documents that formed the foundation of our government and to talk about how the government has changed over time, both of which are 5th grade Social Studies objectives.
Above is a link to a video I made on Animoto.com as one of my technology incorporations. I thought it was a really great way to pull pictures of some of the most important people and events in the book. Giving the students 5 or 6 pre-selected websites with pictures of things related to the book and John Hancock's life would be a really great way for them to delve more into the topic and possibly gain a greater understanding of the book.
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