Scott Foresman Reading Street

	Build vocabulary by finding words related to the lesson concept.
	Listen for the main idea and important details.

initials the first letter of words

patriotic having or showing love and loyal support for your country

recruiting getting people to join

then… review the lesson concept. Place the words on
the web and provide additional words for practice, such as loyal and historic.

If… students are unable to place words on the web,

Check Vocabulary

Whole Group
Introduce and discuss the Question of the Week. Then
use pp. 284l–286b.

Group Time

Reading

Differentiated Instruction

this week's Leveled Readers. See pp. 284f–284g
for the small group lesson
plan.

Whole Group
Use p. 303a.

Language Arts
Use pp. 303e–303h and 303k–303m.

Grouping Options

Set Purpose

Have students listen for the main idea and details that support the idea that Uncle Sam is a symbol for the United States.

Creative Response

Have students work in small groups to improvise a patriotic event, such as Independence Day. Encourage students to discuss Uncle Sam as a symbol of the country. Drama

Build Background Show students the image of Uncle Sam. Explain that he is a symbol of the United States.

Access Content Before reading, share this summary: The Uncle Sam we see today was probably introduced during the War of 1812 when a man named Sam Wilson stamped meat with the initials U.S.

Homework Send home this week's Family Times newsletter.

Build Concepts

FLUENCY

MODEL ACCURACY, APPROPRIATE PACE/RATE, AND EXPRESSION As you read

“Uncle Sam,” read with an appropriate tone. Use your tone of voice to model
reading with expression. Use intonation when reading the rhetorical question
“Who is he?” Use amusement and excitement as you read the last line.

LISTENING COMPREHENSION

After reading “Uncle Sam,” use the following questions to assess listening
comprehension.

In a word or two, who is this selection about? (Uncle Sam) What is
the most important idea about this topic? (Uncle Sam is a cartoon
symbol for the United States of America.) Main Idea and Details
What is one detail that tells more about the main idea? (Possible
response: He sometimes appears at patriotic gatherings.)
Main Idea and Details

BUILD CONCEPT VOCABULARY

Start a web to build concepts and vocabulary related to this week’s lesson and
the unit theme.

Draw the American Symbols Concept Web.
Read the sentence with the word initials again. Ask students to pronounce
initials and discuss its meaning.
Place initials in an oval attached to Origin. Explain that initials is related to this
concept. Read the sentences in which patriotic and recruiting appear. Have
students pronounce the words, place them on the web, and provide reasons.
Brainstorm additional words and categories for the web. Keep the web on
display and add words throughout the week.

Perhaps you've seen him in parades or at a Fourth of July picnic. He sometimes appears at patriotic gatherings clad in a long blue coat, a vest, and red and white striped trousers. He normally wears a beard and a tall striped and starred hat, and he appears to be dressed to look like the American flag. Who is he? He is "Uncle Sam," a cartoon symbol for the United States of America.

There is much debate about who Uncle Sam was and how the symbol came to be. The first mention of him was in a Troy, New York, newspaper article that appeared on September 7, 1813. It seems that a certain meat-processing plant owner named Sam Wilson began stamping the meat sold to the United States Army during the War of 1812 with the letters "U.S." The meatpackers at his plant called Sam Wilson "Uncle Sam," and the story was that the initials "U.S." really stood for "Uncle Sam" Wilson rather than "United States." The nickname stuck, and from then on everything belonging to the United States government began to be called "Uncle Sam's." Soon, cartoonists latched on to this idea, and they began drawing varieties of Uncle Sam in political cartoons. The most famous depictions of Uncle Sam were on World War I and World War II military recruiting posters. Today, no patriotic gathering would be complete without an appearance by someone dressed as Uncle Sam.

by Delno C. West and Jean M. West