John Tyler: U.S. President Biography and Assessment

Item description

This “printable/no prep” resource requires your students read an engaging 900-word biographical text on one of America’s least known and under-appreciated U.S. presidents, John Tyler. This text is his life story, including the many unusual aspects of his presidency: he was the first vice-president to take office due to death of the president, the first president to be expelled by his own political party while in office, and the first president to have an impeachment resolution introduced against him. In addition to that, Texas became a U.S. state in large part due to Tyler’s influence while president. This US History reading and assessment activity helps address several Common Core ELA Standards that are listed below this introduction and is suitable for Grades 5-8. There are a total of 27 comprehension, cause and effect, and short-answer inferential questions that require application of Common Core Standards to a thorough close reading of the biography. An additional crossword puzzle to use with early finishers or as an alternative form of assessment is included with this resource! This resource can be used in a number of ways by teachers (close reading, distance learning, direct instruction in class, independent practice, absence work, homework, test prep, assessment, centers, etc).

Informational Text Standards

RI.4.1: Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

RI.4.5: Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.

RI.5.3: Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.

RI.6.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.