Rutherford B. Hayes: U.S. President Biography and Assessment

Item description

This “printable/no prep” resource is part of my American President Series, which includes biographies and assessments on all the chief executives who have led the United States since its independence. The text requires students to read an engaging and informative 900-word biography on an interesting and overlooked American president, Rutherford B. Hayes. This passage tells his life story, and it details his experiences and actions before, during, and after his presidency. Hayes was mockingly nicknamed “His Fraudulency” after he was declared the winner of the contested 1876 presidential election, but his term in office was marked by an effort to demonstrate honest and intelligent leadership of the country. 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 31 vocabulary and comprehension questions that require application of Common Core Standards to a thorough close reading of the biography.
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.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.5.4: Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.
RI.6.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.