Calling all elementary teachers looking for lesson plans and activities for Before She Was Harriet! You found the right place! This post will be very helpful! It includes resource recommendations, teaching ideas, and information about the book. You’ll have what you need to deliver engaging interactive read aloud lessons based on this book!
With themes of bravery, perseverance and advocation, this Before She Was Harriet picture book by Lesa Cline-Ransome is a favorite in 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade classrooms. It is sure to be a big hit in your classroom too! You’ll pull it out year after year as one of your favorite Black History Month picture books. Although it lends itself to a lesson on black history, it can be used any time of the school year.
Learn more about this children’s book below!
Engage Your Students with Before She Was Harriet Lesson Plans & Activities in 3 Easy Steps:
- Read a summary of Before She Was Harriet. You can find it in the section below.
- Check out the free teaching ideas for this book below! There are suggestions for reading comprehension strategies, grammar topics and social emotional learning skills.
- Download the book companion to make lesson planning simple with Before She Was Harriet reading comprehension questions, writing prompts, teaching ideas & no-prep extension activities.
BEFORE SHE WAS HARRIET SUMMARY
At the end of her life, Harriet may have been seen as a wrinkly, achy old woman. However, this story shows how she earned those wrinkles.
This story teaches readers about her life in sequential order. It starts with her beginning years as a slave. Next, it goes into her becoming a conductor in the Underground Railroad. Finally, readers learn about her experience fighting in the Civil War.
This beautifully written story shows the incredible journey Harriet made to empower others. Further, it shows how her legacy still impacts us today.
Your students will love this inspiring story!
BEFORE SHE WAS HARRIET LESSON PLAN IDEAS
Each of our 400+ Starts With a Story book companions come with a teacher’s guide to make lesson planning quick and easy. They also include printable worksheets and digital resources that cover ALL of the standards-based reading comprehension skills.
When it comes to writing lesson plans and finding activities for Before She Was Harriet, we’ve already done all of the heavy lifting for you. We make it easy!
We found this book was especially good at teaching the topics listed below. Scoop up these free teaching ideas now!
READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
The text-based Before She Was Harriet reading comprehension questions focus on:
- sequencing
- analyzing character
- identifying main idea
- ask and answer questions
LITERATURE-BASED SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING LESSONS
We found this story to be a great SEL picture book to promote:
- bravery
- perseverance
- advocation
GRAMMAR, VOCABULARY & WORD STUDY
- rhythm
- bold print
BEFORE SHE WAS HARRIET ACTIVITIES
You’ll receive all of the following resources aligned to the story:
- comprehension questions
- 30 writing prompts with themed paper
- vocabulary activities
- word study print & go activities
- ideas for grammar lessons with focus sentence printables
- social emotional learning discussion topics
- graphic organizers to target specific comprehension skills and strategies
YOU HAVE 2 OPTIONS! WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO PURCHASE THIS BOOK COMPANION?
BOOK INFO FOR ELEMENTARY TEACHERS
What are the reading levels for Before She Was Harriet?
- Lexile® Measure: N/A
- Guided Reading Level: N/A
- DRA Level: N/A
- Accelerated Reader Level (ARC): N/A
Who is the author? Who is the illustrator?
The book was written by Lesa Cline-Ransome. It was illustrated by James E. Ransome.
What genre is Before She Was Harriet?
It is a biography book. You may want to check out our genre activities or read our blog post, How to Teach Genre to Elementary Students.
How many pages are in the book?
The story is 32 pages long.
