ere is your opportunity to investigate an American childhood not covered in class and also to demonstrate your understanding of the relationship of childhood to adulthood by drafting your own college-level examination.

In your text, How Lincoln Learned to Read, select one of the following:

1. Nabby (Abigail Adams, brilliant and strong minded wife of President John Adams)

2.Andy ( President Andrew Jackson, brutal Indian fighter and "friend of the common man?"

3. Thocmetony (Sarah Winnemucca, writer, translator and activist for American Indian rights.)

4. Henry (Henry Ford) Pioneered mass production of reliable and affordable cars

5.Rachel Carson ( The mother of the environmental movement )

6. Jack ( John F. Kennedy, heroic martyred young president from rich Catholic family)

7.Elvis (Elvis Presley, The king of rock n'roll from a poor white family)

The assignment:

1. Read the appropriate chapter in your book.Then do background reading on your subject so that you can put the childhood into the perspective of adult achievement. Wiki articles are often helpful in that regard.

2.After completing the reading, ask yourself– what questions might I ask of students so that they development an understanding of the character? So that they can link childhood to adulthood? What might provoke class discussion? Take a look at some of the previous assignments to get a better understanding of what makes for a reasonable question. Can YOU write a good exam?

3. Write out your questions and then–this is the hard part–answer them yourself to prove that you understand the subject. Five questions and nicely developed responsive paragraphs. Make sure you spell check and revise!