"The President has Been Shot!": The Assassination of John F.. Kennedy by James L. Swanson

Swanson, J. (2013). "The President has been shot": The assassination of John F. Kennedy. New York: Scholastic Press.

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Narrative Nonfiction
2014 Nonfiction Award Finalist

Grades 6 and up

"The President Has Been Shot!": The Assassination of John F. Kennedy is a narrative nonfiction account of the time leading up to and after the assassination of President Kennedy.  There are two parts to the book: Part 1- Introduction to John F. Kennedy.  This starts with the president's early years through his election and inauguration.  It continues through the Cuban Missile Crisis all the way through to Civil Rights.  Part 2- picks up with the assassination.  It tells about the days leading up to Oswald shooting the president and also gives a back story on him.  Swanson does a great job sharing the facts of the story in a narrative format that everyone can read and feel as though they are there in the minute.  He has a way of drawing you into the story.  The Epilogue continues with the days that follow the tragedy.  It takes you from the swearing in of Johnson to the funeral of Kennedy.  There is a focus on Jackie Kennedy and how strong she is through the whole ordeal.  The book is illustrated with many photos, maps, and diagrams.  The photos make it personal and the maps and diagrams help you to picture everything. This is a perfect book for students who normally avoid nonfiction.

Partner Titles:

 Stein, C. (1992). The assassination of John F. Kennedy. Chicago: Childrens Press.

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Nonfiction

Grades 4 and up 

Cornerstones of Freedom: The Story of The Assassination of John F. Kennedy by Conrad Stein is a nonfiction children's book that would partner nicely with The President Has Been Shot!": The Assassination of John F. Kennedy because it describes the assassination of Kennedy and the events that follow in a lower reading level. This will help support students that have difficulty in reading.  This book could allow struggling readers that aren't quite on grade level the opportunity to read and learn about this tragedy in history.

 Collins, T. (2014). The assassination of John F. Kennedy: 22 November 1963. Heinemann.

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Graphic Novel

24-Hour History Series

Grades 3-8

The Assassination of John F. Kennedy: November 22, 1963 (24-Hour History) by Terry Collins is a graphic novel that will be a great partner to "The President Has Been Shot!" The Assassination of John F. Kennedy because it tells the events of that tragic day through pictures.  This book will definitely appeal to your comic book readers and also your struggling readers.  For your struggling readers, being able to "read" the account through pictures could make all the difference in the world.

Kelly, T. (2013). A Day That Changed History: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy. Smart Apple Media.

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Nonfiction

Turning Points in History Series

Grades 6-8

A Day That Changed History: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy (Turning Points in History) by Tracey Kelly would be another fantastic fit to partner with The President Has Been Shot!": The Assassination of John F. Kennedy because it describes the president's life, death, and the effect it had on the world.  School Library Journal (SLJ) gave it a great review saying in part that it has riveting text and a plethora of photographs.

 Landau, E. (2013). Assassins, traitors and spies. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications.

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Nonfiction

Grades 4-6

Assassins, Traitors, and Spies by Elaine Landau would be another great book to partner with "The President Has Been Shot!": The Assassination of John F. Kennedy.  This book tells us about Lee Harvey Oswald and other infamous people from history.  There are no good guys here!  This will appeal to your students who want to know more about Oswald and "the bad guys" of history.  John Peters from Booklist says that the informal tone and breezy prose may make it better for recreational reading rather than research....which kids might prefer.  I think this would be right up a middle schooler's alley.

 Swanson, J. (2009). Chasing Lincoln's killer. New York: Scholastic Press. 

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Narrative Nonfiction

Grades 7 and up

"Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson would make a nice partner to "The President Has Been Shot!" The Assassination of John F.Kennedy because it is by the same author and it is written in the same manner.  It is a YA adaptation of his book Manhunt: The 12-Day Hunt for Lincoln's Killer. It is a step by step account of the manhunt for John Wilkes Booth.  SLJ reviews the book saying that the sentences are shorter and chapters are condensed, but the suspense is ever present.  It goes on to say this book would be a welcome addition to all libraries.

Teaching Ideas:

1. Literary Elements-English Grade 6 SOL 6.5- The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of fictional texts, narrative nonfiction, and poetry. a) Identify the elements of narrative structure, including setting, character, plot, conflict, and theme.  Discuss with students the literary elements as you read the book and complete a story map to represent comprehension of the story and the literary elements.  Ask students to take their story map and represent their learning through a Powtoon, Prezi, Emaze, or Powerpoint.  Share presentations with the class.

2. Literary Elements-English Grade 7 SOL 7.5- The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of fictional texts, narrative nonfiction, and poetry. a) Describe the elements of narrative structure including setting, character development, plot structure, theme, and conflict.  Discuss with students the literary elements.  Discuss with students the literary elements as you read the book and complete a story map to represent comprehension of the story and the literary elements.  Also ask students to complete a chart on character development for Lee Harvey Oswald.  Ask students to use information from the chart to complete a slide either on Powerpoint or Emaze.

3.  Research- English Grade 8 SOL 8.9- The student will apply knowledge of appropriate reference materials to produce a research product. a) Collect and synthesize information from multiple sources including online, print and media. Ask students to complete a research project on the conspiracy theories behind the assassination of JFK.  Students will use a variety of resources both online and print to develop their own theory about what happened.  Suggest JFK Library and Library of Congress websites as a place to start their research.

4. Cuban Missile Crisis- USII.8 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the economic, social, and political transformation of the United States and the world between the end of World War II and the present by c)  identifying the role of America’s military and veterans in defending freedom during the Cold War, including the wars in Korea and Vietnam, the Cuban missile crisis, the collapse of communism in Europe, and the rise of new challenges; The Cuban Missile Crisis along with other important events are mentioned in the book.  Ask students to research the crisis using both online and print sources.  Suggest JFK Library and Library of Congress websites as a place to start their research.  Ask students to curate their sources using Symbaloo, Smore, or a tool of their own choosing.

5. Timeline- USII.1  The student will demonstrate skills for historical and geographical analysis and responsible citizenship, including the ability to c) sequence events in United States history from 1865 to the present.  Complete a timeline of events using tiki toki.

Further Explorations:

Social Media- Follow James L. Swanson on Twitter. It is always fun to follow authors to see what they have to say. 

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum At this website you can browse the media gallery, search the archives, explore the interactives, or become a member.

Watch several videos and read about President Kennedy here from History.com

PBS shares 8 Things You May Not Know About Lee Harvey Oswald from he tried to commit suicide to his feelings were mixed about JFK.

Biography of Lee Harvey Oswald here from History.com

Youtube video from National Geographic JFK's Assassination.  Watch this short video about that tragic day, November 22, 1963.

Library of Congress- John F. Kennedy- A resource guide 

Bibliography:

Collins, T. (2014). The assassination of John F. Kennedy: 22 November 1963. Heinemann.

 JFK's Assassination. (2009, November 17). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEVfKKjODBg 

 John F. Kennedy: A Resource Guide. (n.d.). Library of congress. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/presidents/kennedy/

 John F. Kennedy. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/john-f-kennedy

 John F. Kennedy Library and Museum. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.jfklibrary.org

Kelly, T. (2013). A Day That Changed History: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy. Smart Apple Media.

Landau, E. (2013). Assassins, traitors and spies. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications.

 Lee Harvey Oswald. (2013, March 21). Retrieved from http://www.history.co.uk/biographies/lee-harvey-oswald

Stein, C. (1992). The assassination of John F. Kennedy. Chicago: Childrens Press.

Swanson, J. (2009). Chasing Lincoln's killer. New York: Scholastic Press. 

Swanson, J. (2013). "The President has been shot": The assassination of John F. Kennedy. New York: Scholastic Press.

 Swanson, J. (n.d.). Twitter. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/jameslswanson

Virginia Department of Education. (2012). Grade 6 English Retrieved from  http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/english/index.shtml

Virginia Department of Education (2012). Grade 7 English Retrieved from  http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/english/index.shtml

Virginia Department of Education (2012). United states history 1865 to present.  Retrieved from  http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/history_socialscience/index.shtml

 Who Was Lee Harvey Oswald? (2013, November 19). Retrieved fromhttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/biographies/oswald/8-things-you-may-not-know-about-lee-harvey-oswald/