. . . If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution by Elizabeth Levy

. . . If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution Reviews

• 
  Haley S

  All kids should read this when they are studying the Constitution!
• 
  Darlene

  I read this non-fiction history book aloud to my children.
  
  This children's book provides a really good overview of the events leading up to the formation of the Constitution, the process by which it was written and signed, and some background information about important historical figures including Ben Franklin, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Gouverneur Morris, James Madison, William Paterson, Roger Sherman, and Luther Martin.
  
  My children and I really enjoyed this book. The language is appropriate for young listeners, and the book provided just enough information in small bites without being too overwhelming. What we found most interesting were the amendments that were added to the Constitution and how they had an impact on the lives of Americans. For example, before the 13th Amendment was added to the Constitution in 1865, it was legal to own slaves.
  
  Joan Holub's illustrations are bright and colourful, and they are featured on nearly every page. It was very interesting for my kids to see how people looked and dressed during that time period.
  
  Overall, I am very impressed with this series and will be looking for more of them to add to our collection. This book is a very good complement to your American history studies, and I would recommend it! The series is marketed as appropriate for Grades 3-5.
  
  MY RATING: 4 stars!! It was very good, and we would recommend it!
• 
  Laura (Book Scrounger)

  I was impressed at how many historical details were included in this overview of the writing of the constitution. It's written in a question-and-answer format, and covers historical context, famous signers, problems and compromises, branches of government, and more, and at the end, discusses why the constitution was called a "miracle."
• 
  Bethany Baird

  Boys really loved this one. It simplified the Constitution and the Government so that they could understand.
• 
  Margaret Chind

  What a year this has been for all of us and especially in learning and teaching about the elections procedures in the United States of America. My girls and I are working on our own pace through the BookShark Reading with History Level 3 books (aka Level D) and we just finished this one. Asked in a question and answer format, these books If You Loved when... are full of details and knowledge. (And of course, we are especially fond of Joan Holub.)
  
  We own an update and revised copy if this book on BookShark Curriculum recommendation. I believe it is also recommended by Sonlight Curriculum Core D and The Good and the Beautiful Reading Level 5.
• 
  Lisa Herring

  Book Title: If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution by Elizabeth Levy
  
  Short Description of the Book: In this story, Levy used the sequence of events that lined up to the signing of the constitution. She uses a question and answer format for each page.
  
  Focus: Informational features I would use in a mini lesson:
  
  1). Text features: Students will be shown how to write using text features in their writing.
  2). Sequencing: Students will learn how to write in a correct sequence.
  3). Question/Answer form: Students will be shown how to write using a question as their guide and then answering the question on the page.
  
  Mini-Lesson:
  
  1. After introducing the book the students will be shown the text features that are used in the book.
  2. Students will then write three questions to write about in their writings.
  3. Students will write a story using the question and answer process.
  4. Students will then conference with the teacher.
  5. They will return to revise their writings.
  
  What I expect my students to learn from the lesson.
  • I want my students to learn how to write using text features and question/answer sequencing.
  • I want my students to be able to revise their writings appropriately.
  
  CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
  o CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.3a Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
  o CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.3b Use dialogue and description to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations.
  o CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.3e Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.
  
  
  
  
• 
  Dolly

  This summer I took our girls to
  Gunston Hall, the home of
  George Mason, the author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, which was the model for the U.S. Bill of Rights. After our tour, we visited the gift shop and I purchased this book to read at home. I liked the format and I thought the way the material was presented made it easy to read in sections or all at once.
  
  The narrative is long, but not overwhelming, and the book outlines both the Constitution itself as well as the people who wrote it and signed it. George Mason is famous for not signing the Constitution, because a Bill of Rights was not initially included. He eventually got his way, of course, but his refusal to sign strained his relationships with the nation's leaders, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
  
  Overall, we found this to be an informative book. It's not terribly engaging, but we broke up the reading over a couple of nights, so our girls didn't get bored. I think it's a good way to introduce the history of the Constitution or to reinforce concepts that have already been taught. We really enjoyed reading this book together.
• 
  Stacy

  This book is part of a series about the United States. While it mainly deals with the time during the writing of the Constitution it also addresses who some of the founding fathers were, the Bill of Rights, the American Revolution, and issues like slavery. The pictures are fun and not too whimsical. Like the other books in the series, there is a list of questions in the table of contents so the child can quickly go to the answer in which he or she is most interested.
• 
  Heather

  This has the same basic information (give or take a tidbit or two) that the Cheney and Maestro books have. This is a little more textbooky/dry, but still has value. It could easily be read by a middle schooler or even an elementary student with a bit of help for the 'big' words.
  
  I need to read back through all the Constitution books we used to pick a favorite.
• 
  Massanutten Regional Library

  Joseph, Central patron, June 2018, 5 stars:
  
  This book gives an excellent introduction to younger audiences and a refresher to adults about how the Constitution was created. I highly recommend this book to all readers of all ages!
• 
  Genoise

  Great introduction to our Constitution for children ages 6-10.
• 
  Skye

  Good information.
• 
  Tamara

  I found this to be a little more dense than others in the series and therefore a little bulky for my students. Having said that, I found this to be a great resource to fill in gaps from my textbook.
• 
  Sara

  Written in question/answer format with no nonfiction text features. Pictures are boring and do not engage students. However, this book would be good to use when teaching about the constitution.
• 
  SamZ

  Awesome informative book about the who, what, when, where, and why of the US Constitution. I loved the simple, straightforward Q&A format that gave lots of information without being overwhelming.
• 
  Stephen

  It was very explainable about the war and about the constitution I love it that is all
• 
  Catherine

  This is a fun and informative intro to the Constitution for kids. I recommend it for upper elementary students.
• 
  Lara Lleverino

  Julia and I really enjoyed this book. It was a good read aloud for her and we got to learn about our government.
• 
  Julia Reffner

  Sonlight Core D readaloud. Fascinating and fun book about the founding principles of our nation and some of our founders.
• 
  Tanya

  Whelp. I'm reading all the kids books at work, it seems. But this one was festive and informative. Wonder what I'll pick up next.
• 
  Rebecca

  A wonderful little informative book about how the Constitution was written and who was there and what its impact on history has been so far.
• 
  Lydia Goddard

  I learned some things I didn't know reading this to Savannah.