John Henry is part of our Starts With a Story Collection, which includes more than 550 picture book companions based on high quality children’s literature that support you in delivering highly-engaging interactive read alouds with follow up activities. Learn more about this children’s book below! - Jodi and the Starts With a Story Team
SUMMARY
"John Henry" by Julius Lester is a retelling of the legendary American folk hero. The story follows John Henry, a mighty African American steel-driver, as he competes against a steam-powered drill to prove that human strength and determination can surpass machinery. John Henry's extraordinary feats and his larger-than-life personality captivate the hearts of the people, but his ultimate challenge comes when he faces the steam drill in a battle of endurance. Despite his victory, the strain takes a toll on John Henry, and he tragically succumbs to exhaustion. Through vivid illustrations and lyrical prose, the book celebrates the spirit of John Henry and his indomitable legacy as a symbol of human resilience and the power of folklore.
USE THIS BOOK TO TEACH:
Our read aloud lesson plans for this picture book come with reading comprehension questions (with sample student responses), 30 writing prompts, teaching ideas for grammar skills, social emotional learning discussion ideas, and more. Check out our list below to get a sneak peek at some of the skills this resource teaches.
- Cause and effect can be a difficult skill for students. This book is a perfect mentor text for teaching this skill. Paste teaching ideas here.
- Practice making predictions throughout the book. Encourage students to check and see if their predictions were correct.
- Have students identify the point of view and discuss the benefits of the narrator.
- Have students sequence the important events in the story. This is an important skill when it comes to retelling a story.
- Encourage students to use their summarizing and retelling strategies.
- Teach a lesson on multiple meaning words using examples from the story.
- Teach students a new suffix and give examples from the book.
NO-PREP PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES:
If you are looking for “ready to go” activities for the first day of school, be sure to check out the book companion. With it you’ll receive all of the following resources to align with this specific book:
- 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
This book is a must have for your school or classroom library. Your students are going to love completing these activities for the book and you will be impressed with how much they learn. You will want to read this book to your class every year.
GET THE PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
ADDITIONAL BOOK SUGGESTIONS
You and your students will love the similar books listed below, which can all be found in our free picture book list.
- Goldilocks and The Three Bears by James Marshall
- Grasshopper and the Ants by Jerry Pinkney
- Hansel and Gretel by James Marshall
- Johnny Appleseed by Steven Kellogg
- Mike Fink by Steven Kellogg
- Paul Bunyan by Steven Kellogg
- Pecos Bill by Steven Kellogg
- Red Riding Hood by James Marshall
- The Boy Who Cried Wolf by B.G. Hennessy
- The Lion and The Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
- The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone
- The Tortoise and The Hare by Janet Stevens
TRY OUT A SAMPLE COMPANION
It's hard to explain how amazing the Starts with a Story book companions are because there is just so much goodness included in each one. It's best if you experience using one for yourself. Sign up below & we'll send you an entire book companion to try out for FREE!
