welcome to the i survived book club

Welcome to the I Survived Book Club! Everything you ever wanted to know about the books and the history behind them.

Overview Each month, one title from Lauren Tarshis’ bestselling I Survived series will be featured as the I Survived Book Club pick. The book club will include FREE videos and resources for in-school and at-home!

Who is the I Survived Book Club for? All readers (new and existing) of the I Survived chapter book series plus parents and caregivers, teachers, and librarians.

What’s included each month? Each month, materials for book club participation are provided, including:

Videos from bestselling author Lauren Tarshis featuring information on the book, the backstory, funfacts, and a chapter read aloud.

Resources and activities for fun and learning, including word scrambles, trivia, read aloud skits, andmore!

Curriculum tie-in materials

Sneak peeks at upcoming book club picks

I Survived swag in Scholastic Home Base

Where can I find all the materials? Visit http://scholastic.com/ISurvivedBookClub for the downloadable materials and to sign up for more information!

http://scholastic.com/ISurvivedBookClub

Name:

I Survived The American Revolution, 1776

Page 1 of 2

READ-ALOUDIn this read-aloud from I Survived the American Revolution, Nate, Paul, Martin, Samuel, and the men of Connecticut’s 5th are preparing to defend Brooklyn from the British

when a very special visitor shows up. Assign roles to your family and friends, and recreate the night before the Battle of Brooklyn.

Narrator: On the night of August 26th, 1776, soldiers from different companies, including Connecticut’s 5th, gather around campfires at Fort Greene in Brooklyn.

Samuel: Men, eat now, because soon—Paul: —soon we’ll be driving those Redcoats back to merry old England!Narrator: The men all cheer and begin to sing.Paul, Samuel, Other Soldiers: (singing) “Yankee Doodle went to town, riding on a pony...”Martin: Here, Nate, take this.Narrator: Samuel hands Nate a hunk of pork. Nate is too worried to eat.Nate: I don’t think I can.Martin: You have to. Keep your strength up.Nate: Why are they singing? Aren’t we about to go into battle?Martin: It’s a way to get ready for what’s about to happen.

CHARACTERS:

Narrator Samuel Paul

Martin Nate

General George Washington Other soldiers

The night before the Battle of Brooklyn

©2021 Dreyfuss Tarshis Media, Inc.

AR

T B

Y SC

OTT

DA

WSO

N

READ-ALOUD (CONTINUTED)

Name:


Page 2 of 2

Paul, Samuel, Other Soldiers: (singing louder now) “Yankee Doodle, keep it up, Yankee Doodle Dandy...”

Nate: What’s a Yankee Doodle?Martin: It’s what the British call us. They say the Americans are a bunch of Yankee

Doodles, country fools who don’t know how to f ight.Paul: The British made up this song, to tease us in battle.Nate: (confused) So why are we singing it?Samuel: Because at Bunker Hill, we showed them what a bunch of Yankee Doodles can do.

We stole the name—and the song!Narrator: A trumpet sounds. The soldiers leap to their feet as a hush comes over the

camp. Three men appear, one of them very tall and wearing a blue uniform. Paul: (whispering) Stand tall, Nathaniel Fox. General George Washington is here to

address us.General Washington: The moment has come, men. The enemy has landed. And now the

honor and success of America depends on you. You are f ighting for freedom, and for your new country. The world will soon learn what a few brave men, f ighting for their own land, can do.”

Narrator: The general f inishes and leaves the camp, but his powerful words hang in the air after him. The men are silent, and full of purpose.

Paul: To bed now, boys. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.Samuel: A battle. And we’ll be ready.Martin: We will. America needs us. Narrator: That night, as Nate falls asleep in his tent, General Washington’s words echo in

his mind.Nate: (whispering to himself) “The moment has come...and the world will soon learn what

a few brave men, f ighting for their own land, can do...” ■


Name:


Page 1 of 1

Imagine you’re f ighting alongside Nate. To help him get home safely, answer the trivia questions below, then use letters from your answer to spell a special phrase

by matching the numbers. Hurry—Nate needs you!

ESCAPE THE BATTLE!

1. The Connecticut 5th is ordered to protect the Gowanus Heights. As you walk along the ridge...Boom! KI-crack! Hissssssss! Who is f iring on you? (pg. 90)

______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______

2. As the f ire continues, one of your fellow soldiers is hit. Nate takes his weapon and together, you carry on the f ight for him. What is the soldier’s name? (pg. 91)

______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______

3. Suddenly, it seems like a stampede of giants is heading right for you. It’s the Hessians! Take a closer look—what colors are their uniforms? (pg. 96)

______ ______ ______ ______ ______ and ______ ______ ______

4. You, Nate, and the rest of your company retreat. It’s terrifying, and many are wounded—or worse—but you and Nate make it. You have survived the Battle of...

______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______

5. Fill in the blanks below to reveal the phrase...and you and Nate are home free!

______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______

5 6 7 2

2 5 8

5 5 3 5 6

7 7 4 8 1 3

1 2 3 4 5 5 6 7 7 6 8 5

ANSWERS: 1) redcoats; 2) Samuel; 3) green and red; 4) Brooklyn; 5) Yankee Doodle


Name:


Page 1 of 1

Show off your knowledge of I Survived the American Revolution by unscrambling the words in the Word Bank to f ill in the blanks.

(Need a hint? Use the page number at the end of the sentence to f ind the word in the book.)

1. The British carried a gun called a _________________________________________. (pg. 54)

2. Nate helped James recover from a deadly disease that was common during the Revolution,

called _________________________________________. (pg. 75)

3. The _________________________________________ were German soldiers hired by King George to help

the British f ight. (pg. 70)

4. The _________________________________________ that the soldiers loaded into the guns came in

packets called _________________________________________. (pg. 65)

5. British soldiers had a _________________________________________ attached to the end of their guns,

which was a sharp sword. (pg. 54)

6. On a ship in the British navy, a person who rushed bags of gunpowder to the men loading the

cannons was called a _________________________________________. (pg. 43)

A REVOLUTIONARY WORD SCRAMBLE

ANSWERS: 1) musket—EKSMTU; 2) smallpox—PLXASOML; 3) Hessians—SEIHASSN; 4) ammunition—IATUNNMMIO and cartridges—DGIRRCASTE; 5) bayonet—YOATBEN; 6) powder monkey—EEMDROOYPNWK

IATUNNMMIO DGIRRCASTE EKSMTU PLXASOML

YOATBEN SEIHASSN DNEOYWOERPMK

Scrambled Word Bank


welcome to the i survived book club

Documents