Produced by C. St. Charleskindt and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) HISTORY PLAYS _for_ THE GRAMMAR GRADES Copyrighted, 1922, Mary Ella Lyng _To_ MISS CORA GALLAGHER _Principal of_ MCKINLEY SCHOOL In appreciation of a pleasant association and many kindnesses. INTRODUCTION The play idea will always appeal to the minds of children. History, so often thought to be a dry subject, is made a live wide awake game when the pupils live the parts. The great men and women of history are made real to them. This method has been worked out by the pupils in the fifth grade in the McKinley School in San Francisco and found to be most successful. The chief characters in Mace's Beginners History, the California State Text, have been dramatized. The children read the story and study by outline. Then with the help of the teacher the important events are made into a play. Much outside reading is encouraged. This awakens an interest in good reading and an ability to do independent studying. The lives of great men and women represent great things. Studying about these people is an inspiration to the children for the bigger and nobler things of life. "Lives of great men, all remind us We can make our lives sublime, And departing leave behind us-- Footprints on the sands of time." --_Longfellow_. MARY ELLA LYNG CONTENTS CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 5 JOHN SMITH and POCAHONTAS 7 SIR WALTER RALEIGH 8 WILLIAM PENN 10 SIR FRANCIS DRAKE 11 PILGRIMS 13 GEORGE WASHINGTON 15 GEORGE ROGERS CLARK 20 ANDREW JACKSON 21 JOHN C. FREMONT 24 WEBSTER, CLAY and CALHOUN 27 THE STORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN 33 GRANT AND LEE 35 ROBERT E. LEE 36 SOME WOMEN OF HISTORY 38 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS INTRODUCTION: Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy, more than four hundred and fifty years ago. Genoa was a rich town on the Mediterranean Sea. She had trading routes to India, China and Japan. Columbus was fond of stories of the sea and liked the study of geography. He was anxious to go to sea and while a boy made his first voyage. When he grew up to be a man, he went to Lisbon the capital of Portugal. The bold deeds of Henry of Portugal drew many seamen to this city. Lisbon was full of learned men and sailors longing to go on long voyages. These sailors had tried to find a shorter way to India but without success.