Buzzing With Biographies
| State | WV |    |
| Status | Ready for Users | |
| Stage | Public | |
| Subject | English/Language Arts Fine Arts Social Studies | |
| Author | Diana Burns
Cheryl Osborne Linda Whitman | |
| Description | Reading a biography about an important or influential person
can be an inspiring experience for a child. Biographies can p resent examples ofvirtues: honesty, empathy, compassion, courage, responsibility, self-discipline, loyalty, work ethic, perseverance and faith -- elements in building character that we all want to instill in our young people. This unit can be used with any biography and with students of any age and grade. All the lessons are integrated with technology, but can also be used in a classroom without technology access. | |
| Grade Level | 3 4 5 6 | |
| National Standards | Arts:
Level 2.4 -- Knows how different media (e.g., oil, watercolor, stone, metal), techniques, and processes are used to communicate ideas, experiences, and stories Level 3.1 -- Understands what makes different art media, techniques, and processes effective (or ineffective) in communicating various ideas Level 2.3 -- Uses visual structures and functions of art to communicate ideas History: Level 2.3 -- Understands how people over the last 200 years have continued to struggle to bring to all groups in American society the liberties and equality promised in the basic principles of American democracy (e.g., Sojourner Truth; Harriet Tubman; Frederick Douglass; W.E.B. DuBois; Booker T. Washington; Susan B. Anthony; Martin Luther King, Jr.; Rosa Parks; Cesar Chavez) Level 2.6 -- Understands historical figures who believed in the fundamental democratic values (e.g.,justice, truth, equality, the rights of the individual, responsibility for the common good, voting rights) and the significance of these people both in th eir historical context and today Level 2.1 -- Understands how regional folk heroes and other popular figures have contributed to the cultural history of the U.S. (e.g., frontiersmen such as Daniel Boone, cowboys, mountain men such as Jedediah Smith, American Indian Chiefs including Gero nimo, and outlaws such as Billy the Kid) Writing: Level 2.1 -- Prewriting: Uses prewriting strategies to plan written work (e.g., uses graphic organizers, story maps, and webs; groups related ideas; takes notes; brainstorms ideas; organizes information according to type and purpose of writing) Level 2.3 -- Editing and Publishing: Uses strategies to edit and publish written work (e.g., edits for grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling at a developmentally appropriate level; uses reference materials; considers page format [paragraphs, margins, indentations, titles]; selects pres entation format according to purpose; incorporates photos, illustrations, charts, and graphs; uses available technology to compose and publish work) Standard 4: Gathers and uses information for research purposes Reading: Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading process Level 2.1 --Uses reading skills and strategies to understand a variety of informational texts (e.g., textbooks, biographical sketches, letters, diaries, directions, procedures, magazines) Level 2.2 -- Knows the defining characteristics of a variety of informational texts (e.g., textbooks, biographical sketches, letters, diaries, directions, procedures, magazines) Technology: Standard 2: Knows the characteristics and uses of computer software programs Level 2.3 -- Knows that the design process is a series of methodical steps for turning ideas into useful products and systems Level 2.6 -- Uses appropriate tools, techniques, and quantitative measurements to implement proposed solutions | |
| Keywords | biographies
character poetry rubric journal | |
| Lesson Plan URLs (new Window) | A Unit Summary
Lesson 1: Reading the Biography Lesson 2: Making a Pictorial Timeline Lesson 3: What a Character! Lesson 4: Personally Poetic Lesson 5: Puzzle Mania Lesson 6: Quiz-O-Bio(graphy) | |
| English IGO or CSO | 3.15, 3.16, 3.17, 3.19, 3.20, 3.24, 3.27, 3.31, 4.19, 4.20, 4.21, 4.26, 4.29, 4.37, 4.40, 5.15, 5.16, 5.18, 5.19, 5.20, 5.21, 5.24, 5.34, 6.16, 6.22, 6.26, 6.27, 6.30, 6.31, 3.77, 3.79, 4.85, 4.87, 5.176, 6.148, 6.150, 3.47, 3.50, 3.55, 4.56, 4.58,4.61, 4.62, 4.67, 4.68, 5.82, 5.94, 6.67, 6.86, 6.87, 3.57, 3.58, 3.59, 3.60, 3.61, 3.62, 3.763.77, 3.79, 4.69, 4.70, 4.77, 4.81, 4.85, 4.87, 5.155, 5.157, 5.176, 6.111, 6.131, 6.135, 6.147, 3.35, 3.38, 4.46, 5.36, 5.46, 6.44, 6.49, 6.66 | |
| Fine Arts IGO or CSO | 3.5, 3.17, 4.12, 4.18, 4.19, 5.15, 5.18, 6.14, 6.20 | |
| Social Studies IGO or CSO | 3.54, 3.83, 3.85, 3.92, 4.101, 4.51, 4.93, 4.99, 4.100, 5.179, 5.18, 5.188, 5.58, 6.153, 6.155, 6.162, 6.60, 3.50, 4.44, 4.48, 6.58 | |