Level U/50
Teacher’s Guide
Skills and Strategies
Genre: Biography
Frederick Douglass
Sojourner Truth
Anchor Comprehension Strategies
• Identify sequence of events
• Compare and contrast
Genre Study
• Recognize genre features
• Analyze genre texts
• Make text-to-text genre connections
Tier Two Vocabulary
• See book’s glossary
Word Study
• Descriptive language: Adjectives
Fluency
• Read with inflection/tone: stress
Writing
• Writer’s tools: A strong ending
• Write a biography using writing-process
steps
Unit at a Glance
Day 1
Prepare to Read
Day 4
Reread “Sojourner Truth”*
Day 2
Read “Frederick Douglass”*
Day 5
Literature Circle Discussion/Reinforce
Skills*
Day 3
Read “Sojourner Truth”*
Days 6–15
Write a biography using the writingprocess steps on page 10
*While you are meeting with small groups, other students can:
• read independently from your classroom library
• reflect on their learning in reading response journals
• engage in literacy workstations
1
Two Biographies
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Day 1
Prepare to Read
Build Genre Background
• Write the word genre on chart paper. Ask: Who
can explain what the word genre means? Allow
responses. Say: The word genre means “a kind of
something.” Ballroom dancing and square dancing
are different kinds, or genres, of dance. Each dance
genre has its own characteristics, which we can use
to identify it. In the same way, we can identify each
literary genre by its particular characteristics. We use
our knowledge of genres to identify the genre of a
text we are reading because this helps us anticipate
what will happen or what we will learn. We use
our knowledge of genres to help us develop and
organize our ideas when we write.
• Say: Let’s list some literary genres. Post the list on
the classroom wall.
• Draw a concept web on chart paper. Write
Biography in the center circle of the web.
• Say: Biographies are one example of a literary
genre. Think of any biographies you know. How
would you define what a biography is?
• Turn and Talk. Ask students to turn and talk to a
classmate and jot down any features of a biography
they can think of. Then bring students together
and ask them to share their ideas. Record them
on the group web. Reinforce the concept that all
biographies have certain common features.
Introduce the Book
• Distribute a copy of the book to each student. Read
the title aloud. Ask students to tell what they see on
the cover and table of contents.
• Ask students to turn to pages 2–3. Say: This week
we are going to read biographies that will help us
learn about this genre. First we’re going to focus
on this genre as readers. Then we’re going to study
biographies from a writer’s perspective. Our goal
this week is to really understand this genre.
• Ask a student to read aloud the text on pages 2–3
while others follow along. Invite a different student
to read the web on page 3.
• Point to your Biography web on chart paper. Say:
Let’s compare our initial ideas about biographies
with what we just read. What new features of this
genre did you learn? Allow responses. Add new
information to the class web.
• Post this chart in your classroom during your
biography unit. Say: As we read biographies this
week, we will come back to this anchor chart. We
will look for how these features appear in each
biography we read.
2
• Ask students to turn to pages 5–7. Say: The
biographies in this book tell about two people who
began their lives as slaves and became champions of
freedom and equality for all people. Let’s read and
study a time line about each person’s life.
• Have two students read aloud the text on page 5 and
the information on the time lines on pages 6–7 while
others follow along.
• Say: The time lines show only certain events in the
subjects’ lives. What can you infer, or tell, from this?
Allow responses. Prompt students to understand
that the time lines show major events, such as when
they were born, where they lived as slaves, when
they escaped from slavery, what they did to promote
rights for all people, and when they died.
Introduce the Tools for Readers and Writers: A Strong Ending
• Read aloud “A Strong Ending” on page 4.
• Say: Nonfiction writers know the value of a
strong ending. This technique helps them leave
readers with a clear impression of the subject. The
biographies in this book end by summing up the
subject’s importance to the world. Let’s practice
identifying the characteristics of strong endings so
we can recognize them in the biographies we read.
• Distribute BLM 1 (Strong Ending). Read aloud ending
A with students.
• Model Identifying a Strong Ending: The
first sentence of the ending sums up the main
idea of the biography—William Lloyd Garrison’s
accomplishments. The direct quote helps
characterize Garrison and makes readers want
to find out more about this subject.
• Ask students to work with a partner or in small
groups to analyze the characteristics of ending B
and write their own strong ending for a biography
about a person they know well.
• Bring the groups together to share their findings.
Point out that while endings will vary, most strong
endings sum up the main points that authors want
readers to remember.
• Ask the groups to read the endings they wrote.
Use the examples to build students’ understanding
of how and why writers use strong endings. Remind
them that a strong ending for a biography should
help readers understand the subject’s place in history
as well as connect the subject’s life to readers.
• Ask the groups to hand in their endings. Transfer
student-written endings to chart paper, title the page
“Strong Ending,” and post it as an anchor chart in
your classroom.
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC. All rights reserved. Teachers may photocopy the reproducible pages for classroom use. No other part of the
guide may be reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
ISBN: 978-1-4509-2975-2
Two Biographies
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Day 2
Before Reading
Name
Date
Strong Ending
Directions: Read each ending. Underline the sentence that sums up the main idea.
Highlight the sentence that suggests why readers would want to know about the
subject.
A. As a writer and newspaper editor, William Lloyd Garrison devoted
his career to fighting for equality for all Americans, especially African
Americans and women. Concerning slavery, he said, “On this subject
I do not wish to think, or to speak, or write, with moderation. No!
No! Tell a man whose house is on fire to give a moderate alarm . . .
but urge me not to use moderation in a cause like the present.”
Americans who value equality will long remember these words.
B. Abraham Lincoln had great faith in the wisdom of the Declaration
of Independence, which described “freedom and equality for
all.” Lincoln gave forceful speeches that expressed America’s
values and gave Americans hope for the future. Most important,
Abraham Lincoln fought to end slavery and led our country through
its greatest crisis, the Civil War. Experts often conduct polls to
choose the best American presidents. Year after year, many history
professors and American citizens alike choose Abraham Lincoln as
the greatest president in United States history.
Directions: Think about a person you know well. Imagine you have written a
biography about the person. Write a strong ending for your biography.
Answers will vary.
Two Biographies
BLM 1
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Introduce “Frederick Douglass”
• Reread the Biography anchor chart or the web on
page 3 to review the features of a biography.
• Ask students to turn to page 8. Ask: Based on
the title and illustrations, what do you think you
might learn? Allow responses.
• Invite students to scan the text and look
for the boldfaced words (punctual, timeeverlasting, belated, overdue). Say: As you
read, pay attention to these words. If you don’t
know what they mean, try to use clues in the
surrounding text to help you define them. We’ll
come back to these words after we read.
Set a Purpose for Reading
• Ask students to read the biography, focusing on
the genre elements they noted on their anchor
chart. They should also look for a strong ending
and think about how the author’s use of a strong
ending helps them understand the main ideas of
the biography and creates even more interest in
the subject.
Read “Frederick Douglass”
Reflect and Review
• Turn and Talk. Write one or more of the following
questions on chart paper.
What is a literary genre? Why do readers and writers
separate literature into genres?
What did you learn today about the biography
genre?
How can readers identify a strong ending in a
biography?
Ask partners or small groups to discuss their ideas
and report them back to the whole group as a way
to summarize the day’s learning.
• Place students in groups based on their reading
levels. Ask them to read the biography silently,
whisper-read, or read with a partner.
• Confer briefly with individual students to
monitor their use of fix-up strategies and their
understanding of the text.
Management Tip
Ask students to place self-stick notes in the
margins where they notice characteristics of
a strong ending or features of the genre.
Management Tips
After Reading
• Throughout the week, you may wish to use
some of the Reflect and Review questions as
prompts for reader response journal entries in
addition to Turn and Talk activities.
Build Comprehension: Identify Sequence of Events
• Have students create genre folders. Keep
blackline masters, notes, small-group writing,
and checklists in the folders.
• Create anchor charts by writing whole-group
discussion notes and mini-lessons on chart
paper. Hang charts in the room where students
can see them.
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• Lead a student discussion using the “Analyze
the Subject” and “Focus on Comprehension”
questions on page 14. Then, use the following
steps to provide explicit modeling of how to
identify sequence of events in a biography.
• Explain: We learned yesterday that a biography
provides facts about a person’s life. The author
includes details of the subject’s experiences
and achievements, often telling about them in
time, or chronological, order. When you read a
biography, notice the sequence of events and
think about how each leads to another. Also
Two Biographies
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Day 2 (cont.)
notice what the subject is like and what he or she
does that helps you connect with the person and
understand how he or she impacts others.
• Distribute copies of BLM 2 (Identify Sequence of
Events) and/or draw a chart like the one below.
Event
Why the Event Was Important
When Frederick’s master’s wife
offered to teach him to read, the
master got angry.
This showed Frederick the
importance of education, so he
taught himself to read and write.
Frederick’s master let him work
in a shipyard.
Once he got to know free black
people, he was determined to run
away as soon as possible.
Frederick and his wife
escaped slavery and settled in
Massachusetts.
While there, Frederick went to
antislavery meetings and met
William Lloyd Garrison. Then he
began speaking to the public about
slavery and found that he, too,
could influence people.
Frederick moved to Rochester,
New York, and began an
abolitionist newspaper.
He and his wife were able to help
many runaway slaves go north. He
became known for advancing equal
rights and held several government
positions.
• Model: I will think about the sequence of events
in Frederick Douglass’s life. He was born a slave in
Maryland and was sent to a new master in Balti­
more as a child. When his master’s wife offered
to teach him to read, his master got very angry.
This experience taught Douglass the importance of
education, so he taught himself to read and write.
• Guide Practice. Work with students to list other key
events in Frederick Douglass’s life. Discuss and record
why each event was important.
• Have students keep BLM 2 in their genre studies
folders.
Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for ELA Assessment
• Remind students that when they answer questions
on standardized assessments, they must be able
to support their answers with facts or clues and
evidence directly from the text.
• Use the Comprehension Question Card with small
groups of students to practice answering textdependent comprehension questions.
• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer
Find It! questions. The answer to a Find It! question
is right in the book. You can find the answer in
one place in the text.
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• Model. Read the first Find It! question. Say: When
I read the question, I look for important words that
tell me what to look for in the book. What words
in this question do you think will help me? Allow
responses. Say: Yes, I’m looking for the words
essays and read. On page 11, I read “One day,
he read a book that was filled with essays about
freedom, democracy, and abolition.” This sentence
answers the question.
• Guide Practice. Use the Power Tool Flip Chart to
help you develop other Find It! questions.
Focus on Vocabulary: Adjectives
• Explain/Model. Read aloud “Descriptive Language:
Adjectives” on page 4. Say: Authors use descriptive
language, such as adjectives, to create vivid pictures
in readers’ minds. For example, the author of this
biography says that as a child Frederick Douglass
wore only “a thin, knee-length shirt.” The words
thin and knee-length are adjectives. These
descriptive words give a clear, specific picture of
Frederick’s clothing. When identifying adjectives,
also note what noun or pronoun the words describe.
• Practice. Ask students to find other adjective/noun
pairs in the biography, such as long hours, distant
plantation, dismal circumstances, remarkable
accomplishments, cruel man, free state, and
moving speech. List the phrases on the board and
discuss what question each adjective answers about
its noun.
• Say: Let’s find the boldfaced words in this biog­
raphy. What can you do if you don’t know what
these words mean? Allow responses. Say: Besides
looking in the glossary or a dictionary, you can
ask yourself what noun or pronoun the adjective
describes and look for additional clues in the
surrounding text.
• Ask students to work with a partner to complete the
“Focus on Words” activity on page 17 using BLM 3
(Focus on Adjectives). Explain that they should look
for the noun or pronoun the adjective describes and
then define the adjective.
• Transfer Through Oral Language. Ask groups
of students to share their findings. Then challenge
individual students to write two new phrases for
each adjective, using it to describe other nouns or
pronouns. For example, what else could be described
as punctual? Have students take turns reading their
phrases to the class while listeners identify the
adjective and the noun or pronoun it describes.
• Ask students to save their work in their genre studies
folders to continue on Days 3 and 4.
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Day 3
Page Adjective Noun or Pronoun
Described
Definition of
Adjective
9
punctual
on time
10
timetruth
everlasting
ageless; enduring
forever
12
belated
sense of guilt
delayed beyond the
appropriate time
15
overdue
it [women’s right
to vote]
delayed beyond its
expected time
she [Frederick’s
mother]
Reflect and Review
• Turn and Talk. Ask partners or small groups to
reread the “Features of a Biography” web on page 3
and decide whether all of these features are present
in “Frederick Douglass.” Ask groups to share and
support their findings.
Fluency: Read with Inflection/Tone: Stress
• You may wish to have students reread the biography
with a partner during independent reading time,
focusing on reading with stress. Point out that they
need to think about what the author is saying to
help them figure out which words to emphasize
as they read aloud. Model by reading the nextto-last paragraph on page 11 and stressing the
words another, new, and somewhat as a way of
drawing listeners’ attention to Frederick’s repeated
mistreatment. Then, ask students to read the second
paragraph on page 14 and discuss what words and
phrases they will emphasize in Frederick’s speech
and why.
Note Regarding This Teacher’s Guide
Each book provides an opportunity for students
to focus on an additional comprehension strat­
egy that is typically assessed on state standards.
The strategy is introduced on page 4 (the third
item in the “Tools for Readers and Writers”
section) with text-specific follow-up questions
found on the Reread pages. Some Reread
sections also introduce an advanced language
arts concept or comprehension strategy, such as
protagonist/antagonist, perspective, or subtitles,
because students at this level should be able to
consider more than one comprehension strategy
per text.
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Before Reading
Introduce “Sojourner Truth”
• Ask students to turn to page 18. Say: This
biography is written in a different format from
the other biography we read. Notice the notes
in the margin. First, we will read to understand
the biography, focusing on the details that tell us
about the subject and her life. Tomorrow, we will
read this biography like a writer and think about
how the notes in the margins can help us write
our own biographies.
• Say: Let’s look at the title and illustrations of this
biography. What information do you predict it
will include?
• Ask students to scan the text and look for the
boldfaced words (muffled, rowdy, muted,
deafening). Ask: What do you notice about
these words? Why do you think they appear in
boldfaced type? (All of these words are adjectives
that describe sounds.)
• Say: As you read, try to figure out what question
these adjectives answer about the nouns or
pronouns they describe.
Set a Purpose for Reading
• Ask students to read the biography, focusing on
what the subject achieved and what character
traits helped her accomplish these goals.
Encourage students to notice how the author
uses a strong ending to complete the biography.
Read “Sojourner Truth”
• Place students in groups based on their reading
levels. Ask them to read the biography silently,
whisper-read, or read with a partner.
• Confer briefly with individual students to
monitor their use of fix-up strategies and their
understanding of the text.
After Reading
Build Comprehension: Identify Sequence of Events
• Say: Yesterday we identified the sequence of
events in Frederick Douglass’s life. What are some
important events in Sojourner Truth’s life that
you learned about in this biography? How did
these events affect her decisions and actions?
Record responses on a whole-group chart like the
one below.
• Discuss Sequence of Events Across Texts:
Lead a discussion using the following questions:
How was Sojourner Truth’s early life similar to
Frederick Douglass’s? How was it different? How
were their later lives similar and different? What
event or events made them decide to escape
from slavery?
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Day 3 (cont.)
How do the strong endings help you understand
the biographies and determine your own attitude
toward each subject?
Event
Why the Event Was Important
Sojourner was born into slavery
in the North. She worked in the
fields and in an inn.
Being lonely and mistreated
caused her to become strong,
independent, and hard-working.
A law passed in New York said
that slaves born before 1799 had
to be freed.
Sojourner’s master refused to free
her, so she ran away and met the
abolitionists who did free her.
Sojourner moved to
Massachusetts and joined an
abolitionist group.
The Civil War began.
Word
She met Frederick Douglass and
William Lloyd Garrison. Her own
fame grew, and she spoke out on
equality for all men and women.
Noun or Pronoun Definition of
Described
Adjective
19
muffled
cries
toned down in sound
21
rowdy
crowd
She encouraged black men to join
the Union army, influencing the
lives of many people.
boisterous and
undisciplined in behavior
21
muted
voice
low-key; softened
25
deafening
jeers
extremely loud
• Use the Comprehension Question Card to practice
answering text-dependent questions.
• Say: Today we will learn how to answer Look
Closer! questions. The answer to a Look Closer!
question is in the book. You have to look in more
than one place. You find the different parts of the
answer. Then you put the parts together to answer
the question.
• Model. Read the first Look Closer! question. Say:
This question asks me to compare and contrast. I
know because it has the clue word different. Now
I need to look for other important information to
find in the book. What information do you think
will help me? Allow responses. Say: Yes, I need to
find how slavery ended in the North and South.
On page 20, I read that slavery was abolished in
the northern states in the 1830s. Then I read that
slavery continued in the South until the end of the
Civil War. I have found the answer in the book.
I looked in more than one sentence to find the
answer.
• Guide Practice. Use the Power Tool Flip Chart to
help you develop other Look Closer! questions.
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Y07170_G5_Bio1Truth_TG_CSKS_Rev4.indd 6
• Ask students to work with a partner to complete the
“Focus on Words” activity on page 29 using BLM 3.
Have groups of students share their findings.
• Transfer Through Oral Language. Invite pairs of
students to discuss the meaning of each adjective
they identified and write a sentence using it to
describe another situation. Have pairs read their
sentences aloud. Invite listeners to give a thumbs-up
if they think the adjective is used correctly.
Page
Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for
ELA Assessment
6
Focus on Vocabulary: Adjectives
Reflect and Review
• Turn and Talk. Ask partners or small groups to
discuss the following questions and report their ideas
to the whole group.
What character traits of Sojourner Truth do you
admire most? Why?
According to the author, Sojourner was “a powerful
speaker.” Think of a person whose words have had
an impact on you. Why did this speaker influence
you?
Fluency: Read with Inflection/Tone: Stress
• You may wish to have students reread the biography
with a partner during independent reading time,
focusing on reading with stress. Remind students that
they should think about what the author is saying
to help them figure out which words to emphasize
as they read. Ask them to read the third paragraph
on page 20, emphasizing words such as cruel and
whipped to reflect the author’s attitude about
Bell’s experiences. Then, encourage them to choose
another passage, decide which words and phrases to
emphasize, and model and explain their choices.
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Day 4
Before Reading
Set a Purpose for Rereading
• Have students turn to page 18. Say: Until now, we
have been thinking about biographies from the
perspective of the reader. Learning the features
of biographies has helped us be critical readers.
Now we are going to put on a different hat. We
are going to reread “Sojourner Truth” and think
like writers. We’re going to pay attention to the
annotations in the margins. These annotations will
help us understand what the author did and why
she did it.
Reread “Sojourner Truth”
• Place students in groups based on their reading
levels. Ask them to reread the biography silently or
whisper-read.
• Confer briefly with individual students to monitor
their use of fix-up strategies and their understanding
of the text and annotations.
After Reading
Analyze the Mentor Text
• Explain to students that the text they have just read
is a mentor text. A mentor text is a text that teaches.
This text is designed to help them understand what
writers do to write a biography and why they do it.
• Read and discuss each mentor annotation with
students. Encourage them to comment on the
writer’s style, development of characters and
events, and use of literary techniques such as
a strong ending.
Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for ELA Assessment
• Use the Comprehension Question Card with small
groups of students to practice answering textdependent questions.
• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer
Prove It! questions. The answer to a Prove It!
question is not stated in the book. You have to
look for clues and evidence to prove the answer.
• Model. Read the second Prove It! question. Say:
I will show you how I answer a Prove It! question.
This question asks me to make an inference. I know
because it asks, “What clue tells you this?” Now I
need to look for other important information in
the question. What information do you think will
help me? Allow responses. Say: Yes, I need to reread
page 24 to find out what happened when Bell
began making speeches. I read “Many people came
to listen to her powerful speeches about God.”
I have located the clue I need.
• Guide Practice. Use the Power Tool Flip Chart to
help you develop other Prove It! questions.
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Y07170_G5_Bio1Truth_TG_CSKS_Rev4.indd 7
Analyze the Writer’s Craft
• Ask students to turn to page 30. Explain:
Over the next few days, you will have the
opportunity to write your own biographies.
First, let’s think about how the author wrote
“Sojourner Truth.” When she developed this
biography, she followed certain steps. You
can follow these same steps to write your
own biographies.
• Read step 1. Say: The first thing you’ll do
is decide on someone to write about. Let’s
recall the subjects of the biographies we read.
Each person is remembered for important
accomplishments. What people can we think
of who would be an interesting subject for
a biography? Allow responses. Write down
students’ ideas on chart paper.
• Read step 2. Say: In the biographies we read,
other people were an important part of the
subjects’ lives. For example, in “Frederick
Douglass,” Hugh Auld unwittingly taught
Frederick that knowledge is power, Edward
Covey caused him to fight back, and William
Lloyd Garrison helped him start a career as a
public speaker. What people are important to
our subjects’ lives? Let’s make a list of important
people. Allow responses. Write down students’
ideas on chart paper.
• Read step 3. Say: Before you’re ready to write,
you need to list the important events in the
person’s life and when and where they occurred.
In “Sojourner Truth,” each important event
happened in a specific place. When you write
your biography, think about how the events
and settings are connected. What important
issues are highlighted through the events in
the subject’s life? Choose one of the subjects
and some of the significant people the class has
brainstormed, and work as a group to outline
important events in the subject’s life and the
times and places they occurred.
Build Comprehension: Compare and Contrast
• Explain: Readers often compare and contrast
texts of the same genre. Comparing is finding
similarities. Contrasting is finding differences. For
example, “Frederick Douglass” and “Sojourner
Truth” are similar in many ways. Both texts
are biographies. They both describe African
Americans who were born into slavery, became
free, and grew to be powerful public speakers.
Comparing and contrasting helps us analyze
important details in the texts.
• Model: In “Frederick Douglass,” Frederick meets
an abolitionist who helps him become a public
speaker. A similar event occurs in “Sojourner
Truth.” Sojourner meets a family of abolitionists
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Day 4 (cont.)
Day 5
who help her. Making this comparison helps me
better understand the subjects of both biographies.
• Guide Practice. Invite students to work in small
groups and make additional comparisons and
contrasts between the people, settings, and events
of “Frederick Douglass” and “Sojourner Truth.”
Ask the groups to share their findings and explain
how comparing and contrasting helps them better
understand or enjoy the biographies.
Analyze & Synthesize
Reflect and Review
• Ask and discuss the following questions.
How is reading a biography similar to writing
a biography? How is it different?
What actions or events in the life of Frederick
Douglass or Sojourner Truth do you think were
most impressive or inspiring? Why?
Have you used any of the new adjectives this week?
How did you use them?
How can you use adjectives and a strong ending
to improve your writing?
Fluency: Read with Inflection/Tone: Stress
• You may wish to have students reread the biography
with a partner during independent reading time,
focusing on reading with stress. Remind students to
think about what the author is saying to help them
figure out which words and phrases to emphasize
as they read. For example, ask them to read the first
two paragraphs on page 24, emphasizing words such
as electrifying and powerful to reflect the author’s
attitude about Sojourner’s speaking ability.
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Y07170_G5_Bio1Truth_TG_CSKS_Rev4.indd 8
Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for ELA Assessment
• Use the Comprehension Question Card with small
groups of students to practice answering textdependent questions.
• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer
Take It Apart! questions. To figure out the answer to
a Take It Apart! question, you must think like
the author.
• Model. Read the second Take It Apart! question.
Say: This question asks me to think about text
structure. I know because I must identify a specific
structure. Now I need to look for other important
information in the question. What information do
you think will help me? Allow responses. Say:
Yes, I need to reread the end of the biography on
page 27. I see that the last sentence is a direct quote
about Sojourner Truth. Analyzing the text structure
helped me figure out the answer.
• Guide Practice. Use the Power Tool Flip Chart to
help you develop other Take It Apart! questions.
Summarize & Make Connections Across Texts
• Engage students in a discussion about the two
biographies in this book. Invite a different student
to summarize each biography. Encourage other
students to add their ideas and details.
• Ask students to turn to the inside back cover of the
book. Say: Good readers think about how literary
works are related. We know, for example, that both
of these biographies share certain features. They
both include information about the subject’s early
life. They both include details about the influence
the subject had on others. What else do they have in
common? Allow responses. Say: Today we will think
about how the subjects in these two biographies are
alike and different and the impact each has had on
history.
• Ask students to work individually or in small groups
to complete BLM 4 (Make Connections Across Texts).
• Class Discussion or Literature Circles. Facilitate a
whole-class discussion or keep students in their small
groups for a literature circle discussion. If you choose
to conduct literature circles, share the rules for good
discussion below. Each group should discuss and
be prepared to share its ideas about the following
prompts.
Which details taught you the most about each
subject? Why?
What kinds of information are included in both
biographies?
How are both subjects important to American
history?
Which subject do you admire more? Why?
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
10/24/10 11:16 PM
Day 5 (cont.)
• Tell students that at the end of their discussion, you
will ask them to share the important text-to-text,
text-to-world, and text-to-self connections they have
made.
• While each small group of students discusses the
book, confer with individual or small groups of
students. You may wish to revisit elements of the
genre, take running records, or model fluent reading
skills.
Directions: Use the chart to compare and contrast Frederick Douglass and Sojourner
Truth.
Frederick Douglass
Sojourner Truth
Attributes of
Subject
persistence, strength,
determination, inventiveness,
intelligence, wisdom
strength, determination,
courage, faith, inner
strength, intelligence,
wisdom, magnetism
Important
Influences
Hugh Auld, one of his
masters; Anna, his wife;
William Lloyd Garrison, an
abolitionist; Abraham Lincoln
the Van Wagenen family
and the Northampton
Association, abolitionists;
Frederick Douglass and
William Lloyd Garrison; Olive
Gilbert, who wrote about
Sojourner’s life; Abraham
Lincoln
Challenges
born into slavery; mistreated
by owners; no formal
education; working odd
jobs; fearing he would be
returned to slavery
born into slavery; mistreated
by owners; no formal
education; children sold
away; book rejected by
booksellers; heckled by
audiences
Historical
Importance
As a former slave, he had
great influence as a writer
and speaker to advance
freedom and equality for
all people. He was the first
African American minister to
another country.
As a former slave and a
woman, she had great
influence as a writer and
speaker to advance freedom
and equality for all people.
Rules for Good Discussion
• Pay attention to the person who is talking
and do not interrupt him or her.
• Think about what others are saying so you
can respond and add to their ideas.
• Allow and encourage everyone in the group
to speak.
• Be respectful of everyone’s ideas.
Reinforce Skills
• While one group member keeps time, another
member chooses a word and says as many
adjective/noun phrases as possible in 30 seconds
using the word. For example, for rowdy, the
student might say, “rowdy classroom, rowdy fans,
rowdy dog, rowdy party.” When time is up, group
members decide whether the adjective was used
correctly in each phrase.
• Continue until all students have had a turn. Then
determine which student said the most correct
phrases in the designated time period.
Reread for Fluency: Oral Reading Performance
• Discuss with students the emotions implied by the
events that occurred in the biographies.
• Say: Both Frederick Douglass and Sojourner
Truth experienced difficult times as well
as happier occasions. When you read the
biographies aloud, you can demonstrate your
understanding of their emotions through your
expression. This helps your listeners appreciate
the biographies more and better understand the
subjects.
• Invite individual students to read two sections
of one of the biographies that describe different
types of experiences. Encourage them to read
with expression that helps listeners understand
how the experiences are different.
• Encourage students to have fun with their
readings and to make them as dramatic as
possible.
• As a whole class, discuss each reader’s
interpretation. Think about alternate ways to
interpret the experiences.
Review Writer’s Tools: A Strong Ending
• Ask students to look for other examples of strong
endings in nonfiction titles from your classroom
library or the school’s library. Each student should
select one title at his or her independent reading
level. Ask students to read pages specifically to
find an example of a strong ending.
• Invite students to share their examples with the
class. Encourage them to discuss how the strong
endings sum up the main points of the text and
create additional interest or emotion. Point out
that most students should have found examples
in the books they chose because a strong ending
is an important tool for a nonfiction writer.
If time permits, choose from the following activities to
reinforce vocabulary and fluency.
Reinforce Vocabulary: Adjective Time
• Place students in small groups and make sure each
group has access to a clock or watch. Have group
members write each word from the book’s glossary
on a scrap of paper and put them in a pile.
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Y07170_G5_Bio1Truth_TG_CSKS_Rev4.indd 9
Two Biographies
9
10/24/10 11:16 PM
Days 6–15
Write a Biography
• Use the suggested daily schedule to guide
students through the writing-process steps. Allow
approximately 45 to 60 minutes per day. As students
work independently, circulate around the room and
monitor student progress. Confer with individual
students to discuss their ideas and help them move
forward. Use the explicit mini-lessons, conferencing
strategies, and assessment rubrics in Using Genre
Models to Teach Writing for additional support.
• Before students begin planning their biographies,
pass out copies of BLM 5 (Biography Checklist).
Review the characteristics and conventions of writing
that will be assessed. Tell students that they will use
this checklist when they complete their drafts.
• This daily plan incorporates the generally accepted six
traits of writing as they pertain to biographies.
Days 6–7: Plan
• Ask students to use BLM 6 (Biography Planning
Guide) to brainstorm the subject (person) for their
biographies and the important people, places, and
events in the subject’s life.
• Encourage students to refer to the “Features of a
Biography” web on page 3 and to the steps in “The
Writer’s Craft” on pages 30–31 of the book.
• Confer with students. Did they begin their biographies
with a strong “hook”? Did they include facts about
the subject and describe his or her personality and
characteristics?
Days 8–9: Draft
• Tell students that they will be using their completed
Biography Planning Guides to begin drafting their
biographies.
• Say: Remember, when writers draft their ideas,
they focus on getting them on paper. They can cross
things out and make mistakes in spelling. What’s
important is to focus on the person’s life experiences
and accomplishments. You will have an opportunity
to make corrections and improvements later.
• Confer with students as they complete their drafts.
Use the Biography Checklist to draw students’
attention to characteristics of the biography genre
that they may have overlooked. Focus on how
students have organized their ideas and the voice of
the writer. Did students give the subject’s date and
place of birth at the beginning of the biography?
Did they include the significant people and events in
the subject’s life? Does the biography have a strong
voice? Will the voice keep readers interested?
• Pair students for peer conferencing.
• Remind students to use the Biography Checklist as
they edit and revise their biographies independently.
• Confer with students focusing on sentence fluency,
word choice, and conventions. Did students include
both long and short sentences? Do the sentences
read smoothly? Have students used interesting words
and phrases? Did they include a strong ending? Did
they use appropriate spelling, punctuation, and
grammar?
• You may want students to continue their editing and
revision at home.
Days 12–13: Create Final Draft and Illustrations
• Ask students to rewrite or type a final draft of their
biographies.
• Invite students to illustrate their final drafts with
one or more drawings that depict specific people or
events in the lives of the subjects of their biographies.
• Confer with students about their publishing plans
and deadlines.
Days 14–15: Publish and Share
• Explain: Authors work long and hard to develop
their works. You have worked very hard. And one
of the great joys of writing is when you can share
it with others. Authors do this in many ways. They
publish their books so that people can buy them.
They make their work available on the Internet.
They hold readings. We can share our writing, too.
• Use one or more of the ideas below for sharing
students’ work:
Make a class display of students’ completed
biographies.
Hold a class reading in which students can read their
biographies to one another and/or to parents.
Create a binder of all the biographies and loan it to
the library so that other students can read them.
Create a binder of all the biographies for your
classroom library.
Name
Date
Title:
Biography Checklist
Features of the Genre Checklist
2. My biography is logically sequenced.
3. My biography includes the person’s date and place
of birth.
4. My biography includes important events from the person’s life.
5. My biography includes people who have influenced the person.
6. My biography describes the person’s personality.
7. My biography quotes the person.
8. My biography quotes people who knew or know the person.
9. My biography explains why the person is worthy of
a biography.
10. My biography has a strong ending.
Quality Writing Checklist
• Based on your observations of students’ writing,
select appropriate mini-lessons from Using Genre
Models to Teach Writing.
10
Two Biographies
Y07170_G5_Bio1Truth_TG_CSKS_Rev4.indd 10

 Name








Biography Planning
 Directions: Use the steps below to plan your own biography.
 1. Decide on someone to write about.



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

Yes
Date
Guide
2. Decide who else needs to be in the biography.
No Person or Group Impact on Subject’s Life
Family Members:

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





• run-on sentences
• sentence fragments
• subject/verb agreement
• correct verb tense
• punctuation
• capitalization
• indented paragraphs
Two Biographies
No


I looked for and corrected . . .
• spelling
Days 10–11: Edit and Revise
Yes
1. My biography has a strong lead.
BLM 5

 Friends:

 Heroes:

 Others:

 3. Recall events and settings.
Setting
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Important Events That Occurred
Setting #1
Setting #2
Setting #3
Two Biographies
BLM 6
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
10/24/10 11:16 PM
Name
Date
Strong Ending
Directions: Read each ending. Underline the sentence that sums up the main idea.
Highlight the sentence that suggests why readers would want to know about the
subject.
A. As a writer and newspaper editor, William Lloyd Garrison devoted
his career to fighting for equality for all Americans, especially African
Americans and women. Concerning slavery, he said, “On this subject
I do not wish to think, or to speak, or write, with moderation. No!
No! Tell a man whose house is on fire to give a moderate alarm . . .
but urge me not to use moderation in a cause like the present.”
Americans who value equality will long remember these words.
B. Abraham Lincoln had great faith in the wisdom of the Declaration
of Independence, which described “freedom and equality for
all.” Lincoln gave forceful speeches that expressed America’s
values and gave Americans hope for the future. Most important,
Abraham Lincoln fought to end slavery and led our country through
its greatest crisis, the Civil War. Experts often conduct polls to
choose the best American presidents. Year after year, many history
professors and American citizens alike choose Abraham Lincoln as
the greatest president in United States history.
Directions: Think about a person you know well. Imagine you have written a
biography about the person. Write a strong ending for your biography.
Two Biographies
Y07170_G5_Bio1Truth_TG_CSKS_Rev4.indd 1
BLM 1
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
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Name
Date
Identify Sequence of Events
Directions: Use the charts below to identify the sequence of events in each biography
and why each event was important.
Frederick Douglass
Event
Why the Event Was Important
Sojourner Truth
Event
Two Biographies
Y07170_G5_Bio1Truth_TG_CSKS_Rev4.indd 2
Why the Event Was Important
BLM 2
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
10/24/10 11:16 PM
Name
Date
Focus on Adjectives
Directions: Reread each biography. For each adjective listed below, record the noun
or pronoun it describes and its definition.
Page
Adjective
9
punctual
10
timeeverlasting
12
belated
15
overdue
Page
Word
19
muffled
21
rowdy
21
muted
25
deafening
Two Biographies
Y07170_G5_Bio1Truth_TG_CSKS_Rev4.indd 3
Noun or Pronoun
Described
Definition of
Adjective
Noun or Pronoun
Described
Definition of
Adjective
BLM 3
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
10/24/10 11:16 PM
Name
Date
Make Connections Across Texts
Directions: Use the chart to compare and contrast Frederick Douglass and Sojourner
Truth.
Frederick Douglass
Sojourner Truth
Attributes of
Subject
Important
Influences
Challenges
Historical
Importance
Two Biographies
Y07170_G5_Bio1Truth_TG_CSKS_Rev4.indd 4
BLM 4
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
10/24/10 11:16 PM
Name
Date
Title:
Biography Checklist
Features of the Genre Checklist
1. My biography has a strong lead.
2. My biography is logically sequenced. 3. M
y biography includes the person’s date and place
of birth.
4. My biography includes important events from the person’s life.
5. My biography includes people who have influenced the person. 6. My biography describes the person’s personality. 7. My biography quotes the person.
8. My biography quotes people who knew or know the person.
9. M
y biography explains why the person is worthy of
a biography.
10. My biography has a strong ending.
Quality Writing Checklist
Yes
No

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












Yes
No
















I looked for and corrected . . .
• run-on sentences
• sentence fragments
• subject/verb agreement
• correct verb tense • punctuation
• capitalization
• spelling
• indented paragraphs
Two Biographies
Y07170_G5_Bio1Truth_TG_CSKS_Rev4.indd 5
BLM 5
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
10/24/10 11:16 PM
Name
Date
Biography Planning Guide
Directions: Use the steps below to plan your own biography.
1. Decide on someone to write about.
2. Decide who else needs to be in the biography.
Person or Group Impact on Subject’s Life
Family Members:
Friends:
Heroes:
Others:
3. Recall events and settings.
Setting
Important Events That Occurred
Setting #1
Setting #2
Setting #3
Two Biographies
Y07170_G5_Bio1Truth_TG_CSKS_Rev4.indd 6
BLM 6
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
10/24/10 11:16 PM