TEACHING
GUIDE
TEACHING
History
Maker
Biographies
4th Grade Reading Level
ISBN 0-8225-5455-0 Red
TEACHING
2
HISTORY MAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Standards
Language Arts— • Demonstrates competence in the stylistic and rhetorical aspects of writing.
Writing
• Uses grammatical and mechanical conventions in written compositions.
• Gathers and uses information for research purposes.
Language Arts— • Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the reading process.
Reading
• Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies for reading a variety of
informational texts.
Language Arts— • Demonstrates competence in speaking and listening as tools for learning.
Listening and
Speaking
History
• Understands how democratic values came to be, and how they have been
exemplified by people, events, and symbols.
• Understands and knows how to analyze chronological relationships and patterns.
Visual Arts
• Understands the characteristics and merits of one’s own artwork and the artwork of
others.
Multiple Intelligences Utilized
• Spatial, linguistic, logical-mathematical, interpersonal, intrapersonal
Copyright © 2004 by Lerner Publications Company
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Student pages may be
reproduced by the classroom teacher for classroom use only, not for commercial
resale. No other part of this teaching guide may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written
permission of Lerner Publishing Group, except for the inclusion of brief
quotations in an acknowledged review.
LernerClassroom
A division of Lerner Publishing Group
241 First Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A.
800-328-4929
Website address: www.lernerclassroom.com
Manufactured in the United States of America
4 5 6 7 8 9 — IG — 11 10 09 08 07 06
Go to www.lernerclassroom.com
for a list of all History Maker
Biographies titles.
TEACHING
HISTORY MAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Lesson 1
The Facts About Fame
Purpose: Students demonstrate previewing,
predicting, reading, responding, and comprehension
skills when searching for facts that illustrate why a
person is famous.
Materials
• History Maker
Biographies
• scratch paper
• pencils
• Famous Facts p. 8
• Reading Skills
Checklist p. 9
Objectives
• Recall information.
• Restate facts.
• Apply prior knowledge while reading.
• Illustrate understanding of important facts.
• Analyze thoughts and feelings that arise while
reading.
• Summarize a text.
Activity Procedures
Prepare
(teacher)
• Copy Famous Facts p. 8 for each student.
• Copy Reading Skills Checklist p. 9 for the class.
(Some skills are provided on the reproducible. You
may fill in the blank spaces with additional reading
skills. Use the checklist throughout the unit.)
Pretest
(teacher, student, class)
• Students choose one History Maker Biography to read.
• Students preview the text independently.
• What do you think you will learn from the book?
Model
(teacher)
• Demonstrate the reading process.
• Preview- skim the pages of the book, reading the
captions and looking at the pictures.
• Predict- tell what you think you will learn.
• Read and Respond- describe thoughts, feelings, and
questions that arise while reading.
• Summarize- tell what the book was mainly about.
(The process described above may be done over a
period of days.)
Read
(student, partner)
• As students read History Maker Biographies they will
write important dates and facts on a piece of scratch
paper. (Facts will be used later to complete Famous
Facts p. 8.)
• Teacher observes and helps students as needed.
Practice
(student)
• Students should complete Famous Facts p. 8 using
the facts they gathered while reading the text.
Discuss
(teacher, class)
• What was the book about?
• What did you learn?
• What events in the person’s life were they most
known for? In other words, what are they famous
for?
• How is the famous person that you read about
different from/similar to the people your classmates
read about?
Evaluate
(teacher, student)
• Use Reading Skills Checklist p. 9 to evaluate each
student’s reading proficiency. (The lesson described
above may take several days to complete, depending
on the age and ability of the students involved.)
3
4
TEACHING
HISTORY MAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Lesson 2
Character Counts
Purpose: Students will read definitions of character
traits and will write about how the person in their
book exemplifies one of the defined traits.
Materials
• History Maker
Biographies
• Character Essay
Evaluation p. 10
• Character
Vocabulary List p. 11
• Writing Help p. 12
• pencils
• lined paper
Objectives
• Recall details from a biography.
• Define words that describe a person’s character.
• Select a character trait that best fits a book’s main
character.
• Describe how the main character exemplifies a
chosen character trait.
• Compose a short essay describing one of the main
character’s prominent traits.
• Assess the quality of a rough draft and write a final
essay.
Activity Procedures
Prepare
(teacher)
• Copy Character Essay Evaluation p. 10, Character
Vocabulary List p. 11, and Writing Help p. 12 for
each student.
Pretest
(class)
• What is character?
• Discuss the difference between a person’s physical
appearance, what he/she does, and his/her character.
(Younger or less advanced students may confuse what
a person looks like or does with what kind of
personality he/she has.)
• Preview one of the books from the History Maker
Biographies series.
• Tell students to look for words or quotes that describe
what kind of person the main character was.
• Write these on the board.
• Read the Character Vocabulary List p. 11 and have
students share which trait they feel best fits the main
character in their book.
Read
(class)
• Read a History Maker Biography.
Model
(teacher)
• Choose quotes or examples from one of the History
Maker Biographies and explain how these are
evidence of one of the character traits listed on
Character Vocabulary List p. 11.
Practice
(student)
• Choose one of the descriptive words from Character
Vocabulary List p. 11 that best describes the main
character in the chosen book.
• Write a short essay using quotes or examples from the
text that explain why the descriptive word chosen
describes the main character.
• Read and revise your rough draft using Writing Help
p. 12.
• Write a final essay using Writing Help p. 12.
Discuss
(student, class)
• Share the words or quotes used to describe your
character with the class.
• Why does the word you chose fit the main character
better than other words on the list?
Evaluate
(teacher)
• Use Character Essay Evaluation p. 10 to assess
students’ writing.
TEACHING
HISTORY MAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Lesson 3
I Made History
Purpose: Students will compare the lives of famous
people and analyze how they changed the world.
Materials
• History Maker
Biographies
• Fit for Fame p. 13
• I Made History p. 14
• Making History
Evaluation p. 15
• pencils
Objectives
• List famous people found in History Maker
Biographies.
• Identify common themes or categories.
• Determine which famous people fit in various
categories.
• Compare and contrast the lives of famous people
found in History Maker Biographies.
• Organize information in a diagram.
• Assess how ordinary people can change the world.
Activity Procedures
Prepare
(teacher)
• Copy Fit for Fame p. 13, I Made History p. 14, and
Making History Evaluation p. 15 for each student.
Pretest
(teacher, class)
• Define and discuss the categories listed on I Made
History p. 14.
• Discuss which categories the famous people in the
History Maker Biographies fit into.
• List additional categories not provided on I Made
History p. 14.
Read
(students)
• Each student will choose and read one History Maker
Biography.
Model
(teacher)
• Show students how to complete I Made History
p. 14.
• Read Fit for Fame p. 13 with the class. Explain that
students will complete this worksheet after deciding
which category their biography subject fits into.
Practice
(student, class)
• Complete I Made History p. 14.
• If the famous person you read about does not fit into
any of the categories, or if additional categories are
needed, add them in the space provided or on
another sheet of paper.
• Write the name of the famous person you read about
in the appropriate category.
• Share which category(ies) you chose to place your
famous person in and explain your answer to the
class.
• Write the names of other famous people in other
categories as students in the class share their answers.
• Complete Fit for Fame p. 13.
Discuss
(class)
• How are the accomplishments of the people in the
History Maker Biographies similar/different?
• How did the people in the History Maker Biographies
change history/the world?
• What would things be like today if these people had
not worked so hard to accomplish their goals?
Evaluate
(teacher)
• Use Making History Evaluation p. 15 to assess student
understanding.
5
6
TEACHING
HISTORY MAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Lesson 4
In Summary
Purpose: Students will summarize the life of one of
the historic figures in a History Maker Biography by
creating a pictorial timeline.
Materials
• History Maker
Biographies
• In Summary p. 16
• pencils
• crayons or colored
pencils
• drawing paper
• tape
Objectives
• Recall information from History Maker Biographies.
• Identify significant people, places, events, and
achievements recounted in a biography.
• Illustrate a sequence of events through drawings.
• Explain and label illustrations.
• Compile information into a timeline.
• Summarize main ideas in a biography.
Activity Procedures
Prepare
(teacher)
• Copy In Summary p. 16 for each student.
• Draw a sample pictorial timeline for students to view.
• Draw images that best summarize the life and
accomplishments of a given historical figure’s life.
• Label each illustration with the correct date and a
short caption explaining the event.
• Determine the number of illustrations you will
require students to complete.
Pretest
(class)
• Preview the timeline on page 44 of a History Maker
Biography.
• What information is included on the timeline?
Read
(class)
• Read one History Maker Biography.
Model
(teacher)
• Discuss the purpose of a timeline and explain how a
timeline is read.
• Present your sample pictorial timeline.
• Explain how to choose images that best depict the
life and accomplishments of a given historical figure.
• Show students how to label their illustrations.
Practice
(student)
• Complete a pictorial timeline.
• Use one sheet of drawing paper to write the name of
the historical figure chosen and a memorable quote.
• Use one sheet of drawing paper for each illustration.
• Tape the edges of the papers together in
chronological sequence to create a horizontal or
vertical pictorial timeline. (Tape the paper with the
name of the historical figure at the beginning of the
timeline.)
Discuss
(student, class)
• How do summaries, whether pictorial, verbal, or
written, help us understand a story?
• Have students explain their timelines to the class,
making sure to tell why they chose the events
illustrated.
Evaluate
(teacher)
• Use In Summary p. 16 to evaluate each student’s
pictorial timeline.
• Display pictorial timelines.
TEACHING
HISTORY MAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Additional Resources
BOOKS
Armentrout, David, and Patricia Armentrout.
Important and Famous People. Vero Beach, FL:
Rourke Publishing, LLC, 2002.
This book features historical and modern greats
from each of the United States.
Gifford, Clive. 1000 Years of Famous People. New
York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002.
This book describes the lives and accomplishments
of explorers, inventors, leaders, artists, athletes,
musicians, politicians, scientists, writers, and
reformers of the past one thousand years.
Kalman, Bobbie, and Molly Aloian. Famous Native
North Americans. New York: Crabtree Publishing
Company, 2003.
Students can read about famous Native
Americans whose actions impacted their own
nations, as well as the United States and Canada.
The Oxford Children’s Book of Famous People. New
York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
This illustrated book summarizes the
accomplishments of one thousand people from
around the world and from a variety of
backgrounds.
Roscoe, Lorraine, and Dennis Denenberg. 50
American Heroes Every Kid Should Meet.
Minneapolis: Millbrook Press, 2001.
This book summarizes the accomplishments of
fifty famous Americans.
Thimmesh, Catherine. The Sky’s the Limit: Stories of
Discovery by Women and Girls. New York:
Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004.
This illustrated book highlights research and
discoveries made by female scientists.
Yin, Liangwu. Famous People of China. Broomall, PA:
Mason Crest Publishers, 2004.
Students can broaden their horizons as they learn
about famous individuals who influenced
Chinese culture.
WEBSITES
America’s Story from America’s Library
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi
This site is brought to you from the Library of
Congress. Students can meet amazing Americans
or jump back in time.
Biographical Dictionary
http://www.s9.com
This dictionary has information on over 18,000
people and provides birth and death years,
professions, positions held, literary and artistic
works and other achievements. You can also take
the Master Biographer Challenge to see how
much you know about Notable Citizens of
Planet Earth.
Discoverers Web
http://www.win.tue.nl/cs/fm/engels/discovery/#
ancient
This site contains information on explorers
through history and contains links to websites on
specific explorers.
4000 Years of Women In Science
http://www.astr.ua.edu/4000WS/4000WS.html
This site focuses on the contributions of women
inventors and scientists. There are on-line
biographies, an interactive quiz, and puzzles.
HistoryBuff.com
http://www.historybuff.com
This site includes a searchable library with the
categories Civil War, Baseball, Engravings,
Journalism Hoaxes, Old West and more than a
dozen others. The Presidential Library includes
the inaugural addresses of all U.S. presidents.
The History Channel
http://www.historychannel.com
Search for information on your favorite inventor
or invention. Teacher’s Guides on History
Channel features are also available.
I Dream A World: Portraits of Black Women Who
Changed America
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/IDreamAWorld/
IDreamAWorld_front.asp
Students can view portraits and read synopses of
black women’s accomplishments.
Invent Now National Inventors Hall of Fame
http://www.invent.org/index.asp?bhcp=1
Students can browse the Inventors Hall of Fame
for inventors or inventions, as well as learn about
the patenting process.
Presidents of the United States
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/
The biographies of the presidents give us a clear
look into the highs and lows of American history.
7
8
Famous Facts
Name
Date
Everybody is born and grows up, and many people go to school and have jobs. These things
are facts about a person’s life. But not everybody becomes famous. What makes a person
famous? Usually a person becomes famous when they do something very special or unusual.
Their life is so extraordinary that many people talk about, write stories about, and even paint
pictures about what they did. As you read your History Maker Biography think about what
the person did to make them different from other people. Write down these “Famous Facts”
on a piece of scratch paper.
Directions: Read a History Maker Biography.
Write facts about the person on a piece of scratch paper. Write only the facts that show what
the person was famous for.
In your neatest handwriting, write the “Famous Facts” you have found in order by year on the
lines below.
Example:
1775 George Washington became commander of the America army.
1789 He became the first president of the United States.
Year
Famous Fact
Teaching History Maker Biographies
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Reading Skills Checklist
Mastered
A
Developing
B
Teaching History Maker Biographies
C
Needs Improvement
D
F
10
Character Essay Evaluation
Evaluate the student’s writing using the criteria listed below. Assign point(s) possible for each
task or objective before evaluating the student’s work.
Student’s Name
Date
Title of Book
Points
Earned
Points
Possible
Read the book.
Wrote rough draft and made corrections.
Edited and revised rough draft.
Final draft had few or no errors.
Final draft showed understanding of the book.
Final draft showed understanding of the central figure’s character.
Writing was coherent and neat.
Tasks were completed on time.
Total Points Earned
Total Points Possible
Comments
Teaching History Maker Biographies
11
Character Vocabulary List
Name
Date
Directions: Read the character trait words and definitions below. Choose the word that
best fits the main character of the book you read. Write a short essay explaining why the
word you chose best fits your book’s main character.
CHARACTER: the part of a person’s personality
that makes him/her act a certain way most of the time
courageous—someone who faces danger, difficulty, or pain bravely
creative—someone who makes something new or artistic
fair—someone who treats everyone the same
innovative—someone who does or makes something new or different
honest—someone who does not lie and who you can trust
kind—someone who cares about and helps others
loyal—someone who stands by and defends their friends, family, or country
persistent—someone who doesn’t give up even when they have to do something difficult
responsible—someone who works hard and who does what they say they are going to do
You may also use a word and definition not listed.
Write your character trait word here:
Write the definition of your character trait word here:
Teaching History Maker Biographies
12
Writing Help
Lead or Topic Sentence
The first sentence or topic sentence should be short. Your first sentence lets the reader know
what direction the paragraph is headed.
Body
The body of a paragraph includes facts from the book you read and your thoughts about
these facts. In the body, you should expand on the facts introduced in your first sentence.
You can collect facts for the body of your paragraph by taking notes as you read. Remember
to answer the five Ws—who, what, why, when, and where—in your notes. Make sure you
organize the facts you find.
Conclusion
Conclusions simply sum up your thoughts and feelings. For a strong conclusion, give your
opinions about the facts presented. What did you find interesting? What did you learn?
Revising and Responding Checklist
Ask yourself . . .
Does every sentence support the main idea?
Are the sentences in a clear, logical order?
Try these solutions . . .
Rewrite your sentences to state the main idea more clearly.
Add examples to make the paragraph clearer and more interesting.
Cut sentences that do not support the topic.
My Second Draft: The Revision
Use these Editor’s Marks:
Check for errors in capitalization.
Capitalize.
Check for errors in punctuation.
Add a period. •
Add something.
>
Use this Proofreading Checklist:
Cut something.
Circle any words you think are misspelled.
Spell correctly.
Teaching History Maker Biographies
sp
13
Fit for Fame
Name
Directions: Read a History Maker Biography. After completing the worksheet titled I
Made History, answer the questions below.
Who did you read about?
What was this person famous for? (Choose from the categories on I Made History).
What did this person do that made him/her famous?
How did this person’s actions change your country or the world?
What do you appreciate most about this person’s accomplishments?
If this person had not lived, how might the world be different?
Teaching History Maker Biographies
14
I Made History
Name
Date
Directions: Read the words in the boxes below. Choose the category that best fits the
accomplishments of the famous person you read about. Write the name of that person in the
correct category. Write the names of the famous people your classmates read about in the
correct categories.
This person helped to improve the lives of others because she/he:
Protected America
Protected Democracy
Protected Human Rights
Invented Something
Discovered Or Rediscovered
A Far Away Place
Did Something No Other
Person Had Done Before
Other
Teaching History Maker Biographies
15
Making History Evaluation
Evaluate the student’s participation and understanding using the criteria listed below. Assign
point(s) possible for each task or objective before evaluating the student’s work.
Student’s Name
Date
Title of Book
Points
Earned
Points
Possible
Oral Language Skills
Participated in discussions.
Spoke in turn during discussions.
Expressed thoughts clearly and logically.
Expressed feelings about the famous person and their accomplishments.
Historical Understanding and Literacy Skills
Read the book.
Understood the subject’s accomplishments.
Correctly categorized subject’s accomplishments.
Understood the significance of the famous person both in their historical context and today.
Understood how ordinary people can work to contribute to the common good of others in society.
Total Points Earned
Total Points Possible
Comments
Teaching History Maker Biographies
16
In Summary
Evaluate the student’s participation and understanding using the criteria listed below. Assign
point(s) possible for each task or objective before evaluating the student’s work.
Student’s Name
Date
Title of Book
Points
Earned
Points
Possible
Project Skills
Project was completed on time.
Timeline was constructed carefully.
A memorable quote was included.
Illustrations were completed to the best of one’s ability.
Historical Understanding and Literacy Skills
Read the book.
Understood the purpose for and the construction of a timeline.
Events were correctly sequenced in the timeline.
Important events in the subject’s life were illustrated.
The timeline summarizes clearly and coherently the subject’s life and
accomplishments.
Total Points Earned
Total Points Possible
Comments
Teaching History Maker Biographies