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Dear Netters, Previously I posted a request for plans on biographies and I = received many wonderful plans. Before I list the hit I need to make = some corrections on my original request. The recipe for biography hash = that I received from a Judy Freeman (not Freedman as I had previously = posted) workshop Judy got from Patty Melville, an LM_NET librarian from = MA. The last ingredient I mixed was Trix, not Kix as I had mentioned. = Trix are multi-colored which I explained to the students represent that = biographies are about people of all races, religions, etc. Also, check = the Sept/Oct '00 issue of Library Talk for an article called = "Investigating Biographies" by Judy Freeman and the Nov"00 issue has a = biography worksheet. =20 Personally I feel biographies are a wonderful genre to = introduce students to. They serve many purposes 1) to introduce = students to other genres 2) help students learn about real people who = helped shaped our countries history, 3) help students understand time = lines. In Michigan biographies help to hit many of our benchmarks in = both Social Studies and English Language Arts. 1. Check the ERIC archives - I found many great lesson = plans on biographies. 2. From Pam Groucher: Discuss BIO-life, GRAPHY-writing. = Follow with a very active exercise to explain shelving of Bio. Each = student pretend to be a bio book of him/herself and make a big spine = label to tape on shirt. Then the class had to see how quickly and = accurately without talking if they could shelve themselves in correct = order. The next session was a book talk of "real famous people you = probably have never hear of." =20 3. From Michele Missner: Students made cubes using a = pattern. Each side of the cube had a picture of fact (or both) about = the biographee. Inside the cube was a little clue about the person. = For example, apple seeds for Johnny Appleseed. Oral reports were given, = but the name of the person was not on the cube. Each cube was given a = number and students had a quiz to see how many people they could = identify based on the cube and or the clue. Other ideas are = dramatizations, monologues, dress up. If a scientist, reproduce an = experiment - Ben Franklin, batteries, etc. 4. From Ann Arpin: Students could make a timeline of = important events in the biolgraphee's life. During the first lesson, = students could begin by constructing their own timeline, perhaps listing = 10 important events (learned to walk, rode a 2-wheel bike, lost first = tooth, etc.) During the second lesson, they create the timeline of the = biographee. Timeliner software would add a very creative touch; if not = they could perhaps add their own pictures or drawings to dress theirs = up. Also adding machine tape would be used for the timeline. For the = third lesson, they could display them on a large wall, layered an lined = up by date, one on top of another, so they could see who else lived = during the time of their person. Each student could give a brief = presentation of their person and what they were most famous for. 5. From Fitzsimmons: One thing I do with fourth graders = each year is have them write an obituary for a president. Begin the = unit by sharing obituary pages from a local paper from a small town and = larger town. There is a formula to obituaries if you read enough of = them. Then we go over terms like preceded in death by, survived by etc. = They apply this to the president they have read the biography on. =20 6. From Kay Kliethermes: Third grade teachers do a wax = museum with biographies. They read the book, prepare a report on the = person and then invite parents. They come in character and stay in = character for the entire presentation which is about 45 minutes. = Parents and staff members then press a "button" on their hand (round = sticker) and they start off ..I am..It is very impressive. Some bring = props and really get into it. 7. From Sherry Lancaster: Biography unit with sixth = graders. They chose a biography to read, and then had to create various = products. Depending on the amount of time I had to spend on the unit, = students chose a certain number of products from an approved list. For = example: (a) write a biography poem about your person (b) write a letter = from your person to an important person in his/her life, about an = important event (c) write an obituary for your person (d) complete a = basic fact sheet. (e) create an imaginary souvenir page for your person = (f) find an important quote and write a paragraph explaining why you = chose it and what makes it meaningful to you. This school year I introduce the genre of biographies to the = 4th graders and then talk about the 10 elements that most biographies = have, the next lesson we "eat" a biography by making "biography hash". = (each element of a biography I assign a certain food to it) After = mixing all the ingredients together we "eat" the biography. The next = lesson we begin our reading of Out of Darkness: The Story of Louis = Braille. There are various things we do with the book such as = vocabulary, making a time line of his life, I have Braille books to pass = out to the students. =20 Then in 5th grade, all students have to pick a biography = read it and make (a) an acrostic poem using the last name of the famous = person (b) Six levels of Blooms. I got this from either Mailbox or Book = Bag, in the issue was an organizer of a pyramid. Each block had = specific information about the person that the students had to write on = the block and when it was done it was in the shape of pyramid. The = students had to put their acrostic poem on a piece of paper, glue it to = a 12 by 18 sheet of construction paper and then glue the pyramid next to = it. =20 Judy Freeman also has a wonderful worksheet called Who Am I? = (see the Nov/Dec'00 Library Talk) The teacher types clues about the = person and gives the call number for the biography. Students have to = find the person, write down the name of the book, author, etc. It is a = great exercise! Have a wonderful 2003. Thanks for all the wonderful ideas. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=- All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law. To change your LM_NET status, e-mail to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL 3) SET LM_NET MAIL 4) SET LM_NET DIGEST * Allow for confirmation. 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