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WILMA UNLIMITED
by Kathleen Krull
This lesson serves as a short introduction of
the biography genre. The lesson can be expanded if you want it to be
more than an introduction.
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You can get the book from Amazon.com.
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The Spanish version is also available.
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LESSON PLAN:
Overview:
In this lesson, students will become familiar with the characteristics of
biography. They will list facts
they know about Wilma Rudolph based on hearing her name, seeing her picture, and
listening to her biography--picture book Wilma Unlimited by Kathleen Krull. Procedure:
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Make a transparency of the biography chart. You may also
want to make a copy for each student. If you do not have access to an
overhead projector, you can draw the chart on the board.
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Write
the name Wilma Rudolph on the chalkboard.
Ask the students to tell you what they know about her based on just
the name. In the first column
of the transparency, write down all answers, whether they are correct or
not. Do not expect much at this
time. The point is that they
don’t know much about her by just hearing her name. In fact, the only
information that most students will know is that the name Wilma indicates
the subject is female.
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Show
the students a picture of Wilma Rudolph.
(You may want to create a transparency to make it large enough for
students to see easily.) Ask the students to tell you what they know about her based
on the picture. In the second
column of the transparency, write down all answers, whether they are correct
or not. If any answers from the
first column have been proven incorrect, draw one line through each one.
Do not erase them or completely mark them out.
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Show
the students that we know more about Wilma Rudolph based on the picture, but
there is a way to learn even more about her.
We can read a story about her life.
Such a story is called a biography.
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Show
the students a transparency of the Elements of Biography and discuss each
element. Ask the students to
share the names of biographies they have read.
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Read
Wilma Unlimited to the students,
encouraging them to take notes as they learn new information about Wilma
Rudolph. Be sure to show the
pictures to the students as you read.
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Ask
the students to tell you what they know about Wilma Rudolph based on the
biography. This time, the aim is for accuracy, so help the students
correct their answers if necessary. Write
the information in the third column of the transparency. If any answers from the first two columns have been proven
incorrect, draw one line through each one.
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Show
the students that we know more about Wilma Rudolph after reading her
biography. Biographies not only
teach us about the subject, but the time period as well.
For example, in Wilma Unlimited, we learn about Wilma Rudolph, but we
also learn about the prejudice that African-Americans faced during the 1950s
and 1960s.
Closure:
Show the students that we know more about Wilma Rudolph after reading her
biography.
Biographies not only teach us about the subject, but the time period
as well.
For example, in Wilma Unlimited, we learn about Wilma Rudolph, but we
also learn about the prejudice that African-Americans faced during the 1950s
and 1960s.
ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STRUGGLING STUDENTS:
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After
reading the story the first time through, read it again so the students can
get as many notes as possible.
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If
possible, provide extra copies of Wilma
Unlimited to struggling students, either individually or in pairs, to
make note-taking easier for them. There is a Spanish version of the
book available.
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Call
on the struggling students first to ensure they have a chance to respond
without someone else sharing their answers first. |
MATERIALS:
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
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