Back to Wright Brothers Lesson Plan |
Subjects
Grade
Brief Description
Older students write high-interest, low-vocabulary biographies for young readers.
Objectives
Students will
Keywords
Wright brothers, biography, edit, peer, cross-grade, mentor
Lesson Plan
Note: This lesson engages upper elementary and older students in writing biographies about the Wright Brothers for younger students to read. While the lesson is focused on the Wright Brothers, it could be easily adapted to focus on any famous figure. For that matter, each older student could select a different famous figure to write about.
Select and read aloud to students several biographies of famous people that were written with young readers (grades K-3) in mind. After reading the books, discuss the following question:
Write students' responses on a sheet of chart paper. Discuss why the reasons for each of the differences students describe: why pictures might play a greater role in books for young readers; why the vocabulary is easier; why some details were left out; and so on.
After discussing some of the differences, provide a variety of additional "young reader" biographies; have each student select a book. Instruct students to take home the book, read it for homework, and take notes as they read about information that might appeal to readers in grades K-3.
The next day, encourage students to share their thoughts and observations about the books they read.
Now tell students they are going to write books for younger readers. (You might already have made arrangements with a teacher in a primary grade to have his or her students serve as the audience for those books.) Have students talk about, and create a list of "Tips for Writing Books With Young Readers in Mind." Write student tips on chart paper and post them in a prominent place in the classroom. You might also type the list and provide each student with a handy reference copy.
Next, decide if each student will research and write about the same person(s) -- the Wright Brothers, for example -- or if each student will write about a different person.
Additional thoughts...
- Writing about different people can provide a library of easy-to-read biographies for a primary-level class.
- Students might work in pairs to create the books; one could serve as writer, the other as illustrator. They could research together and plan together. The writer would offer critiques/advice related to rough-draft illustrations for the book; the illustrator could make suggestions/critiques about the text.
- Students might involve the younger students as they research the famous person they have selected. They can share what they are thinking about including in the books, and ask the young students which of those things they find most interesting and they can ask the younger students to provide feedback on the drafts of the books.
- Students should use a variety of technology resources in creating their books.
When the Books Are Complete...
Assessment
Students will share their books with one another (or with their team mate) and with the students they created the book for. Each student can write a brief evaluation of the final project.Lesson Plan Source
Education World
Submitted By
Gary Hopkins
National Standards
FINE ARTS: Visual Arts
GRADES K - 4
All standards GRADES
5 - 8
All standards GRADES
9 - 12
All standards
LANGUAGE ARTS: English
GRADES K - 12
NL-ENG.K-12.1 Reading
for Perspective
NL-ENG.K-12.2 Reading
for Understanding
NL-ENG.K-12.3 Evaluation
Strategies
NL-ENG.K-12.4 Communication
Skills
NL-ENG.K-12.5 Communication
Strategies
NL-ENG.K-12.6 Applying
Knowledge
NL-ENG.K-12.8 Developing
Research Skills
NL-ENG.K-12.9 Multicultural
Understanding
NL-ENG.K-12.11
Participating in Society
NL-ENG.K-12.12
Applying Language Skills
SOCIAL SCIENCES: U.S. History
GRADES 5 - 12
All Eras
SOCIAL SCIENCES: World History
GRADES 5 - 12
All Eras
TECHNOLOGY
GRADES K - 12
NT.K-12.1 Basic Operations
and Concepts
NT.K-12.4 Technology Communications
Tools
NT.K-12.5 Technology Research
Tools
Click here to return to this week's Wright brothers lesson plan page.