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�  Written  works  that  describe  and  discuss  the  lives  of  real  individuals.  

�  Creates  a  main  character  children  care  about  �  Makes  the  reader  want  to  learn  more  about  the  subject  �  Describes  the  subject’s  actions  and  what    they  say  

�  Describes  ways  others  talk  about  the    subject  

�  Creates  visual  pictures  in  the  readers    mind  

�  Helps  to  place  the  reader  in  time  and    place  

Earlier  Periods  �  Commonly  used  to  expose  children  to  national  and  cultural  heroes  

�  Tended  to  exaggerate  the  positive  side  of  the  subject  

�  Subject  was  often  White  male  political  leader  

�  Emphasized  historical  contributors  to  society    

�  Emphasis  on  admirable  virtues  &  role  models  

�  Altered  to  represent  diverse  of  cultures  in  U.S.  

�  Expose  Americans  to  a  more  inclusive  view  of  noteworthy  individuals  abroad  &  in  America  

�  Include  a  more  realistic  representation  of  events:  Discrimination,  Abuse,  Violence  

Today’s  Content  

�  Practices  in  earlier  children’s  biographies  �  Use  of  a  child’s  voice  as  narrator  with  a  great  figure  �  Author  Robert  Lawson,  “I  Discovered  Columbus”  “Ben  &  Me”  used  a  mouse  and  a  parrot  to  narrate  their  stories.  Made  stories  more  enjoyable  for  young  readers.  

   

� Medal  first  awarded  in  1922  �  Awarded  for  biography  in  1934  �  “Invincible  Louisa”    story  of  Louisa  May  Alcott  

� Written  by  Cornelia  Meigs  

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�  Contemporary  People  �  Historical  Figures  �  Athletes  �  Entertainers  �  Scientists  and  Inventors  �  Series:  ie  Creative  Minds  &  Gateway  �  Partial,  Complete,  Collective,  Autobiographies,  Memoirs  &  Picture  Book  Biographies  

�  People  in  music:  �  Vocal  and  singing  shows  make  the  music  business  look  so  attractive.  I  wanted  to  have  real  accounts  of  entertainers  and  how  hard  they  had  to  work  in  order  to  become  who  they  are/were  in    the  music  industry.  Here  are  a  few  excerpts  from  passages  in    the  biographies  of:  �  Aretha  Franklin,  Beyonce,  Diana  Ross  &  Whitney  Houston  

�  See  if  you  can  guess  who  said  what…  

�  “I  don’t  want  anything  to  do  with  Motown  25,  Yesterday,  Today  and  Forever…it  feels  awkward  since  I’ve  been  gone  for  two  years”…-­‐?????  

�  “As  a  female  teenage  R  &  B  pop  singer,  there  were  so  many  stereotypes  attached  to  me”-­‐???????  

�  “I  didn’t  want  my  rendition  of  the  Star  Spangled  Banner  to  be  traditional”-­‐????  

�  “The  only  queens  I  had  known  were  Dinah  Washington,  Queen  Elizabeth  I  and  II…To  be  considered  worthy  of  the  same  title  was  an  honor”-­‐???  

�  At  each  grade  level,  K  -­‐12th,  the  standards  for  reading  focus  on  literature  and  informational  texts  that  include  biographies.    

�  California’s  state  standards  require  a  balance  between  the  literature  and  the  informational  texts.    

�  Biographies  can  be  used  to  aid  particular  core  standards,  such  as  the  model  school  library  content  standard.    

�  For  instance,  the  standard  1.2a  of  the  library  content  requires  the  students  to  demonstrate  and  investigation  and  connect  them  with  a  topic  they  are  researching.  A  biography  can  aid  students  with  this  task  by  allowing  them  to  access  information  directly.    

�  Another  example  of  a  California  school  library  standard  1.3a  requires  students  to  identify  two  sources  of  information  that  will  provide  an  answer  to  the  question  proposed  by  the  student.    

�  A  full  outline  of  California  Common  Core  Standards  can  be  found  at:  http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/documents/glc2ndgradecurriculum.pdf  

�  An  effective  reader  thinks  critically  about  text.  It  takes  years  for  readers  to  become  sophisticated  enough  to  think    about  the  text  they  read,  but  doing  so  is  an  important  aspect  of  comprehension.  Critical  thinking  is  more  than  opinion.  Readers  need  to  make  judgments  about    what  they  are  reading,  judgments  that  are  thoughtful,  grounded  in  text,  and  well  founded.  Most  individuals  need  a  wide  range  of  experiences  and  many  opportunities  to  develop  as  critical  readers.  Readers  need  to  think  beyond  the  literal  meaning  of  a  text  to  comprehend  it.  

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�  1.  Read  the  entire  text  to  look  for  information  on    �  (theme,  character,  setting,  text  features).  2.  Place  tabs  where  evidence  of  these  literary  elements    show  up.  

3.  Stop  and  think  aloud  about  which  of  these  elements  make  you  think.  

4.Stop  and  have  students  think  about  which  elements  make  them  think.  

� Marian  did  not  need  extra  encouragement  when  it  came  to  singing.  She  practiced  her  part  of  every  song  each  song  and  often  learned  all  the  other  parts  too.  For  her,  singing  was  serious  business  and  more  than  anything,  she  hoped  to  someday  go  to  music  school.  

�  This  makes  me  think…  

� Marian  believed  her  mother.  She  took  voice  lessons  in  her  neighborhood,  continued  with  the  choirs,  and  sometimes  performed  at  Negro  churches  and  colleges.  

�  This  makes  me  think…  

� When  Marian  saw  a  Metropolitan  Opera  performance  of  the  tragic  opera  Madame  Butterfly  thoughts  of  a  formal  music  education  came  to  mind.  

�  What  does  this  make  you  think…  

� Mr.  Boghetti  had  been  right.  She  could  go  anywhere  and  sing  for  anyone  until  she  came  home  in  the  United  States.  

�  What  does  this  make  you  think…  

�  She  received  medals,  awards  and  honorary  degrees  for  her  magnificent  voice.  But  there  was  still  one    place  Marian  had  not  sang.  

�  What  does  this  make  you    think?  

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�  After  looking  at  you  thinking…what  overarching  theme  are  you  seeing  in  the  text?