Who are they? Who are we?

Historical-charactersI want to carry out an experiment with you and see whether you are ready to work on the blog with me and your classmates.  It will be fun, but you will have to work a bit harder.  Are you ready to enter this new challenge?  Hope so.  I will give you a try.

I want you to write the biography of an important person, a hero or heroine who played an important role in the history of mankind. 

We will learn the real life stories of brave men and women who have brought change in the world with their path breaking ideas and actions. The biographies of famous world leaders help us to know the people, their achievements and contributions that have shaped the course of our world. We will be inspired by their ideas, thoughts and lives of selfless service to others.

For each biography give their picture, name, date and place of birth, occupation, date of death (if not alive), their early life, personal life, their calling or political life, and major accomplishments.

biography worksheet

These two documents will help you too:

Bioorganizer

Biosampler

people who made a difference

Go to the following biography sites; some of them are sites for kids I know it, but the level of English is ideal for you, trust me!

http://www.ducksters.com/biography/

http://www.biography.com/

http://www.turtlediary.com/biographies.html

http://www.biographyonline.net/people/people-who-made-a-difference.html

If you are not happy with the sites, you can find your own by using these words in your search engine.  For example if you want to write the biography of Leonardo you can google “Leonardo Da Vinci for kids”.  This is what I got:

http://gardenofpraise.com/art17.htm

I wanted to write the biography of Nelson Mandela, to commemorate the recent loss of this great father to humanity.  I googled “Nelson Mandela for kids” and I found this interesting site, have a look at it, it may inspire you too!

http://www.turtlediary.com/biographies/world-leaders/nelson-mandela.html

The Time Magazine for Kids is a very useful site to resort to.  You just type in the name of the person whose biography you want to write and you see whether you can get any help.  I did it for Mandela and see what I got:

http://www.timeforkids.com/search/site/Nelson%20Mandela

The BBC website is another precious source, full of great information, quizzes, games.  Let’s play the Mandela Game together:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/famouspeople/nelson_mandela/

Then there is www.history.com

To recap:

  1. Choose an important person in the history of mankind.
  2. Find some information and write the biography.  Use the attached documents to help you understand how to write a biography.  Remember: do not cut and paste.  Read different sources and write the content of the biography in your own words.
  3. Choose a photo of the famous person.  Use Fotobabble   http://www.fotobabble.com/ and create a talking photo in which you say in a few words why you chose this person. This tutorial may help you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYxalI2ql1U
  4. Post the biography you wrote and the fotobabble you created so that your classmates will learn from you too, and not just from the teacher.  I will learn from you as well.
  5. We will vote the most interesting biographies and fotobabbles.

This is mine fotobabble for Nelson Mandela.

Nelson Mandela is a man that touched my heart and changed me as a person.  He will always be remembered as a hero in the history of mankind, because he did not just serve his country, but the whole world.  Like Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi, he is a man that fought for justice.  With endless energy and determination, with great intelligence and gifted speech, he withstood injustice and won freedom for himself and for his people in South Africa.  Some of his words made and make me feel less lonely and give me hope both as a teacher and as a woman.  I wish there were a person like Madiba in each country of this planet.  We would definitely live in a better and more just world.  Italy indeed would benefit from the moral stature of this great statesman. Long live the memory of Nelson Mandela.

Mandela-1mandela_10

The second stage of this experiment is writing our own biography.  It will be a Personal Narrative and these documents will help you.

PersonalNarrativeorganizerPersonalNarrativeSamplerPersonalNarrativeorganizer

You choose what to share with me and the rest of the class.  Ideally briefly write about your main interests and passions, your ideals and hopes.  Mention an anecdote in your life that cast light on you.  There must be something that makes us understand how unique and special you are, how you can potentially make a difference in this world too if you want to.

biography

This time use Bookr to write your photobook.  http://www.pimpampum.net/bookr/

This tutorial may help you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgbzbkyB4bs

biographie-writeup-djatworkartist-dj-bio-writing-djatwork

17 Replies to “Who are they? Who are we?”

  1. ALBERT EINSTEIN BIOGRAPHY

    Albert Einstein was a Physicist and a teacher who was very important for the humanity.
    He was born in March 14, 1879 in Germany and dead in April 18, 1955 in New Jersey.
    In his life, he has won some prize, but the most important was the Nobel Prize in physics in 1921.
    He is the most celebrated scientist of the twentieth Century.

    Since his childhood, he enjoyed school! He studied classical music, the violin. He loved music and said “If i were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician.”

    He was very good at school, the best in his class, specially in science. At the age of 12, he picked up a book on geometry and read it cover to cover. He became fascinated by maths and taught himself becoming acquainted with the great scientific discoveries of the age. He loved math and philosophy, but most physics, the study of the space and time, in fact he had many scientific ideas and theories, like the Theory od Relativity who talk about the famous ewuation e=mc2.
    This theory say “Movement can only be detected and measured as relative movement; the change of position of one body in respect to another.”

    At 16 years, he write his first scientific paper “The Investigation of the State of Aether in Magnetic Fields”.

    He was married and after divorcing several years later, he married his cousin but 10 years later she died.

    He had three sons, Lieserl (January, 1902), Eduard (1910), and Hans.

    Einstein described himself as a Zionist Socialist, he did support the state of Israel and was asked at him to be the president, but he declined.

    In 1939 he wrote to President Roosvelt about the prospect of atomic bomb which the Germans were working.

    In 1955, Albert Einstein had a stomach problems, has refused surgery and died at the age of 76. He was very intelligent, so his brain is at Princenton University Medical Center to be studyed.

    http://www.fotobabble.com/m/T2NzclhVRThVb289

    I’ve choice Albert Einstein, because I think this man changed the world.
    He wasn’t just a very smart man, but he was also so creative like me.
    I’ve read so many phrases of Einstein and the one which I prefer is this “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited; imagination encircles the world.”
    I think this man changed the world; not just because he discovered so many math formulas, but also because he tried to make it clear that the imagination is the most important thing because it makes you live in a world of your own.
    I believe that imagination allows us to live life with happiness and Albert Einstein has always done it.

  2. Martin Luther King was born in Atlanta Georgia in January 15,1929.
    He skipped two grades because he was very intelligent.
    Martin started collage at the age 15, he did well in every subject.
    He also received his doctorate when he was 25-26 years old and later become a pastor.
    Martin in 1963 organized a march on Washington, he made his famous ‘I HAVE A DREAM’ speech.
    An year later, on 1964 he helped in the passage of the Civil Rights Act, for helping with the Act, Martin Luther King received the Nobel Peace Prize.
    King organized one demonstrations and protest to support the rights of all people, and he was a leader commited to social justice throught non-violence

  3. I chose John Fitzgerald Kennedy because he’s a person who always been appasionate me.
    For me he’s one of the most important man of the history. J.F. Kennedy, like other people, for example Martin Luther King or Nelson Mandela, fought against racism for the jutice and for the rights of black skin people. These things are very important for nowadays society. But today there are still people who hate black skin people and they do harm.
    Besides, my brother attended secondary school “J. F. Kennedy” in Pordenone and so I heard this name for five years and I became curious about his person and I wanted to learn something about him.

  4. MARTIN LUTHER KING

    Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist in the 1950s and 1960s. He supported the rights of all people, including African Americans, with passionate but non-violent protests, and helped to raise awareness of racial inequalities in America. He also was a great orator, and his speeches captured the hearts of black and white people.

    Martin Luther King Jr. was born on 15 January 1929 in Atlanta. His father was a minister who fought against racial prejudice, and Martin fought against prejudice too. He was a very good student and he was so intelligent that he skipped two grades in high school and he started Morehouse College (segregated schooling) when he was only fifteen. He got his degree in sociology from Morehouse and then went to study at the Crozer Seminary and Boston University. While he was there Martin became aware of the injustice faced by black Americans. He was influenced by Gandhi’s philosophy about non-violent protest.

    Martin Luther King’s first major civil rights action was when he led the Montgomery Bus Boycott. On 5 December 1955 Rosa Parks, an African-American woman and a civil rights activist, was on a bus and she refused to give up her seat to a white person. She was arrested. Then Martin led a boycott of the public transportation system, that lasted for over a year. Martin was arrested and his house was bombed, but in the end he prevailed and segregation on the Montgomery buses ended.

    In 1963 Martin Luther King organized the famous March on Washington, including over 200.000 people fighting for civil rights. Some of the issues of the march hoped to accomplish an end to segregation in public schools, protection from police abuse, and to get laws preventing discrimination in employment. At this march Martin gave his “I have a Dream” speech, one of the most famous speeches in history. This speech and the march were a success, and the Civil Rights Act was passed a year later in 1964. This act made it illegal to discriminate against others, based on race in public places. For helping with the act, King received the Nobel Peace Prize. He helped to organize many other marches and non-violent protests.

    Martin Luther King was assassinated on 4 April 1968 in Memphis. He was shot by James Earl Ray while standing on the balcony of his hotel.

    http://www.fotobabble.com/m/VnowTXJwZkx6OG89

    I chose Martin Luther King for my biography because I care about human rights, independently from the colour of the skin. I also think that racial discrimination is definitely unfair and it isn’t based on valid principles. Martin Luther King was a great person because he spent his life helping a lot of people to get their rights.

  5. I chose this character because she was a woman of modern times. All the girls dream of Prince Charming but obviously for her to meet one in the flesh was not her fortune. Princess Diana is a woman who has left a mark in the twentieth century as a symbol of style, humanity , beauty and compassion. She was adored by everyone who had the good fortune to know her, the greatest personalities of the Earth and also from her people. Despite her princely life was not very happy .Her sadness was evident and for this her subjects renamed it ” sad princess .”When she tried to make sense of her gray life she devoted herself body and soul to countless humanitarian work , giving a smile to all who crossed her path. Finally her tragic death put an end to a life filled with material things but without real family ties .

  6. GIOVANNA d’ARCO

    Giovanna d’Arco was born in 1412 in France during the English domination, following the bloody Hundred year war.
    Carlo VII, soon to be King of France, and his troops have endured great suffering during their war with England, but they are on the verge of defeat. With very few towns holding up against English forces, Carlo and his officers fear the worst. Carlo had a dream the night before and describes it to his men. He dreamed he was in a dark and dense forest when a picture of the Virgin Mary appeared to him and commanded him to lay his sword and armor at her feet. Several villagers familiar with the area confirm that a picture of the Virgin Mary does exist within the forest, but the inhabitants there are witches and demons who come out at night. Carlo does not believe a holy place could be surrounded by such evil, so he quickly departs to the mysterious forest.
    Deep within the forest, Giacomo paces outside of the chapel of the Virgin Mary. Giacomo fears his daughter, Giovanna, has sold her soul to the devil, because of the many nights she has spent there alone. To learn the truth, he hides in a nearby cave. Giovanna arrives moments later, distraught by the war. She prays to the Virgin Mary for strength and the ability to fight for France, and falls asleep next to the alter. Carlo enters the chapel, amazed that it is identical to the one in his dream. While Carlo explores, Giovanna is visited by a chorus of angels in her sleep. They ask her if she would be the one to lead French forces to victory. Without hesitation, she answers with a resounding, “yes.” The angels command her to keep her heart pure from Earthly desires or she will fail.
    Having spoken out loud, Carlo hears her enthusiasm and believes his prayers have been answered. Giovanna convinces him to follow her into battle, and the two leave the chapel. Giacomo is as pale as a ghost, believing his daughter has made a deal with the devil and fallen in love with Carlo. After a terrible defeat by French forces lead by Giovanna, English troops urge Commander Talbot to surrender. Talbot reassures them that there surrender has nothing to do with evil spirits, hoping to calm their spirits. Giacomo enters the English camp looking for a way to resolve his daughter’s sin. He makes a deal with Talbot to fight alongside his troops, and offers to hand his daughter over to them for punishment. In the court in Reims, preparations for Carlo’s coronation are underway. Giovanna, having completed her mission, wishes to be home as she longs for a simple life.
    However, Carlo has something else in mind. He confesses his love for her and asks her to stay. Giovanna, reluctant at first, reciprocates his love. Suddenly, she hears angelic voices reminding her to steer clear from earthly desires. Giovanna immediately withdraws herself from Carlo, and he cannot understand why the sudden change of heart. Several officials approach and direct them to the front of the cathedral where villagers will pay homage to them. Carlo persuades Giovanna to be the one to place the crown on his head, after all, it was with her help and leadership that France was able to defeat England. Giovanna idly follows Carlo while a chorus of devilish spirits chatter about the defeat of her purity. Outside the front of the cathedral, a large group of villagers have gathered to celebrate the virgin’s miraculous victory. French soldiers retrieve Carlo and escort him inside the cathedral. Meanwhile, Giacomo, bent on condemning his daughter for her pact with the devil, pushes through the crowd.
    He delivers a convincing speech and exposes his daughter’s sin. The villagers are shocked to hear what Giovanna has done and believes Giacomo. Carlo refuses to listen and begs for Giovanna to refute the falsehoods spouted by her father. Much to Carlo’s dismay, Giovanna remains silent. Giacomo interprets her silence, followed by a bolt of lightning and a clap of thunder, as her confession. The villagers are terrorized and begin shouting at the “witch.” Giovanna hurls herself into her father’s embrace and he tells her the only way of saving herself is to die by burning at the stake. Carlo is unable to rescue her.
    Chained to the stake within the unlit pyre, Giovanna awaits her death. She can hear the battle between French and English forces taking place, and she closes her eyes to pray. She envisions another French victory and pleads with God to stand by her once more. She has been obedient to Him, and though she did love another man, it was only for an instant. Her heart belongs to God. Giacomo, who has secretly been watching her, hears her prayer and realizes his mistake. He rushes to his daughter’s aid and loosens her from the chains. Immediately, she rushes to the battlefield. Having received heavenly visions of the battle, Giovanna is able to fight wisely and with precision. She saves King Carlo and sends him away to defend her father. She stays behind and continues to fight the battle. Carlo meets with Giacomo, and Giacomo begs for punishment, then mercy. Carlo shows him compassion and grants Giacomo pardon. After they reconcile, a messenger delivers word that the English troops are retreating, but Giovanna has been killed. The two men are inconsolable. Before long, the funeral procession carrying her body passes by. Suddenly, life enters Giovanna’s body. She embraces her father, and Carlo reaffirms his love for her. And then, as quickly as she revived, she breaths her last breath and dies underneath a beam of light steaming down from heaven.

    http://www.fotobabble.com/m/SWZyTFpsblYzL009

  7. http://www.fotobabble.com/media/edit/343296

    I chose Marie Curie because she was one of the most important women of the History of mankind. She fought for realized her dream: become a scientist. She is going against the prejudice that women are inferior the men! She went to University and took two Nobel Prize! For me is an example to us all. Nothing is lost. Marie wanted to show her interest and passion for the research. She life for research! I have a great respect for her.

  8. http://www.fotobabble.com/m/cURObVlTTnBNL0k9

    I chose Louis Pasteur because I think that he did a lot of important discoveries for all over the world. I chose him also because I’m very interested in the medical field and I admire him, because after the death of three of five sons, he wasn’t discouraged, but he fight for save the other people that were sick.
    I think he’s important because without him, a lot of person would have died.

  9. MAHATMA GANDHI

    Mohandas Gandhi, called Mahatma Gandhi too, is one of the most famous leaders and champions for justice in the world. He believed in non-violence and he worked to achieve human rights.

    Mahatma Gandhi was born in Porbandar, India on October 2, 1869. When Gandhi was 18 years old, he went to England to study law. After he became a lawyer, he went to South Africa where people with dark skin had fewer rights than people with light skin, so he decided to become a political activist to change this situation. Gandhi was assassinated on January 30, 1948, he was shot at a prayer meeting by a terrorist.

    Gandhi was one of the most important people involved in the movement for the independence of India and a large group of people with him organized some protests, so he was put in prison several times for this movements, but every time he was released because Indian people love him and British government was scared from it.

    In 1914 he returned in India from South Africa and he became the president of the Indian National Congress. He tried to abolished discriminations and he tried to help poor people.

    In 1930, Gandhi led a famous march to the sea in protest, called the Salt March. In fact Britain put a tax on salt, so Gandhi decided to walk 241 miles to the sea in Dandi to make his own salt.

    In 1947, after a civil war ,British Indian Empire became independent, and broke into two different countries, India and Pakistan. Gandhi wanted independence, but did not want the split into two different countries, so he tried to stop the Hindu-Muslim conflict in Bengal.

    Mahatma has inspired other democratic and anti-racist activists like Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela.

    In 1948 he was assassinated by an extremist Hindu activist, Nathuram Godse, who was angry because he felt that Gandhi was too lenient towards Muslims.

    http://www.fotobabble.com/m/UXFIN1R0TTlTR2c9

  10. I choosed this picture because I think Gandhi was an amazing person, an hero, because he fought for his dreams and not only for Indian’s rights but for all people in the World’s human rights. He is an idol for me, because with non-violence he won the independence and with it the freedom for his country. He inspired some activists like Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King who followed his ideals and fought for justice. His words give me a lot of hope for the future and lead me to try to change my life in better.

  11. Malala Yousafzai was born in 12 July 1997 in Mingora.
    When she was 13 years old she was shot at head and neck by a Taliban because she criticised them for not allowing girls being educated in the Swat Valley.She was recovered in the hospital of Peshawar and later she was tranferred to one of the hospital in England.
    She became famous because she was fhe first younger girl to candidate at the Premio Nobel of Peace

  12. I choose this persons because, for me she was one of important woman in the history. Her discoverise saved a lot of people because she discoverd two new elements for the periodic table, polinum and radiaum. In the 1903 she won the Nobel Prize in Physics and in the 1911 won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. She was the first woman who won the Nobel Prize.

  13. I chose Abrham Lincoln because I think it was one of the best presidents of the united states Abraham Lincoln was born Feb 12, 1809, in Hardin Country, Kentucky, Lincoln is most famouse for the American Civil War, sparked the South to succeed from the North. His parents were Thomas and Nancy Hanks Lincoln. He won the 1860 election and was inaugurated as president in March of 1861,
    The Civil War began on April 12, 1861 in sourh Carolina, was determined to maintain the “Union” of the states,In 1863 he gave the freedom to 20000 slaves, thanks to the Proclamation on 1 jenuary 1963. The Civil War finally ended on April 9, 1865 , seven days after he was shot by John Wilkes Booth while attending a play at the Ford Theatre in Washington D.C.
    He was Married to Mary Todd Lincoln and they had four children : Robert,Edwards,William and Thomas. Robert Todd Lincoln was saved from getting hit by a train by Edwin Booth

  14. JOHN FIZGERALD KENNEDY
    John F. Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States. He was born on 29th May 1917 in Brookline, Massachusetts. When he was young, John’s father turned to John to become president. He got John involved in politics and helped him to get elected to the U. S. Congress. After 6 years, in 1953, he became a U. S. Senator. Kennedy ran for president in 1960 against current Vice President Richard Nixon. He won in one of the closest elections in history. When Kennedy was elected he gave a very important inaugural speech for the history. In this speech he said:
    “ASK NOT WHAT YOUR COUNTRY CAN DO FOR YOU, ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR COUNTRY”
    Even if he was a rich man with many powers, he always thought of the welfare of America. He fought against the poverty and the injustice suffered by the black people. Kennedy decided to try and help Cuban rebels overthrow the communist Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Kennedy helps the NASA, and, after his help, the NASA send the first man in the space.
    Kennedy was an American hero, with his work, he was able to advance and enrich America.
    He served as President to 1961 from 1963. His vice President was Lyndon B. Johnson. He served for the Democratic Party. He was the youngest ever to be elected Present (he was only 43 years old). He was married with Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy. They had 2 children: Caroline and John.
    On November 22, 1963 John F. Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald while riding in a convertible car in Dallas, Texas.

    I chose John F. Kennedy because even if he was a rich man with many powers, he always thought of the welfare of America. He fought against the poverty and the injustice suffered by the black people. He was an American hero, because with his work, he was able to advance and enrich America. The current President Barack Obama said that he wants to imitate Kennedy for the works that have made America the state that is now. He is an idol in all countries of the world.

  15. ROSA PARKS

    Rosa Louise McCauley was born 4 February 1913 in Tuskegee in Alabama she was an African-American civil rights activist. She became an international icon of resistance to racial segregation. She organized and collaborated with civil rights leaders for example Martin Luther King to break the illegal law.
    Rosa was married with Raymond Parks a successful barber who worked in Montgomery.They married in 1932. Rosa was a seamstress but from 1943, Rosa joined the American civil rights movement and became secretary of the section of Montgomery of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
    On 1 Dicember 1955 Rosa was arrested because while she sat in a seat at the front of a bus, the bus driver told her to move to the back of the bus so a white passenger could take the seat in the front of the bus but Rose refused to move. Since then it is known as “the woman who did not stand up”. This because in that time White people and Black people can’t stay together and can’t do anything together. In 1996 Mrs. Parks was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton and one year later in 1997 and she was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.
    Rosa Louise McCauley died in Detroit of natural causes at the age of 92 on 24 October 2005.

    http://www.fotobabble.com/m/QjAyOExTQWpJTUU9

    I chose Rosa Parks because is a woman that touched my heart, this because she fought for equality of the black people and white people and because she spent her life to help a lot of people to get their rights, like other important people for example Nelson Mandela or Martin Luther King. This things are very important for me because today there are still people who hate black skin people. I hope that anyone change his mind about black people and that accept them as they do with white people because in the end we are all people.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.