Describes a class activity in which students research and then impersonate famous people (living or dead) for an interview conducted by the teacher in front of the class. (RS)

Discusses how students can learn history and use research skills as they study the genre of biography. Presents a biography unit on Western artist Charles M. Russell. (RS)

Describes a class activity designed to play up the blurred boundary between fiction and nonfiction. Notes that students filled out Internal Revenue Service tax forms for people who might exist and that other students created biographies and autobiographies from the fictitious tax forms. (RS)

Examines how U.S. junior high school and high school students view success. Includes classroom activities that help set realistic models for success and how people achieve it. Suggests several books that provide examples of success attributions. (LS)

Provides a rationale for including biography projects in various secondary content areas. Describes a biography project assignment in a teacher education secondary content area literacy course. Provides examples of preservice teachers' work; makes connections to research about literacy and equity; and offers student comments about the assignment.…

In this lesson plan, students in grades 6-8 explore the role and impact of recent First Ladies through research and family interviews, then work in groups to present a documentary portrait to the class. Through these 7 lessons, students will: (1) learn about the political and non-political careers of recent First Ladies; (2) explore the…

This booklet presents a book list, activities, and teacher resources to provide teachers a starting place for works of adolescent literature that will initiate conversations and questions about gender roles and the perceptions of appropriate behavior and activities. It is designed to bring teachers' attention to more recent titles in order to…

Describe the experiences of a writing teacher as she completed a biography-writing assignment along with her students. Notes that teachers can gain insights into (and an understanding of writing they assign) by doing the assignments along with their students. Notes that many students, even reluctant writers, produced memorable biographies of…

A willingness by the teacher to experiment with innovative instructional strategies and aids is a prerequisite to success for students in a reading situation in which the reading material is not properly matched to the student's reading competence. Using recordings done by professionals is one such technique. Another device is the tape recorder,…

Examples from American slave narratives offer demonstrative evidence that slave biographies and autobiographies deal with the worthwhile theme of the denial of and struggle for freedom and contain exciting adventure plots consisting of mystery, romance, risk-taking and disguises. Characters striving for freedom exhibit positive traits such as…

These exemplar units of work for National Strategy Key Stage 3 English show how medium and short-term planning can be based on the Key Stage 3 Framework objectives and support the implementation of Curriculum 2000. The Key Stage 3 English strand introduces pupils to more specialist study of language and literature and supports the study of…

Describes a twelfth grade oral-history teaching project with multi-ethnic U.S. history senior students. Stresses that the project helps students think about and understand today's world by developing historical understanding. Activities include designing questionnaires, conducting interviews, writing biographical sketches, and producing a…

This guide to films appropriate for junior and senior high school classes of English as a second language (ESL) includes general comments on the use of films in ESL instruction, notes on how to use the film guide, an outline of procedures and class activities for the presentation of films, and an annotated filmography. The films are listed in two…

An interracial team of teachers and regional consultants worked together revising this ten-year-old book on the teaching of black literature. The first section discusses black literature in terms of its discovery, tradition, and affective aspects; outlines goals and objectives for the course; presents a historical survey of black American writers;…

Noting that instructional films can serve as a valuable tool to motivate students and to help them organize, interpret, and evaluate concepts presented, this program guide is designed to assist teachers in planning instructional activities that will effectively integrate films into the English language arts curriculum. The first section of the…