Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World by Cynthia Chin-Lee and Megan Halsey and Sean Addy, ill. Watertown,MA: Charlesbridge Publishing,2005.

ISBN: 978-1-57091-522-2

Annotation: The goal of this book as stated by its author is to spark interest in finding out more about these 26 famous women who made a difference in the world. These women were selected for their strength, courage, and determination. Some of the women chosen include: Amelia Earhart, Helen Keller, Rachel Carson, Yoshida Uchida, Mother Theresa, Kristi Yamaguchi, Jane Goodall, Lena Horne, and 18 other women.

Media: collage

Curricular Connections: 5-8th grades: History, Biography

Rating: 5Q/5P

 

 

Lesson Plan:  Biographies of Women Who Made a difference in the World

Audience: 5+ (can be modified for any grade level)

Goals and Objectives:

California Curriculum Standards

ELA.5.2.2. Deliver informative presentations about an important idea, issue, or event by the following means:

a. Frame questions to direct the investigation.

b. Establish a controlling idea or topic.

c. Develop the topic with simple facts, details, examples, and explanations.

  

ELA.5.1.4. Create simple documents by using electronic media and employing organizational features (e.g., passwords, entry and pull-down menus, word searches, the thesaurus, spell checks) 

 

SCI.7.7.b. Use a variety of print and electronic resources (including the World Wide Web) to collect information and evidence as part of a research project. 

 

ALA Information Literacy Standards

Standard 9. the student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and participates in groups to pursue and generate information.

9.1. Collaborates in formal and informal study and research groups.

9.2. Respects the views of others in study and research groups.

 

Lesson Preparation:

Chart  with names of the women discussed in the book. Have a page before the list blank for each class that will be doing the project

Multiple copies of book for Table Teams to use: (in this case 6 copies paperback)

Also have available for second session the sequel : Akira to Zoltan: Twenty six Men Who Changed the World (copies of 6 copies in paperback)

Scratch paper to take notes during oral read alouds.

Template for biography research detail work with workspace for details and voicethread script as well as citation space.

 

Activities:

Session 1 

Use the chart and brainstorm people they know something about that they think have made a difference in the world. (2-3 minutes)

  

Flip the chart and refer to the names from the book: Amelia to Zora: Twenty Six Women Who Changed the World and ask if anyone recognizes names on the list and why they think the list is there.

 

Compare lists and note the overlaps by highlighting names on the student list who appear on book’s list. (5 minutes)

  

Share that the author of the book they will be looking at today loved reading biographies as a child and the experience of writing this book allowed her to read biographies again. Also share that the book is intended to interest the reader to find out more about the people in additional readings.

  

Discuss the idea of making a difference in the world. How does one make a difference? How does one become famous? Are they one and the same? Can you make a difference and yet not become famous? Who do you know that makes a difference and might not be famous?

  

Sit in Table Teams (5-6 in a group) and thumb through the book, skimming the people (women) inside and why they are in the book.  Each Table should choose a woman that they’d be interested to know a little more about by reading the abstract. Someone at the table should read, or pass the book so more share the read aloud, and read together the abstract, while the group listens and  take notes of important details. Decide on 5-6 important details to share about the person to the class. Choose someone to share out, or divide up the notes.

(Take about 20 minutes…quick reads/responses)

 

Share around the room each Table Team mini presentation. (5 minutes)

 

Explain that by next week they should have 2-3 names of people that they would be interested in researching and sharing the details they find with others. (No limits of considerations at this point, and down play the idea of women or men, observe how the group responds when the material set before them has a gender focus but nothing is made of it.

  

Brainstorm important detail elements to include in their research list of facts.

  

Work Ahead: Read and explore people who you might be interested in researching for next week. Everyone should come with ideas next week and there will be no duplications so a few names of interest will work well for the assignment.

 

Session 2

Share a Voicethread sample of a biography presentation slide: Making a Difference, based on a person from the book previously highlighted. Share the components of making a Voicethread and how it will be shared online at completion.

 

 

Have on the tables available both titles by the author and allow some time to look through the books. Check to see how many students already have 3 choices of people they are interested in researching.

 

Ask for students to list on a post-it in priority order the three names of people they are interested in researching. Post them and sort through to determine names to be researched and circle the final selections.

  

Labwork: Demonstrate Noodlebib and show how to access online to create accurate bibliography citations for their reference work. Demonstrate how to search for biographies and people within collections within the library.  Begin research work. Students are to find as much detail and factual information especially new to them about the person they have chosen and that they believe would be interesting to others to learn.

  

They can also work on this at home and come back next week with their information ready to record on Voicethread writing it on their template.

  

Session 3

Labwork: Students use Google Images and Flikrstorm to find a jpg image of their focus person. Save to the group folder to use in Voicethread. They also work on putting together their script of what they will say on their Voicethread. They should include 3-5 important details about the person. After teacher review and student edits they need to post their picture and record their facts about the person.

  

Session 4

Finish up work for anyone who is not finished and run the Voicethread for all to see. Share that the Voicethread will serve as an interactive web project. Other students will be encouraged to ask questions about the famous person anytime in the next two weeks and as experts about their famous person they will need to keep checking and perhaps do additional research to find answers to the questions posted to their Voicethread. They will go into their Voicethread to share additional information to update their page as needed.

 

RAC 7.27.09

 

 

Amelia to Zora:  Twenty-six women who changed the world by Cynthia Chin Lee, illustrated by Megan Halsey and Sean Addy. 

ISBN-13:  9781570915222

ISBN-10:  1570915229

Illustrator: Megan Halsey and Sean Addy

Media:  Mixed media

4Q/4P

Curricular connection:  Women’s studies. Similar curricular relationships can be found in social history, politics, feminism, and traditional gender roles in the academic field of Women’s Studies and Fine Art.  A comparable connection can be found in the books Frida Kahlo: The Artist in the Blue House, Dorothea Lange (Portraits of Women Artists for Children), Gone is Gone, or, the Story of the Man Who Wanted to Do Housework and Amelia to Zora:  Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World.

Reading level:  5^th to 6^th grade

 

Annotation:  Amelia to Zora is an A to Z book of women who changed the world.  Quotes and descriptions from each woman are incorporated in their page such as artist Maya Lin’s explanation of her work:  “Somewhere between science and art, art and architecture, public and private, east and west…I am trying to find a balance between these opposing forces, finding a place where opposites meet.”

 

 KRF 7/28/09