Introduction
This year, 7th grade honors students will set the stage for high-interest reading and research through a year-long biography project. Students will work closely with their teacher, Library Media Specialist, and each other to generate questions they would like to answer about several well-known people. Then, each student will choose one of these historical individuals and gather information via books, databases, and other credible sources. Using a specific timeline, students will hand in a one-page paper at the end of each month focusing on a specific aspect of their chosen historical person. Throughout the process, students will create an outline, complete graphic organizers, conduct research in the library and at home, apply MLA format when writing, and generate an appropriate bibliography. During the final stage of this project, students will share what they have learned about their subjects through oral presentations. Seventh grade students will dress as their historical figure and present key aspects of their research to the class. Students will have the opportunity to "meet" many of the world's most famous people, as performed by their peers. All of the biographical research papers will be available for perusal. Grading and evaluations will be conducted throughtout the process using a rubric and written feedback.
This is a list of famous people, chosen mainly from the Nineteenth, Twentieth or Twenty First Century. It includes famous actors, politicians, entrepreneurs, writers, artists and humanitarians.
Abraham Lincoln (1809 – 1865) US President during American civil war
Mother Teresa (1910 – 1997) Catholic missionary nun / charity worker
John F. Kennedy (1917 – 1963) US President
Martin Luther King (1929 – 1968) – American civil rights campaigner
Nelson Mandela (1918 –2013) - South African President anti-apartheid campaigner.
Winston Churchill (1874- 1965) – British Prime Minister during WWII
Bill Gates (1955 – ) American businessman, founder of Microsoft
Muhammad Ali (1942 – ) American Boxer and civil rights campaigner.
Mahatma Gandhi (1869 – 1948) Leader of Indian independence.
George Orwell (1903 – 1950) British author of 1984, Animal farm
Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882) British scientist proposed theory of evolution.
Elvis Presley (1935 – 1977) American pop singer.
Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955) German scientist – theory of relativity.
Plato (423 BC – 348 BC) Greek philosopher
Queen Elizabeth II (1926 – ) British monarch since 1954.
Queen Victoria ( 1819 –1901) British Queen during Nineteenth Century
Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1849) American author
Leonardo da Vinci (1452 – 1519) Italian, painter, scientist, polymath
Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) – French chemist and microbiologist.
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) – Spanish modern artists
Vincent Van Gogh (1853 – 1890) Dutch artist
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882 – 1945) – US President 1932 – 1945.
Pope John Paul II (1920 – 2005) Polish Pope.
Thomas Edison ( 1847 – 1931) – American inventor
Rosa Parks (1913 – 2005) – American civil rights activist
Lyndon Johnson (1908 – 1973) – US President 1963-69
Ludwig Beethoven (1770 – 1827) – German composer
Oprah Winfrey (1954 – ) US media celebrity.
Eva Peron (1919 – 1952) – First Lady of Argentina
Desmond Tutu (1931 – ) South African Bishop and opponent of apartheid
Walt Disney (1901 – 1966) American film producer
Neil Armstrong (1930 – 2012) US Pilot , first person to land on moon.
Barack Obama (1961- ) US President
J.K.Rowling (1965 – ) British author of Harry Potter series.
Jesse Owens (1913-1980) US track athlete won 4 golds at 1936 Olympics.
Ernest Hemingway (1899 – 1961) American author
Henry Ford (1863 – 1947) US Industrialist
Joseph Stalin (1879 – 1953) Soviet leader from 1924-1953.
Michael Jordon (1963 – ) US Basketball star.
George W. Bush (1946 – ) US President 2000-2008.
Fidel Castro (1926-) Cuban revolutionary leader.
Oscar Wilde (1854- 1900) Irish author, poet, playwright.
Amelia Earhart (1897– 1937) – Female aviator
Adolf Hitler (1889 – 1945) – leader of Nazi Germany 1933-45.
Cleopatra (69 -30 BC) Queen of Egypt.
Steve Jobs (1955 – 2012) Key figure in Apple computers
Ronald Reagan (1911 – 2004) – US President.
Babe Ruth (1895 – 1948) American baseball player
Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939) Austrian psychoanalyst
Woodrow Wilson ( 1856 – 1924) US president.
David Beckham – English footballer
Usain Bolt – Jamaican athlete. Record holder at 100m and 200m
Carl Lewis (1961 – ) – US athlete and Olympian
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis – American wife of JF. Kennedy
J.R.R. Tolkien – British author of Lord of the Rings
Anne Frank (1929-1945) – Dutch Jewish author who died in Holocaust
Marie Curie – Polish / French scientist
Stephen Hawking - British scientist
Stephen King (1947 – ) Contemporary horror and fantasy writer
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English poet/playwright
Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) First lady/American politician
Helen Keller (1880-1968) American activist and lecturer
Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997) British royal princess/humanitarian
Hillary Clinton (1947-) US politician / first lady
Kevin Systrom OR Mike Krieger (Instagram)
Salman Khan (Khan Academy)
Sonia Sotomayor (Supreme Court)
Clarence Thomas (Supreme Court)
Colin Powell (soldier, statesman)
Bono (musician, activist)
Duke Ellington (musician)
Beyonce
Lena Horne
Whitney Houston
Michael Jackson
Alvin Ailey (dancer)
Charles Dickens (author)
Sandra Cisneros (author)
Roald Dahl (author)
Randolph Caldecott (publishing, award)
Johannes Gutenberg (printer)
Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss)
Cesar Chavez (farm worker rights activist)
Harvey Milk (political activist, gay rights)
Ida Tarbell (journalist against big business)
Eli Wiesel (author, holocaust survivor)
Karl Marx (Communism)
P.T. Barnum (entertainer, circus founder)
Lucille Ball (actress, comedian)
Phillis Wheatley (poet)
Michelle Obama
Wilma Rudolph (athlete)
Babe Didrickson Zaharias (athlete)
Arthur Ashe (athlete)
Wayne Gretzky (athlete)
Mia Hamm (athlete)
Charles Lindbergh (pilot)
Rosalind Franklin (DNA scientist)
Robert Boyle (chemist)
Jane Goodall (primatologist)
Carl Sagan (astronomer)
Edwin Hubble (telescope inventor)
Jonas Salk (vaccine scientist)
Frida Kahlo (artist)
Sam Walton (businessman)
Martha Stewart (businesswoman)
Andrew Carnegie (businessman, philanthropist)
John D. Rockefeller (businessman)
Spike Lee (director)
Ellen DeGeneres (actor, comedian)
Heath Ledger (actor)
Daniel Radcliffe (actor)
Will Smith (actor)
Aung San Suu Kyi (peace activist)
J.M. Barrie (author, Peter Pan)
Task
Monthly Research Requirements
OCTOBER
- An introduction to your person
- Birthdate / place of birth
- Childhood facts / early childhood information
- Description of family members (mom, dad, brothers, sisters, etc.)
NOVEMBER
- Educational background
- Geography of their home country/state
- Inspirations—Who influenced your person? Who did they look up to? Who have they inspired?
DECEMBER
- Historical achievements- What makes this person famous?
- Discuss occupations they have had
- What is different about this person than others who have come before him/her?
JANUARY
- What is something mysterious/strange about this person?
- When/where/who first realized this person had a talent/gift?
- Discuss an uncommon fact (or facts) of your choice—What are some aspects about your person that people may not know about, but will find interesting?
FEBRUARY
- What obstacles and challenges has this person faced throughout his/her life?
- Discuss aspects about this person others may not approve of (political decisions, rebellious acts, etc.)
- How has this person influenced/changed their country and/or the world?
MARCH
- Discuss major awards and/or titles won by this person
- Overall, has this person made positive contributions to our society today? Explain.
- Death / date, circumstances (if applicable)
APRIL
- Bibliography
- Cover Page
Process
Lessons and Due Dates
OCTOBER
17th
- Choose a historical person
- Initial meeting in the library with Media Specialist and a lesson on finding credible sources / citing sources
- Research day in the library
27th
- Research day in the library
**First page of research for October due Friday, Nov. 4th
NOVEMBER
7th
- Research day in the library
28th
- Second page of research due
DECEMBER
2nd
- Research day in the library
19th
- Third page of research due
JANUARY
6th
- Research day in library / mid-paper checkpoint
- Culminate sources for bibliography
- Lesson on NoodleTools / bibliography with Media Specialist
30th
- Fourth page of research due
FEBRUARY
3rd
- Research day in the library
27th
- Fifth page of research due
MARCH
3rd
- Possible research day in library (PARCC dates pending)
- Complete research at home / public library
31st
- Sixth page of research due
APRIL
7th
- Possible research day in library (PARCC dates pending) / peer-editing
28th
- Bibliography due
MAY
22nd-26th
- Final research paper due
- Begin preparing (in class) for oral presentation
- Note cards
- Public speaking practice
- Costume approval
JUNE
2nd
- "Live Biography Day"
Evaluation
Rubric: Biographical Research Paper
Month __________________________________
|
CATEGORY |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
Organization |
Information is very organized with well-constructed paragraphs and transitions. |
Information is organized with well-constructed paragraphs. |
Information is organized, but paragraphs are not well-constructed. |
The information appears to be disorganized. |
|
Amount of Information |
All topics are addressed and all questions answered with 3-5 sentences about each. Meets the 1 page typed requirement. |
All topics are addressed and most questions answered with at least 2 sentences about each. Less than 1 page typed. |
All topics are addressed, and most questions answered with 1 sentence about each. Less than half a page typed. |
One or more topics were not addressed. |
|
Quality of Information |
Information clearly relates to the main topic. It includes several supporting details and/or examples. |
Information clearly relates to the main topic. It provides 1-2 supporting details and/or examples. |
Information clearly relates to the main topic. No details and/or examples are given. |
Information has little or nothing to do with the main topic. |
|
Mechanics |
No grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors. |
Almost no grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors |
A few grammatical spelling or punctuation errors. |
Many grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors. |
|
Sources |
All sources are accurately documented in the desired format. 2 or more different sources are used. |
All sources are accurately documented, but a few are not in the desired format. 2 different sources are used. |
All sources are accurately documented, but many are not in the desired format. Less than 2 sources are used. |
Some sources are not accurately documented. |
Credits
Link to Purdue Online Writing Lab for MLA formatting:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
Link to Kawameeh Library "Class Pathfinders" Page:
http://kawameeh.twpunionschools.org/subsites/mlewis/Class-Pathfinders/i…