Creative, Motivating, Multi-Level, Multi-Skills Language Activities Based on Biographies: Short, Short Stories Based on “Messages of People’s Lives” in a “Starter Book”
44 (5.5” x 8.5”) Pages
Who It’s For: Teachers & Learners of Any Age or Ability Wanting Compact Guidelines + Practice in (Language & Content) Instruction Based on Biographical Material
Why You Need It: Already convinced of the viability of Famous-Figure Biographies to motivate & advance Language & Subject Matter Education? This compressed “Summary”—containing about 1/5 the material of the full-sized 152-page volume—may be all you need or want.
What You’ll / They’ll Do:
[1] With the cover of the small-format “Starter Book,” Biographies: Short, Short Stories Based on “Messages” of People’s Lives, review its purposes. These are stated as follows: “Use these engaging, effective ideas to teach or learn Reading Skills & Strategies; to practice & test Listening Comprehension; to provide Writing Practice based on Models, & much more.”
[2] Peruse and get what you need from its Table of Contents & Introduction—and its Articles on “Sources of Biographical Material,” “Simplifying or Adapting,” “Getting Main Ideas,” “Recognizing Important Supporting Information,” and “The Subjects of Biographies.”
[3] From its 26 pages of (sample) “Short, Short Biographies for the Language-Skills Classroom,” excerpt any number of quarter-page Beginning-Level Readings 1-10 (pages 9-13) / Low-Intermediate Readings 11-20 (pages 14-18) and/or half-page High-Intermediate selections 21-30 (pages 19-28). Prepare to make use of these on screen or printed out—(in the case of Bios 1-20, cut apart &) pasted up on card stock.
[4] On page 29, read and understand how to “Test Reading Skills with (Worksheets for) Short Biographical Readings.” From pages 30–35, extract (& reproduce) as many “Comprehension Items” as correspond to the Biographies 1-30 that you’ll be using for teaching / learning. To assess what they have learned and/or want to go over again, readers / learners can respond to these cooperatively or independently.
[5] On pages 36-43 are suggestions for “Generic Learner-Centered Activities” that have proven efficacious in linguistic Content & Culture instruction centered on “Short Biographies with a Message.” These are: “Reading-Card ‘Kits’,” “The ‘Expert Game’.” “Oral Informational Contests” (“Placing People in History,” Bio-Categories,” “Chain of Facts”), “Biography Quiz Games,” “Research Picture Cues,” and “Writing Class Bios.” They comprise a more-than-sufficient collection of effective & efficient pedagogical tools for optimizing use of (historical, sociological, psychological) biographical material.
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