H-01.02 Get (More Thorough) Intros to (How to Create & Use) Biographical Material

Overview of Creating Motivating, Multi-Level, Multi-Skills Language Activities Based on Biographies: Stories Based on “Messages of People’s Lives”

19 (8.5” x 11”) pages

Who It’s For: Teachers & Learners Wanting to Embark on a Plethora of Biographical Subject Matter for “All It’s Worth” (Language, Content, & Culture in Detail & in Depth) 

Why You Need It: Perhaps (like the author of the 152-page Biographies) you really want to get into Life Stories of Famous Figures (People & Characters) that have had meaningful impact on the course of history, in major fields of endeavor, of our world. To begin, here are 14 lead-in pages from Biographies: Short, Short Stories Based on “Messages of People’s Lives,” along with 5 pages of “Generic Learner-Centered Reading Activities.” 

What You’ll / They’ll Do:  

[1] Look over and get what you need from the book’s Cover, Publishing Data, 3-page Table of Contents & Introduction—and its Articles on “Sources of Biographical Material,” “Adapting Biographical Reading Material” (“Conveying Main Ideas,” “Organizing Important Supporting Info,” “Modifying Material in Other Ways”), “The Subjects of Biographies for Language & Content Learning,” “How-to Instructions for 30 Beginning, 30 Intermediate, & 20 Advanced-Level Biographies & Biographical Articles.” These appear on pages 1-14. 

[2] From pages 77-81 (excerpted from the middle of the book), get explanation + directives for “Generic Learner-Centered Reading Activities.“  Learn or review what’s useful to know and apply about “Reading-Card Kits” (“Skimming / Scanning Practice,” “Regular Use,” “Taking Notes of Readings”); “The Expert Game” (“Small-Group Vs. Whole-Class Vs. Mixer Versions,” Identifying Subjects,” “Telling Main Ideas)”; “Testing Mastery of Reading Skills & Learning” (“True/False Statements,” “Multiple-Choice Questions,” “Wh-Questions,” “Items to Sequence / Classify”).    

[3] Whenever necessary, helpful, and feasible, refer to the info and suggestions in these pages when presenting, teaching/learning from, reviewing, and/or testing mastery of Biographies 1-60 plus Biographical Articles 61-80.  Remember and/or reapply them when “going well beyond” the text with biographical material from other sources or your own creation.