Look Who's On the Cover of My Magazine!

Presented by: Jullie Payne

Subject Area(s):

Grade Level(s):

Description:

This lesson will help students identify and use biographical sources as they research the significant contributions of a person in history. The students will organize the information they learn during their research to present a magazine cover featuring their person of interest. This unit requires 3 lesson periods lasting 45 minutes each as well as time at home working with parents as part of a school-to-home connection.

Goals & Objectives:

Students will be able to locate biographical sources both in print and on the internet. 

 

[Students] will be able to find [at least 3] key facts about the subject to present to the class in an organized manner through their completed magazine covers.

 

[The completed magazine cover will the requirements of the rubric.] 

Materials:

Materials:

 

Cardstock

Markers

Computers with access to the internet

Print Sources of Biographies

Paper

Pencils

Parent Letter [See Supporting Files]

Rubric [See Supporting Files]

Sample of a “biographical” magazine cover

 

source for rubric:  http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php

 

 

Procedures:

Instructional Procedures:

            Preparation: 

1.  Select a short biography book for introducing biographies to the students.

*When selecting a biographical subject, try to find a person that can tie into other subject areas currently being taught if possible. 

            These are a few books to be considered:

            Teammates by Peter Golenbock

            Flight by Robert Burleigh

            Home Run: The Story of Babe Ruth by Robert Burleigh

            Helen Keller:  Courage in the Dark by Johanna Hurwitz

            Escape North:  The Story of Harriet Tubman by Monica Kulling

 

2.  Select individuals to search on the websites and review them for appropriateness before showing to the class.

3.  Schedule the computer lab for use during the second day of the lessons

4.  Create a magazine cover sample to show the students an example of a finished product.  The magazine cover should feature a title appropriate to the person’s contributions and a picture of the person as the main picture.  The students will need to determine an appropriate title (real or fictitious) that represents their person.

 ie:  “Popular Mechanics” for the Wright Brothers, “Country Living” for Laura Ingalls Wilder, "Sports Illustrated" for Magic Johnson, etc.  A few simple facts about the person will be on the sides of the magazine as if they were article titles. 

5.  Parent Letter- see supporting documents

6.  Rubric-  see supporting documents

 

 

Instruction:

 

First Lesson Period:

1.  Prior to reading the pre-selected book, the teacher will ask the students what they already know about the person of focus in the book.  This information will be written down on the chalkboard for the students to refer to as the story is read.  The teacher will explain that the students’ task during the reading of the story will be to find additional facts about the person in the book.  Then read the book to the students and then discuss what new information was learned during the reading and what prior information may have been inaccurate and needs correction.   Help them identify which facts are key pieces of information about the person.  Circle these facts and tell them these are key facts that help to define this person as a significant historical person.

 

2.  The teacher will refer to the information on the chalkboard and point out that all of this information was learned that day from a biography.  The teacher will define biography and write the definition on the board for the students to see.

 

            Biography: Someone’s life story written down by another person.

 

3.  Ask the students where such information can be found for a biography.  Explain to the students where this information can be found in the print section of the library.  Then tell them that biographies can also be found on the internet.  Using the predetermined individuals, show them a few websites that provide short, basic biographies appropriate for early readers.  (Pre-selecting will help eliminate the possibility of inappropriate material.) 

These sites include: 

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

http://www.awesomestories.com/biographies

http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/History_n2/people.html

http://www.biography.com/

http://www.infoplease.com/people.html

 

4.  Tell the students that they will have an opportunity to research a person of their choice and present some information that they learn from their research.  They will need to have their parents help them select an appropriate person that will need to get approved by the teacher.  Explain that they will return a note to school from their parents identifying who each student will be researching. 

 

5.  Show them the sample magazine cover and explain that this will be their method of presenting the person they researched with biographical sources.  Point out the key points of the cover and the requirements to fulfill the assignment.  They will need to have a magazine title appropriate to their person of interest and 3-4 key facts highlighted on the cover.  Present the rubric and have the students grade the sample based on the rubric requirements. 

 

5.  Wrap up the lesson by reviewing with the students the definition of a biography and their responsibilities now.  Pass out the parent information letter/ permission form.

 

Second Lesson Period

This period will be used as a research time.  The students will work on the computers to search the internet, or use the school’s print sources, to research their “subject”.  (Be careful to only allow the students to search on websites predetermined by the teacher.)  Information attained during this period may be printed if it’s from the computer or checked out from the library so that they may work on it at school and at home.  The teacher will help the students identify key facts about their person of interest during the lesson period.  Following this period, the students will work on the research at home with parents to create their magazine covers as part of a school-to-home connection..

 

Third Lesson Period

The completed magazine covers will be presented to the class.  Each student will have an opportunity to share his or her cover and explain why he or she chose the magazine title as well as share the key points written on the cover.  At the conclusion of the presentations, students will be given a rubric to evaluate their own work.  The teacher will evaluate the work with a rubric as well. 

 

 

Assessment:

The process of Big 6 was used throughout this 3 day lesson and the work created as homework with the students� parents. Here are only a few places Big 6 methods were employed:

1. Task Definition: Day l, Step 1 during the reading of the story

2. Information-Seeking Strategies: Day 1, Steps 2 and 3 during the defining of biographies. This was also done at home as parents and students worked together with the information provided on in the parent letter.

3. Location and Access: Day 1, Step 3; Day 2 during research period; at home if needed

4. Use of Information: Day 1, Step 3; Day 2; at home with parents

5. Synthesis: Day 3- presentations

6. Evaluation: at home during the creation of magazine cover; Day 3 with self-evaluations

Supporting Files:

Standards: