“Novels have their place, but biographies of famous men and women contain information that can change lives”.

– Zig Ziglar

Biographies are an under-utilized genre of literature within the School District of Philadelphia’s fifth grade reading curriculum. The emphasis instead has been placed more on other non-fiction genres and topics such as narrative and explanatory nonfiction.  The demands of the Common Core make this understandable, however, students are being short-changed of an opportunity to learn while peeking into someone else’s life, while possibly being inspired by their challenges and potentially seeing themselves in the person whom they are reading about. Biography, like most genres, can allow students to demonstrate comprehension skills while challenging their views of themselves and the past.

Students will show their understanding of the unit in their culminating project. This project will require students to create a board game that opposes the men against each other. These men were on opposing sides of the war and, although their motivations and goals varied, they both wanted what was best for their respective countries.

The objectives for the unit will be as follows:

• Students will gain a deeper understanding of literature, specifically biography.
• Students will apply a variety of comprehension skills to the biography passages.
• Students will analyze texts for comparisons and contrasts.
• Students will create a board game to show their understanding of the material.

In Part I of this unit, the first biography will be read with the class as a read aloud. The teacher will then use this biography to model the skills that students will be reviewing with the unit (sequencing, comparing/contrasting, poetry writing, inferencing).

Part II will involve students working with a partner on the second passage. They will read the story with the partner, then complete the same activities to review the above skills independently or with their partner.

Next, in Part III, students will compare various aspects of the two passages. They will look at things like each man’s duties relating to the war, what type of men they were, how others viewed them and what they saw as the reason for the war. They will compare them using a Venn Diagram.

Finally, in Part IV, the culminating activity for this unit will be students using the information they have gained from the passages to create a board game. This game will require them to use their knowledge and creativity to design a game that fits the criteria set forth, is fun and makes sense.

Originally, as far back as the 17^th to 19^th centuries, biographies were used with the sole purpose of teaching morals and values. Students/children learned about the lives of heroic figures in the hopes that they would emulate their positive qualities. They were taught about their duty to God, their parents and basic frontier values (Bowan, p. 23).

Eventually, educators realized the value of teaching academic content within biographies, with character development being an added bonus. Biographies assist students with better understanding of the past (Brugar, p. 8). By giving the subject’s thoughts, insights and intentions behind their choices and the events that occurred, biographies allow students to think critically about the past. They allow students to see the steps that lead to the actions that changed history (Brugar, p. 9).

This unit uses the biography of Benjamin Franklin and a non-fiction narrative of King George III’s role in the American Revolutionary War as the basis for skill and concept review. These men were on opposing sides of the war and, although their motivations and goals varied, they both wanted what was best for their respective countries.

Benjamin Franklin is a well-known fixture in American history. His contributions to life as we know it in this country are endless. Harcourt Trophies has one version of Jean Fritz’s book, “What’s the Big Idea Ben Franklin”, that begins when he is 26 years old. It delves into the creation of his almanac, his family life and many of his major inventions and discoveries. Knowing how much Franklin’s ideas improved the quality of life at that time, along with his resulting popularity, helps student’s to then understand why he was chosen to advocate on behalf of Pennsylvania and the colonies during the Revolutionary War. Fritz gives us insight into the perspective of the colonies at that time towards the war, as well as Ben Franklin in his quest for peace.

King George III was King of England during this time. Although the reasons for the colonies objecting to the war are obvious, what is not so obvious was England’s reasoning for implementing the things that led up to the war. In “Can’t You Make Them Behave, King George?” (also by Fritz), we are able to see the war from the opposing side’s perspective. Fritz is able to capture the completely understandable reasons why King George III treated the colonies the way he did. She does an excellent job of making King George a human being, who made reasonable decisions, rather than just a tyrant.

This unit is intended to complement the School District of Philadelphia’s pre-existing reading curriculum. The passages used are from the Journey’s Common Core and Harcourt Trophies series, however, the actual books by Jean Fritz can easily be substituted.

The allotted time for this unit is two weeks during a “re-teach” time period-any two week period available after the covered skills have been taught.  This unit can be used to review previously learned strategies and concepts with alternate materials.

The objectives for the unit will be as follows:

• Students will gain a deeper understanding of literature, specifically biography.
• Students will apply a variety of comprehension skills to the passages.
• Students will analyze texts for comparisons and contrasts.
• Students will create a board game to show their understanding of the material.

After skills are modeled by the teacher, students will perform much of this unit individually or working with a partner. In Part I of this unit, the teacher will read the first biography with the class as a read aloud. The teacher will then use this biography to model the skills that students will be reviewing with the unit (sequencing, comparing/contrasting, poetry writing, inferencing) while also allowing students to practice these skills.

Part II will involve students working with a partner on the second passage. They will read the story with the partner, then complete the same activities to review the above skills independently or with their partner.

Next, in Part III, students will compare various aspects of the two passages. They will look at things like each man’s duties relating to the war, what type of men they were, how others viewed them and what they saw as the reason for the war. They will compare them using a Venn Diagram.

Finally, in Part IV, the culminating activity for this unit will be students using the information they have gained from the passages to create a board game. This game will require them to use their knowledge and creativity to design a game that fits the criteria set forth, is fun and makes sense.

Part I

Lesson Plan #1

Unit Introduction

Ben Franklin- Anticipatory Guide and Introduction

Objectives:

• Students will be introduced to biography as genre of nonfiction writing.
• Students will engaged and understand the passage with an anticipatory guide.
• Students will find and cite evidence to support their answers.

Materials:

1.“What’s the Big Idea Ben Franklin?” by Jean Fritz.

2. Paper or a notebook/ Pencils/ Folders (if desired for loose papers)
3. Anticipatory guide for the above passage. (Appendix A)

Plans:

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

1. Teacher asks students about and briefly discusses the general elements of a biography.
2. Teacher gives students an overview of the unit, what will be accomplished and it’s purpose.
3. Teacher lets students know that they will first complete an anticipatory guide and then discuss what they already know about Ben Franklin and what they think they will learn.
4. Teacher will lets students know that then they will hear the above passage as a shared reading read aloud, then revisit their anticipatory guide to answer again based on what they learned.

.

2. Model/Guided Practice (35min)

1. Teacher will introduce the anticipatory guide as a set of true or false questions to get them ready for the text. Students will complete individually.
2. Teacher will then allow students to pair with at least one person to discuss and compare their answers and thinking.
3. Teacher will let students know they will have the chance to revisit the guide once they have heard the story read.
4. Teacher will introduce the above passage then read it to the class. The passage may be read all at once or broken up into sections before continuing.
5. Teacher will then guide students through answering the guide again with the knowledge they have just learned.
6. Teacher will model how to cite evidence to support each new answer.

4. Independent Practice (15 minutes)

1. Students will complete the above independently or with a partner, making sure to cite their evidence for each question.

5. Wrap up (5 minutes)

1. Students will share out their corrected answers and cited evidence with the class.

Lesson Plan #2

Ben Franklin- Sequencing and Timelines

Objectives:

• Students will understand sequencing by using a timeline to organize information in the passage.

Materials:

1.“What’s the Big Idea Ben Franklin?” by Jean Fritz.

2. Paper or a notebook/ Pencils/ Folders (if desired for loose papers)

Plans:

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

1. Teacher will review the previous day’s activities.
2. Teacher lets students know that they will create a timeline to organize major information from Ben Franklin’s life.

.

2. Model/Guided Practice (35min)

1. Teacher will review important information from the above passage.
2. Teacher will review sequencing with students and its importance in a biography.
3. Teacher will review timelines and the benefits of using them to organize information about a person’s life.
4. Teacher will model analyzing the passage for events that involve Ben Franklin’s early life and events leading up to the war.
5. Teacher will guide students through practicing the above with the beginning sections of the passage.
6. Teacher will model how some dates can be inferenced/estimated if necessary.

4. Independent Practice (15 minutes)

1. Students will continue the above independently or with a partner using the rest of the biography.

5. Wrap up (5 minutes)

1. Students will share out some of their events and dates with the class.

Lesson Plan #3

Benjamin Franklin- Poetry

Objectives:

• Students will understand inferencing.
• Students will understand formatted poetry.

Materials:

1.“What’s the Big Idea Ben Franklin?” by Jean Fritz.

2. Paper or a notebook/ Pencils/ Folders (if desired for loose papers)
3. Character Poem Template (Appendix B)

Plans:

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

1. Teacher reviews the passage and skills discussed the previous day.
2. Teacher lets students know that they will continue to work with the above passage, but will be completing a character poem about Ben Franklin using a predetermined structure.
3. Teacher will discuss the fact that the poem will require students to use information from the passage and what can be inferred from the passage in order to complete it.
4. Teacher will create partnerships for students to work or allow students to create the partnerships.

.

2. Model/Guided Practice (25min)

1. Teacher will model and guide students through creating a poem with the following criteria:

Line 1- First Name

Line 2- Four Descriptive Words

Line 3- Relationship to…

Line 4- Lover of (Three things)

Line 5- Who feels _______________  (Three things) when….

Line 6- Who fears… (Three things)

Line 7- Who would like to see… (Three things)

Line 8- Resident of…

Line 9- Last Name (Bowan, p. 24)

Ex. “Harriet

Brave, Courageous, Determined and Relentless

Mother of a nation

Lover of freedom, her people and equality.

Feeling heartbroken at the state of America, an unwavering sense of

responsibility and commitment to her dream

Fearing failure, loss of lives, and being caught

Who would like to see slaves live free lives, success and a world without

chains

Resident of Maryland

Tubman”

1. Teacher many adjust the number of required items per line as he or she sees

fit.

4. Independent Practice (20 minutes)

1. Students will complete their poem for Benjamin Franklin using information from the passage individually or with a partner.

5. Wrap up (10 minutes)

1. Students will share out their work with the class.

Part II

Lesson Plan #4

King George III- Anticipatory Guide and Introduction

Objectives:

• Students will engaged and understand the passage with an anticipatory guide.
• Students will find and cite evidence to support their answers.

Materials:

1. “Can’t You Make Them Behave, King George?” by Jean Fritz.
2. Paper or a notebook/ Pencils/ Folders (if desired for loose papers)
3. Anticipatory guide (Appendix C)

Plans:

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

1. Teacher lets students know that they will now complete an anticipatory guide for the above passage and then discuss what they already know about and what they think they will learn.
2. Teacher lets students know that then they will read the above passage independently or with a partner, then revisit their anticipatory guide to answer it again with their new knowledge.

.

2. Model/Guided Practice (15min)

1. Teacher will review the fact that the anticipatory guide is a set of true or false questions to get them ready for the text. Students will complete individually.
2. Teacher will then allow students to pair with at least one person to discuss and compare their answers and thinking.
3. Teacher will let students know they will have the chance to revisit the guide once they have heard the story read.
4. Teacher will introduce the above passage and allow students to read it independently or with a partner. The passage may be read all at once or broken up into sections before continuing. The teacher can support students who may struggle reading the passage independently, in a small group.
5. Teacher will then guide students through answering the guide again with the knowledge they have just learned.
6. Teacher will model how to cite evidence to support each new answer.

4. Independent Practice (25 minutes)

1. Students will complete the above independently or with a partner, making sure to cite their evidence for each question.

5. Wrap up (10 minutes)

1. Students will share out their original answers, corrected answers, if possible, what they were thinking with the original answers, and cited evidence with the class.

Lesson Plan #5

King George III- Sequencing and Timelines

Objectives:

• Students will understand sequencing by using a timeline to organize information in the passage.

Materials:

1. “Can’t You Make Them Behave, King George?” by Jean Fritz.
2. Paper or a notebook/ Pencils/ Folders (if desired for loose papers)

Plans:

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

1. Teacher will review the previous day’s activities.
2. Teacher lets students know that they will create a timeline to organize major information from King George’s life and his role in the Revolutionary War.

.

2. Model/Guided Practice (15min)

1. Teacher will review important information from the above passage.
2. Teacher will review sequencing with students and its importance in a biography.
3. Teacher will review timelines and the benefits of using them to organize information about a person’s life.
4. Teacher will model analyzing the passage for events that involve King George’s life and his role in the Revolutionary War. Teacher will guide students through practicing the above with the beginning sections of the passage.
5. Teacher will model how some dates can be inferenced/estimated if necessary.

4. Independent Practice (25 minutes)

1. Students will continue the above independently or with a partner using the rest of the passage.

5. Wrap up (5 minutes)

1. Students will share out some of their events and dates with the class.
2. Students can work on a published copy if desired.

Lesson Plan #6

King George III- Poetry

Objectives:

• Students will understand inferencing.
• Students will understand formatted poetry.

Materials:

1. “Can’t You Make Them Behave, King George?” by Jean Fritz.
2. Paper or a notebook/ Pencils/ Folders (if desired for loose papers)
3. Character Poem Template (Appendix B)

Plans:

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

1. Teacher reviews the passage and skills discussed the previous day.
2. Teacher lets students know that they will continue to work with the above passage, but will be completing a character poem about King George III using a predetermined structure.
3. Teacher will discuss the fact that the poem will require students to use information from the passage and what can be inferred from the passage in order to complete it.
4. Teacher will create the partnerships or allow students to create the partnerships.

.

2. Model/Guided Practice (10 min)

1. Teacher will model and guide students through creating a poem with the following criteria:

Line 1- First Name

Line 2- Four Descriptive Words

Line 3- Relationship to…

Line 4- Lover of (Three things)

Line 5- Who feels _______________  (Three things) when….

Line 6- Who fears… (Three things)

Line 7- Who would like to see… (Three things)

Line 8- Resident of…

Line 9- Last Name (Bowan, p. 24)

Ex.“Harriet

Brave, Courageous, Determined and Relentless

Mother of a nation

Lover of freedom, her people and equality.

Feeling heartbroken at the state of America, an unwavering sense of

responsibility and commitment to her dream

Fearing failure, loss of lives, and being caught

Who would like to see slaves live free lives, success and a world without

chains

Resident of Maryland

Tubman”

1. Teacher many adjust the number of required items per line as he or she sees

fit.

4. Independent Practice (20 minutes)

1. Students will complete their poem for King George III using information from the passage individually or with a partner.

5. Wrap up (10 minutes)

1. Students will share out their work with the class.

Part III

Lesson Plan #7

The Comparison

Objective:

• Students will compare and contrast two passages.

Materials:

1.“What’s the Big Idea Ben Franklin?” by Jean Fritz.

2. “Why Can’t You Just Make Them Behave King George?” by Jean Fritz
3. Paper or a notebook/ Pencils/ Folders (if desired for loose papers).
4. “Are We REALLY That Different Venn Diagram
5. Time lines and poems created for both passages/men.

Plans:

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

1. Teacher reviews the previous day’s activities.
2. Teacher lets students know that they will be completing a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast Benjamin Franklin and King George III, along with the circumstances that surrounded each of them in the Revolutionary War.
3. Teacher directs students to continue to work in partnerships or independently.

2. Model/Guided Practice (15min)

1. Teacher will review how to complete a Venn Diagram.
2. Teacher will discuss with students what types of information they can analyze. Examples are: each man and country’s viewpoint on the reasons behind the war, their reasons to tax (or why they were taxed), their view of taxes, how history saw them, their actions/roles during the war and their general view of their opposition.

4. Independent Practice (20 minutes)

1. Students will continue the above independently or with a partner until their diagram is complete with at least four points of comparisons.
2. Students may also summarize their comparisons in paragraph format for a slightly extended activity.

5. Wrap up (10 minutes)

1. Students will share their work with the class.

Part IV

Lesson Plan #8

The Board Game

Objective:

• Students will demonstrate their understanding of each man’s life and role in a historical event.
• Students will create a board game using the knowledge they have gained about each man’s side of the Revolutionary War.

Materials:

1.“What’s the Big Idea Ben Franklin?” by Jean Fritz.

2. “Why Can’t You Just Make Them Behave King George?” by Jean Fritz
3. The Are They Really That Different? (ATRTD) Board Game Planning Sheet. (Appendix D)
4. All activities completed with this unit for reference.

Plans:

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

1. Teacher reviews the previous day’s activities.
2. Teacher lets students know that they will be creating a board game that will show the differences and similarities of Benjamin Franklin and King George III and their roles in the war in steps. First students will plan and design their boards, then they will create it.
3. Teacher introduces the ATRTD Board Game planning sheet.

.

2. Model/Guided Practice (15min)

1. Teacher will introduce the planning sheet and model with students how to use it to capture their ideas about how they will create their game.

4. Independent Practice (20 minutes)

1. Students will work on completing their planning sheets independently or with a partner.
2. Wrap up (5 minutes)

1. Students will share their ideas with the class, teacher approves students ideas and sketches.

Lesson Plan #9

The Board Game II

Objective:

• Students will demonstrate their understanding of each man’s life and role in a historical event.
• Students will create a board game using the knowledge they have gained about each man’s side of the Revolutionary War.

Materials:

1.“What’s the Big Idea Ben Franklin?” by Jean Fritz.

2. “Why Can’t You Just Make Them Behave King George?” by Jean Fritz
3. The Are They Really That Different? (ATRTD) Board Game Planning Sheet. (Appendix D)
4. All activities completed with this unit.
5. Arts and craft items available: construction paper of various colors, sizes, markers,

crayons, scissors, glue, glue, tape, etc.

Plans:

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

1. Teacher reviews the previous day’s activities.
2. Teacher reminds students know that they will be creating a board game that will show the differences and similarities of Benjamin Franklin and King George III and their roles in the war in steps. The next step, today, will be to actually create their game using their planning sheet .
3. Teacher reviews the ATRTD Board Game planning sheet. Teacher reminds them that the items listed on that sheet are the requirements and must be adhered to in order to receive full credit. Specifically, students are told the mandatory rules of the game-they must have the following (Appendix E):

1. There must be two players (or two teams), one assumes the role of Ben Franklin, the other, King George III. There must be two game pieces that clearly represents each man.
2. The endpoint/goal/finish must be a space marked “The Revolutionary War”.
3. Each game must have a pathway that leads to the space marked “The Revolutionary War” that consists of rectangular (or another) shaped steps.
4. At least one third of the rectanglular (or other shape) steps should consist of questions about the information learned in the passage and/or commands that will lead the player around the board, or to pick cards. The questions and answers to the questions on the board or on the cards will be written out on a separate sheet for reference.
5. There must be a random number generator of some kind used for the game, either a spinner, die or some way of randomly determining how many spaces each player must move. These may be constructed by the student or borrowed from another game.
6. The player who gets to the space marked “The Revolutionary War” first, wins the game and wins the war! (Let students know they have a chance to change history!!)

1. Teacher introduces the materials that students will have available to them.

.

2. Model/Guided Practice (15min)

1. Teacher will model for students how they can use the available materials to

create their game based on their planning sheet. For example- one medium sized

piece of construction paper can be used for the board, the board should have some

type of illustrations on their boards, smaller pieces of construction paper can be

used for cards, if needed, etc.

4. Independent Practice (20 minutes)

1. Students will work on completing their board games individually or with a partner.

5. Wrap up (10 minutes)

1. Students will present their games and how to play them with the class.
2. Students will be allowed to play their own games or other’s to revise and adjust their work as needed.
3. Students will present their final versions (after revisions and corrections have been done) for their grade.

1. Bowen, Dorothy N., “Using Biography in the Elementary Classroom” (2002). Curriculum and Instruction Faculty and Staff Scholarship. Paper 23.

This is a short history of using biographies in the classroom followed by classroom strategies that can be used for biographies and literature in general.

2. Brugar, Kristy, “Power Of One: Using Biographies To Investigate An Individual’s Impact On The Past And Present”, Ohio Social Studies Review, Fall 2013, Volume 50, Issue 2.

This writing focuses on specific skills and strategies that align with state standards and biographies that lend themselves to those skills.

Classroom Materials:

1. Fritz, Jean. Can’t You Make Them Behave, King George? New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, 1977. Print.

A narrative nonfiction that chronicles the events leading up to, during and after the Revolutionary War, according to King George III.

2. Fritz, Jean. What’s the Big Idea, Ben Franklin? New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, 1976. Print.

A biography of Benjamin Franklin that focuses on his later accomplishments.

3. Writing paper with folders or notebooks

4. Construction paper of various colors and sizes

5. Glue, tape, etc.

Appendix A

Name______________________________________  Date _______________________

Anticipatory Guide for

“What’s the Big Idea Ben Franklin?”

by Jean Fritz

Appendix B

Name_______________________________________                           Date ________________________

Character Poem

Line 1- First Name

Line 2- Four Descriptive Words

Line 3- Relationship to…

Line 4- Lover of (Three things)

Line 5- Who feels _______________  (Three things) when….

Line 6- Who fears… (Three things)

Line 7- Who would like to see… (Three things)

Line 8- Resident of…

Line 9- Last Name (Bowan, p. 24)

Ex.“Harriet

Brave, Courageous, Determined and Relentless

Mother of a nation

Lover of freedom, her people and equality.

Feeling heartbroken at the state of America, an unwavering sense of

responsibility and commitment to her dream

Fearing failure, loss of lives, and being caught

Who would like to see slaves live free lives, success and a world without

chains

Resident of Maryland

Tubman”

Appendix C

Name _____________________________________________  Date ______________________________

Anticipatory Guide for

“Can’t You Make Them Behave King George?”

by Jean Fritz

Appendix D

Name_______________________________________________     Date____________________________

The Board Game!!

1. What game pieces will your game use? How will they represent ben Franklin and King George III ?

2. What will your board look like, what shapes will you use for your pathway? Will there just be a path that leads to one goal or several places to stop at along the way? What is the name of these places?

5. How will players determine how to move around the board? Will they roll dice? Use a spinner?

6. What obstacles will players encounter? Will there be questions on the pathway of the game? Cards with questions? If you are using cards, when will players use the cards? Will there be a place on the board that tells you? Or will players roll a certain number?

7. Are there any rules that your game beyond what is required?

8. Create a sketch of what you think your board will look like on the back of this paper.

9. On a separate sheet of paper, write out what your questions will be, along with your answers.

Appendix E

Rules/ Requirements

“Are They Really That Different?” Board Game

1. There must be two players (or two teams), one assumes the role of Ben Franklin, the other, King George III. There must be two game pieces that clearly represents each man.

2. The endpoint/goal/finish must be a space marked “The Revolutionary War”.

3. Each game must have a pathway that leads to the space marked “The Revolutionary War” that consists of rectangular (or another) shaped steps.

4. At least one third of the rectangular (or other shape) steps should consist of questions about the information learned in the passage and/or commands that will lead the player around the board, or to pick cards. The questions and answers to the questions on the board or on the cards will be written out on a separate sheet for reference.

5. There must be a random number generator of some kind used for the game, either a spinner, die or some way of randomly determining how many spaces each player must move. These may be constructed by the student or borrowed from another game.

6. The player who gets to the space marked “The Revolutionary War” first, wins the game and wins the war! (Let students know they have a chance to change history!!)

CC1.2.5.B- 
Cite textual evidence by quoting accurately from the text to explain what the text says explicitly and make inferences.

CC.1.3.5.C-Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text.

CC.1.2.5.E- Use text structure, in and among texts, to interpret information (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution).