LEARNING FROM BIOGRAPHIES

Transcription

1 LEARNING FROM BIOGRAPHIES A PRESENTATION BY JOHN F. WUKOVITS (FAX) johnwukovits@comcast.net October 28, 2010

2 2 WHAT WILL HIS FUTURE BE LIKE? 1. He is a very lonely child; has few friends; is very unsure of self. 2. He fears many things, such as monsters he imagines in his closet or under the bed, or the menacing trees outside his bedroom window. 3. He is so frightened of a wicked queen in a cartoon that his parents will not allow him to watch television. 4. His parents argue often and are heading toward divorce; the child feels the unhappiness. 5. He is considered a nerd at school and is bullied by the other boys. 6. He frequently runs home from school because others pick on him and call him names. When he gets home, he rushes to his bedroom, slams shut the door, and repeats to himself, Safe. I m safe. Safe. I m safe. ******************************************************************************************************** Jim Carrey Father out of work Everyone had to do odd jobs, so this individual had to work after school, as he put it, scraping pubic hair off urinals. For a time they lived in a van, then in a tent The whole family was turning into monsters. It was the most violent period in my life. He was put down so much by the other kids because of the circumstances of his family. Tim Allen His father killed in car crash when he was 11 Started selling drugs when in college, arrested and sentenced to prison I had no idea about looking forward and setting a goal. Then I met a guy in prison who summed it up best. The greatest missile in the world is useless unless it s targeted. A torpedo is adrift unless it has someplace to go. An arrow is pointless unless it hits something. So it s important for kids even if you fail at first to target something and head in that direction. With all your might. Stephen King

3 3 Never knew his father, who abandoned the family when the boy was two years old Frequent moves made it hard for him to make friends I often felt unhappy and different, estranged from other kids my age. John Stockton The young basketball player spent every possible moment on a basketball court or in front of the hoop in his driveway, trying to perfect a pass, get a shot down, or learn a defensive trick. He practiced so much that his father started comparing him to a mailman because he practiced in rain and snow, day and night. Because he was one of the shortest players on his school team, he focused on sharpening the skills that did not depend on height. He honed his defensive abilities, improved his passing and dribbling, and used his speed to learn how to steal the ball from opponents. An older student who frequently drove by the boy s house recalls seeing him at ten or eleven o clock at night, and he was always out on the driveway, dribbling a basketball. Jack Nicklaus You should set goals higher than you think you can achieve. Most people, adults included, set their goals too low, but we live in a wonderful nation where we can accomplish anything we set out to do. After that, learn how to focus on what you are doing at each moment. Block out everything else and concentrate. Vince Lombardi I had this drive to be first, or best in everything. I wasn t born with much size or speed, and so everything I did was a struggle. I had to try harder than everyone else. But there is something to be said for that kind of attitude, because I found that if I really wanted something badly enough, it was possible. I always tried to want it more than the other kids. That was my edge. I know you can t be perfect. But boys, making the effort to be perfect, trying as hard as you can, is what life is all about. If you ll not settle for anything less than the best effort, you will be amazed at how much you can do with your lives. Stephen King A writer is not born a good writer. Writing is the direct result of conscious will. Of course there has to be some talent involved, but what separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work and study; a constant process of honing. If you want to be a writer, you must read a lot and write a lot. STUDENT DATE WITH THE DUE DATE OF BIOGRAPHY ARTICLES

4 4 1. Name of the article: 2. Years that the person lived: 3. Mention 3 different accomplishments of this person and why each is an accomplishment. ACCOMPLISHMENT #1: (15 words) WHY IT IS AN ACCOMPLISHMENT: (25 words) ACCOMPLISHMENT #2: (15 words) WHY IT IS AN ACCOMPLISHMENT: (25 words) ACCOMPLISHMENT #3: (15 words) WHY IT IS AN ACCOMPLISHMENT: (25 words) 4. With which person in your family, the school, the nation, or the world would you compare the person? NAME WHY DO YOU MAKE THE COMPARISON? (30 words) 5. Explain two obstacles or hardships this person faced that he/she overcame, and explain how he/she overcame each obstacle. OBSTACLE #1: HOW THE PERSON OVERCAME IT (25 words):

5 5 OBSTACLE #2: HOW THE PERSON OVERCAME IT (25 words): 6. Write down the exact words of a sentence, sentences, or quote from the story that you liked. SENTENCES OR QUOTE: WHY DID YOU LIKE THE SENTENCES OR QUOTE SELECTED? (25 words): 7. Name one person who influenced this individual and explain how that person influenced him/her. PERSON WHO INFLUENCED: HOW THAT PERSON INFLUENCED: (25 words) 8. What one adjective would you use to describe this person, and why would you select that adjective? ADJECTIVE: WHY YOU SELECTED THE ADJECTIVE: (25 words): 9. If you summarized this person s life in 1 or 2 sentences, what would you write? (at least 15 words) 10. What did you learn from reading about this person that you can use in your own life? (50 words) 11. If you selected a song to represent this person, what would it be and why? SONG: WHY YOU SELECTED THE SONG: (25 words):

6 6 ****************************************************************************************** You need the following cards for your project: BIOGRAPHY HYPERSTUDIO PROJECT 1) 1 card explaining his/her early life. 2) 1 card explaining important events in his/her life. 3) 1 card explaining influential people in his/her life. 4) 1 card explaining why this person deserves to be known/respected. 5) 1 card explaining skills, abilities, talents possessed by this person. 6) 1 card titled, 3 Facts Everybody Should Know. 20 words for each fact 7) 1 card explaining what you learned from the person or event that you can use in your life 30 words 8) 1 card titled The Strangest (Most Unique/Fascinating) Fact I Learned 30 words you may do more cards if you wish 9) 5 cards of your own choice that relate to the topic movies made about the person or event songs, books 10) 1 card containing a quote about the person or event. the quote should refer to some important aspect the quote can be a person s words, or a sentence/paragraph taken from a book or magazine article.

7 7 11) 1 card explaining which actors/actresses you would select to play the key parts in a movie based upon his/her life. you need at least 3 selections you must explain why you selected these people 25 words for each 12) 1 card naming the song you would select to typify this person. explain why you selected that song 30 words 13) 5 cards, each containing either a true-false or a multiple choice question. 14) 1 bibliography card 15) 1 credits card (Produced By, etc.) ******************************************************************************************************** FAMILY EXPLORER ASSIGNMENT You are to select the name of a family member you consider has/had the qualities exhibited by the explorers we have read about this year. Possibly he/she has traveled places no one else in the family has, or entered a new occupation, or been the first to achieve something. You are then to think of 10 questions which you will ask either of that person or of someone in your family who would know the answers. Be sure the questions are designed to produce lengthy answers. For instance, a question asking Did you like being the first to go to college? would produce a Yes or No answer. Instead, ask What 3 things did you most like/dislike about being the first to go to college? or What were 3 hardships you faced when you went to college? Write the interview in your notebook, proofread it, then type the final copy (please double space). The final copy is to include both the questions and the answers. Due by the end of the week. Your Chief Explorer, Mr. Wukovits TO PURCHASE ANY OF THE TITLES LISTED BELOW, EITHER CALL ( ) OR ME (johnwukovits@comcast.net) FOR THE ADULT MARKET Admiral Bull Halsey: The Life and Wars of the Navy s Most Controversial Commander (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010) American Commando: Evans Carlson, His WWII Marine Raiders, and America s First Special Forces Mission (New American Library, 2009)

8 8 Eisenhower (Palgrave Macmillan, 2006) One Square Mile of Hell: The Battle for Tarawa (New American Library, 2006) Pacific Alamo: The Battle for Wake Island (New American Library, 2003) Devotion to Duty: A Biography of Admiral Clifton Sprague (Naval Institute Press, 1995) FOR THE TEENAGE MARKET FROM LUCENT BOOKS Anne Frank Stephen King Jim Carrey Life of an American Soldier in Europe The 1920s Leaders and Generals of The Persian Gulf War World War I Flying Aces Generals of the Revolutionary War The KoreanWar Life in the Negro Baseball Leagues Jackie Robinson and the Integration Of Baseball Booker T. Washington and Education Martin Luther King, Jr. George W. Bush Colin Powell Life As A POW The 1910s History of Sports: Hockey The Spanish-American War Strategic Battles of World War I Michael J. Fox Oskar Schindler Robin Williams Ben Affleck Tobey Maguire Ellen Ochoa Eli Manning Pearl Harbor Kobe Bryant FROM CHELSEA HOUSE BOOKS BOOK The Composite Guide to Auto Racing The Composite Guide to Soccer The Gunslingers Vince Lombardi Wyatt Earp Annie Oakley Jesse James Barry Sanders The Black Cowboys Tim Allen Jack Nicklaus John Stockton Butch Cassidy

9 9 FROM GROLIER PUBLISHERS An Encyclopedia of Sports History of the Winter Olympics Bill Gates