LESSON PLAN: World-Changers Purpose: Students will explore great ideas and their originators. Students will write with a clear focus, coherent organization, and sufficient detail. Students will show connections between particular historical events and social trends. Students will understand the power of ideas behind important events. Students will interpret the past within its historical context. Students will demonstrate prior knowledge. Reflects the Massachusetts Department of Education Curriculum Standards (see page 3 for specific standards). Photo by Mark Thayer Time Required: Approximately two class periods. Allow sufficient time for students to select and to read a biography. Materials needed: List of Mapparium quotations [page 4]. Educator s Preparation: ARRANGE time for students to use the school or local public library. INFORM librarian that your students will be looking for specific biographies before your trip to The Mary Baker Eddy Library [See suggested reading list pages 5-7]. OR allow Internet research of an author. BOOK your students visit to the Library by registering online at www.mbelibrary.org or by calling 617.450.7330. READ quotes from The Mary Baker Eddy Library s Mapparium exhibit by people whose ideas have changed the world, and become familiar with this set of activities. POST the list of quotes where all can review and choose the world-changers (authors/thinkers) for their reports. Curriculum Package 2007 The Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of Humanity 1
What To Do: Day 1: EXPLAIN to your students that you will be taking a trip to The Mary Baker Eddy Library to view the Mapparium exhibit and to explore big ideas. ASK: What do you think might be considered a big idea? Can you think of a person whose idea has changed the world? EXPLAIN that the Library features many ideas by many famous and not-so-famous thinkers. ASK each student to review the list of quotes and their authors and to CHOOSE one author about whom he/she would like to learn. ALLOW time for students to visit the school or town library to find a biography on their chosen authors, or arrange for Internet research opportunities. Homework: ASK students to write 1 paragraph on what they already know or imagine they know about their world-changers based on their quotes (show prior knowledge of a subject). BEGIN reading the biographies or browsing the Internet. Day 2: ASSIGN book report using the book report form included on pages 8 and 9. COLLECT all or selected writing assignments for possible display at the Library. MAIL or FAX the papers at least one week before your scheduled visit to The Mary Baker Eddy Library for display during your visit. Be sure to register your Library visit online at www.marybakereddylibrary.org or by calling 617.450.7330. MAIL to: The Mary Baker Eddy Library Attention: Group Visits 200 Massachusetts Avenue LO1-10 Boston, MA 02115 FAX: 617.450.7012 Optional assignments: ASSIGN oral report based on the biography read by each student. (Complies with Massachusetts Department of Education Curriculum Frameworks for English Language Arts, Standard 3: Oral Presentation.) ASSIGN an essay after students complete the worksheet. Students write personal interpretations of their chosen biographies, which include a topic statement and supporting details from the biography. 2
Standards Covered: Massachusetts Department of Education English Language Arts Curriculum Framework General Standard 1: Discussion 1.4 Know and apply rules for formal discussions (classroom, parliamentary debate, town meeting rules). General Standard 3: Oral Presentation 3.8 Give oral presentations for various purposes, showing appropriate changes in delivery (gestures, vocabulary, pace, visuals) and using language for dramatic effect. General Standard 8: Understanding a Text 8.5 Restate main ideas. 8.15 Locate facts that answer the reader s questions. 8.18 Summarize main ideas and supporting details. 8.22 Identify and analyze main ideas, supporting ideas, and supporting details. General Standard 13: Nonfiction 13.11 Distinguish fact from opinion or fiction. 13.12 Summarize main ideas and supporting details. 13.17 Identify and analyze main ideas, supporting ideas, and supporting details. General Standard 19: Writing 19.22 Write and justify a personal interpretation of literary, informational, or expository reading that includes a topic statement, supporting details from the literature, and a conclusion. 19.23 Write multi-paragraph compositions that have clear topic development, logical organization, effective use of detail, and variety in sentence structure. General Standard 20: Consideration of Audience and Purpose 20.4 Select and use appropriate rhetorical techniques for a variety of purposes, such as to convince or entertain the reader. National Council of Teachers of English, Standards for the English Language Arts 1. Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works. 2. Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience. 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate words. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features. 4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes. 8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge. 11. Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities. 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information). 3
World-Changers Quotes from the Mapparium I speak to you today for the first time as Prime Minister, in a solemn hour in the life of our country and above all of the cause of freedom Winston Churchill It isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it. Eleanor Roosevelt Peace cannot be achieved through violence. It can only be achieved through understanding. Albert Einstein An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind. Gandhi Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children. Martin Luther King, Jr. You can imprison a man, but not an idea. You can exile a man, but not an idea. You can kill a man, but not an idea. Benazir Bhutto Let freedom reign. The sun never set on so glorious a human achievement! Nelson Mandela Ideas are mightier than fire and sword. Noiselessly they propagate themselves from land to land Helen Keller "And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering together of the waters called he seas. And God saw that it was good." And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with Good night, good luck, and God bless all of you, all of you on the good earth. Frank Borman All my work, all my efforts, all my prayers and tears are for humanity, and the spread of peace and love among mankind. Mary Baker Eddy 4
Suggested Reading List of BIOGRAPHIES on the World-Changers Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto: Prime Minister (Library of Famous Women) by Elizabeth Bouchard; Publisher: Blackbirch Marketing (August 1997) Benazir Butto: From Prison to Prime Minister by Libby Hughes; Publisher: iuniverse.com; (June 2000) Reading Level: Young Adult Mary Baker Eddy You can find a short biography, Who Was Mary Baker Eddy at www.marybakereddylibrary.org. Click on Mary Baker Eddy, Her Story, and follow the link. Albert Einstein Albert Einstein and the Theory of Relativity by Robert Cwiklik; Publisher: Barrons Juveniles (November 1987) Ordinary Genius: The Story of Albert Einstein by Stephanie Sammartino McPherson; Publisher: Carolrhoda Books (June 1997) Reading Level: Ages 9-12 What's the Matter With Albert: A Story of Albert Einstein by Frieda Wishinsky; Publisher: Maple Tree Press (September 2002) Albert Einstein: And the Frontiers of Physics (Oxford Portraits in Science) by Jeremy Bernstein Reading level: Young Adult Mohandas Ghandi Ghandi: India s Great Soul by Maura D. Shaw, Stephen Marchesi (Illustrator); Publisher: Skylight Paths Pub (October 2003) Reading level: Ages 4-8 Ghandi by Demi; Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry (September 1, 2001) Our Gandhi: Child of Fear to Man of Freedom by V. Mylo Schaaf; Publisher: Nilgiri Press; Unabridged edition (September 9, 2001) Reading Level: Young Adult Helen Keller Helen Keller: Crusader for the Blind and Deaf by Stewart Graff, Polly Anne Graff, Wayne Alfano; Publisher: Bt Bound (October 1999) Reading level: Ages 4-8 The World at Her Fingertips: The Story of Helen Keller by Joan Dash; Publisher: Scholastic (August 2002) Reading Level: Ages 9-12 5
Helen Keller by Margaret Davidson, Wendy Watson (Illustrator); Publisher: Scholastic; Reissue edition (July 1997) Helen Keller (In Their Own Words) by George Sullivan; Publisher: Scholastic Reference (November 29, 2001) Reading Level: Ages 9-12 Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport; Publisher: Jump Sun (October 2001) Reading level: Ages 4-8 My Dream of Martin Luther King by Faith Ringgold (Illustrator); Publisher: Dragonfly; Reprint edition (December 7, 1998) Reading level: Ages 4-8 I Have a Dream: The Story of Martin Luther King by Margaret Davidson; Publisher: Scholastic; Reissue edition (July 1994) My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Christine King Farris, Chris Soentpiet (Illustrator); Publisher: Simon & Schuster (Juv); 1st edition (January 2003) Nelson Mandela Mandela: From the Life of the South African Statesman by Floyd Cooper (Illustrator); Publisher: Philomel Books (September 1996) Reading level: Ages 4-8 Peaceful Protest: The Life of Nelson Mandela by Yona Zeldis McDonough, Malcah Zeldis (Illustrator); Publisher: Walker & Co (October 2002) Reading Level: 4-8 Nelson Mandela: No Easy Walk to Freedom By Barry Denenberg; Publisher: Scholastic; Reprint (September 1991) Reading Level: 9-12 Nelson Mandela: A Voice of Freedom by Libby Hughes; Publisher: iuniverse.com (August 2000) Reading Level: Young Adult Eleanor Roosevelt Eleanor Roosevelt : A Life of Discovery by Russell Freedman; Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co (April 14, 1997) 6
Other Biographies About People Who Changed the World Girls Who Rocked the World : Heroines from Sacagawea to Sheryl Swoopes by Amelie Welden, Jerry McCann (Illustrator); Publisher: Beyond Words Publising (August 30, 2000) Reading Level: Ages 9-12 Herstory: Women Who Changed the World by Ruth Ashby (Editor), Deborah Gore Ohrn (Editor), Gloria Steinem (Introduction); Publisher: Viking Children s Books (June 1995) Reading level: Young Adult Ten Amazing People: And How They Changed the World (includes Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Dorothy Day, Gandhi, Mother Theresa) by Maura D. Shaw, Stephen Marchesi (Illustrator), Robert Coles (Forward); Publisher: Skylight Paths Pub (August 2002) Reading Level: Ages 4-8 100 Women Who Shaped World History by Gail Meyer Rolka; Publisher: Bluewood Books (April 1994) Reading Level: Young Adult 7
My World-Changer Name: Complete each section below using information you learned while reading the biography about your world-changer. Quick Facts: World-Changer Name: Quote: Book title and author: Date of birth: Country of birth: Country where world-changer completed primary work and/or spent most of his/her life Most famous for: Other things I learned: My world-changer helped change the world by It took years to complete his/her most famous work. 8
Someone who influenced my world-changer at an early age was When my world-changer was a kid, he/she liked to It helped him/her in adult life by Something that surprised me about my world-changer is Something that I had imagined about my world-changer that I was right about is What I most liked about my world-changer is 9
What I didn t like about my world-changer is Thinking more deeply: After reading about my world-changer, the meaning of the quote changed for me because If I could meet my world-changer and ask a question, I would ask him/her Learning more about this person has inspired me to 10