Autobiography/Biography

An autobiography is an account of a person’s life written by that person. A biography is an account of a person’s life written by someone else. When I was looking for books, I chose books that would provide students will alternative views on how we see things from our past about specific people and how they impacted our world today; these would be different views that students would gather from our textbooks. One criterion that I felt was important when choosing texts was the organizational structure of the text. Biographies make more sense when they are written in chronological order of the person’s life. This would definitely make it easier for students to understand. The appeal is another criteria that I feel is important when choosing texts. When texts are appealing students are more likely to engage in them. Biographies tend to always have a boring appeal and that doesn't make students want to look at them. These texts are great for research on a specific person. They would also be good for teaching writing of biographies or autobiographies. They would be an example for students to look at so they know how to write them. I feel by incorporating these books into my classroom I will be giving my students the opportunity to find someone who truly impacted our nation’s history.

Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man

Adler, D.A., & Widener, T (1997). Lou Gehrig: The luckiest man. San Diego, CA:                   Harcourt Brace.

This book has a lexile level of 750L.  It would be at the 4^th grade independent reading level and it could be used between second and fourth grade for interest reading. The theme of this book is character and values. Lou Gehrig worked really hard despite his sickness. This says a lot about his character and his values to work hard no matter what. There are no connections to any type of issue presented in this text. If students have experienced a sick family member they may be able to make a connection, but others may not. The pictures in this book are life like and very detailed. It makes the book very appealing to the reader. The text is large so it is easy for students to read. Students may struggle with some of the vocabulary in this text. Other than that, students would need little help understanding the text.

Frederick Douglass: The Last Day of Slavery
Miller, W., & Lucas, C. (1995). Frederick Douglass: The last day of slavery. New             York, NY: Lee & Low Books. 

This book has a lexile level of AD 760L. It would be at the fourth grade independent reading level and it could be used between second and fourth grade for interest reading. The theme of this book is character and values. The book describes how the future abolitionist found freedom in his heart and mind before escaping slavery. This book has connections to the topic of slavery so it would also connect with a social studies lesson. The graphics in the text really help to aid in comprehension for the reader. There is some advanced vocabulary in the text, so some students in the class may struggle with that, while others will not. Other than that, students should not need additional help understanding the text.