Helen Keller
H
Using the Mini-Book
After introducing children to
Helen Keller, have them make
the mini-book (pages 84–85).
Then read the story together
as a class, encouraging
children to track the text
with their finger. (You
might introduce any new
vocabulary before reading.)
Later, invite children to
reread their books in small
groups, with partners, or
individually.
Related Reading
Helen Keller by Jane Sutcliffe
(Lerner Publishing Group, 2002)
Helen Keller by Sean Dolan
(Children’s Press, 2006)
Helen Keller: Courage in the
Dark by Johanna Hurwitz
(Perfection Learning, 2001)
Helen Keller: The World in Her
Heart by Lesa Cline-Ransome
(Collins, 2008)
(1880–1968)
elen Keller was born a healthy baby on June 27, 1880, but lost her sight
and hearing to an illness before she turned two. By six years of age,
Keller was so frustrated by her inability to communicate that she often lashed
out in bursts of anger. When her parents sought help from the Perkins School
for the Blind, the school assigned Anne Sullivan—a visually impaired Perkins
graduate—to teach Keller. Sullivan made the first of many breakthroughs with
Keller, teaching her to communicate with others using the manual alphabet.
When Keller left home to attend college, Sullivan went with her. In fact,
Sullivan remained by Keller’s side almost everywhere she went. Keller went on to write books, magazine articles, and speeches. For
25 years, she worked on learning to speak clearly. She and Sullivan toured
the nation lecturing and performing a vaudeville act, which gave Keller a
platform for sharing her views about blindness, deafness, politics, and social
issues. Never one to be sidelined by her differences, Keller led an active
lifestyle riding horses and bicycles, swimming, and boating. As a lifetime
advocate for the blind and deaf-blind, she helped raise funds from both
government and private donors and pushed for the rehabilitation of blind
veterans and the blind abroad.
More Interesting Facts
✮✮ The first word for which Keller connected meaning to the finger-spelling
was water.
✮✮ Keller learned to read French, German, Greek, and Latin—all in Braille!
✮✮ When Anne Sullivan died in 1936, Polly Thompson became
Keller’s assistant.
✮✮ Keller supported both workers’ rights and women’s rights.
✮✮ Alexander Graham Bell and Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) were lifelong
friends and mentors of Keller.
✮✮ President Lyndon B. Johnson awarded Keller the Presidential Medal of
Freedom, the highest honor an American civilian can receive.
Preparing for the Read-Aloud Play
Prior to reading the play (pages 86–88), teach children how to make the
hand sign for each of these letters: W, A, T, E, and R. Invite them to sign the
letters along with the speakers as they read the section of the play in which
water is spelled out.
Using the Activity Page
In The Story of My Life, Keller describes how the encouragement of friends
and acquaintances propelled her onward and upward. Ask children to think
about people who encourage them. Then have them complete each sentence
in the activity (page 89) and draw themselves as helpers in the box.
Person of the Month: Famous Americans © 2011 by Karen Shelton, Scholastic Teaching Resources
83
by
After that, Helen could not see or hear.
While she was still a baby, she got sick.
Helen
Keller
2
3
1
Person of the Month: Famous Americans © 2011 by Karen Shelton, Scholastic Teaching Resources
The teacher taught Helen many things.
Helen’s parents sent for a teacher.
She was healthy and happy.
Helen Keller was born in 1880.
gave speeches.
6
7
different could not hold her back.
important people. She proved that being
Her teacher went with her.
she worked. She wrote books. She
5
Helen traveled the world and met many
4
Later, Helen went away to school.
The more Helen learned, the harder
hungry for words.
hands. Helen learned quickly. She was
The teacher spelled words into Helen’s
Person of the Month: Famous Americans © 2011 by Karen Shelton, Scholastic Teaching Resources • (page 85)
Helen Keller
The Girl With Amazing
Differences
Read-Aloud Play
Characters
Children 1–6
Child 1: I was just thinking about what life
might be like if I couldn’t see.
Child 2: I know about a blind girl who helped
the whole world see things in a new way.
Child 3: How can someone who is blind
help others see?
Child 1: Have you ever heard of Helen Keller?
She was blind, but all her life she helped
others see that they were wrong.
Child 4: Wrong? About what?
Child 5: About what people who are blind can do.
Child 2: You see, Helen lost her sight
and hearing when she was a baby.
Child 4: You mean she couldn’t see at all?
Child 6: That’s right. No colors. No shapes.
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The Girl With Amazing Differences
Person of the Month: Famous Americans © 2011 by Karen Shelton, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Child 3: And she couldn’t hear?
Child 5: That’s right. Think about what it would
be like not to hear at all.
Child 3: You wouldn’t know your mom’s voice.
Child 4: You couldn’t hear a bird sing.
Child 3: I would hate that!
Child 1: I think Helen did, too.
She lashed out at her family.
When she was six, her parents sent for a teacher.
Child 6: Anne Sullivan was the teacher.
She began to spell words using her hands.
Child 2: She would form each letter into Helen’s hands.
One day, she spelled out water.
Child 1: W! Clear and cool it trickled from the pump.
Child 2: A! Helen cupped her hand under the stream.
Child 5: T! It made puddles around her feet.
Child 6: E! How her teacher wanted Helen to know…
Child 1: R! That these cool wet trails were called water.
Child 4: W-A-T-E-R was what splashed into her hands!
Child 3: W-A-T-E-R was what puddled around her feet!
Person of the Month: Famous Americans © 2011 by Karen Shelton, Scholastic Teaching Resources
The Girl With Amazing Differences
87
Child 2: Yes, and Helen finally understood.
She had learned her first word—water!
Child 1: By the end of that day,
Helen had learned 30 words!
Child 2: And she spent the rest of her life learning.
Child 6: Helen became the first blind person
to get a college degree.
Child 3: But how did she help the whole world see?
Child 5: Many thought that blind people
couldn’t do what the rest of us do.
Child 6: Helen showed them this was not true.
Child 4: Oh, I get it! Helen Keller was blind and deaf.
But she worked hard to do what sighted people do.
Child 5: That and a whole lot more!
She traveled around the world.
Child 1: She gave speeches and helped others.
And she met lots of important people.
Child 4: Let’s give a cheer for Helen Keller!
All:
Hip-hip-hooray!
The End
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The Girl With Amazing Differences
Person of the Month: Famous Americans © 2011 by Karen Shelton, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Helen Keller
Name:
Date:
Activity Page
A Little Lift
Helen Keller was thankful for people who helped her.
Write about people who help you.
Then write about how you can help someone.
(name)
helps me by telling me
(name)
helps me by giving me
I can help
by
Here’s a picture of me helping.
(name)
helps me by
E n c o urage
someone
today!
Person of the Month: Famous Americans © 2011 by Karen Shelton, Scholastic Teaching Resources
89
How to Make the
Mini-Books
Materials
The mini-books require very few materials, and children can
complete them at their desk or at a learning center. To get
started, provide pre-trimmed copies of the mini-book pages—
you can use a paper cutter to cut along the dashed line on each
copy. Then demonstrate the steps below. (Or assemble the
books in advance.)
1. Cut each reproducible
page in half along the
solid line. Then fold the
front cover/page 1 along
the dotted center line.
Keep the fold to the
right side.
2. Repeat the folding
process for each of the
remaining page pairs:
pages 2/3, 4/5, and 6/7.
Stack the pages in order
with the cover on top
and all of the folds on
the right side.
@@ scissors
@@ crayons or markers
@@ stapler
3. Staple the pages
together along the
left edge.
Teaching Tips and Extensions
Creative Timing
With many of the Americans in this resource having ties to several seasonal observances, be
creative with the timing you choose for using these activities. For example, the unit on Susan B.
Anthony is suggested for use during Women’s History Month (March), but the activities are also
a perfect fit for pre-election days in October and November. The unit on Alexander Graham Bell
(July) might instead be used during National Inventors’ Month in August.
Multi-Use Mini-Books
Mix things up a bit with these suggestions for using the mini-books:
✮✮ Mask the text of a mini-book and make a copy of the pages. Then cut out the text from
another copy. Laminate all the pieces, place them in a center, and encourage children to
match the corresponding text to each page.
6
Person of the Month: Famous Americans © 2011 by Karen Shelton, Scholastic Teaching Resources
✮✮ Have children glue the mini-book pages, in sequence, to a strip of accordion-folded bulletin
board paper. Children can then unfold the strip, one section at a time, to read the story.
✮✮ Highlight selected words in a mini-book and place it in a literacy center. Invite children to
search other books, materials, and displays in the center to find words that match those
highlighted in the mini-book.
Play Props and Productions
After reading through a play a few times, invite children to suggest embellishments they might
add to make the production more interesting, such as an interesting prop, a musical link, or even
an announcer to provide oral credits at the conclusion of the play. By encouraging children to
contribute to the plans and preparations for the play, they will become more fully engaged.
All-in-One Activity Pages
A class set of completed activity pages makes an interesting read. For a quick way to compile
them, hole-punch the left side of the pages and put them in a slim binder. Place the book on your
classroom bookshelves for children to enjoy.
Flexible-Use
Graphic Organizers
The graphic organizers (pages
Nam
e:
9–11) can be used individually
One Special American
American Pride
Mystery
American
or with any unit in this book
to help children respond to
what they learn. After children
complete the activities on pages
USA
9 and 10, you might compile
them into a notebook, then
I wonder . . .
invite children to read and enjoy
the pages on their own. To use
the organizer on page 11, have
children fill out the page, glue
it to a 9- by 12-inch envelope, and place objects and pictures related to that famous person inside the
envelope. If desired, punch holes along the left side of the envelopes, taking care not to puncture any items
inside, and bind them in a notebook. Place the notebook in your class library to introduce a unique and
Birth Date:
interesting book format for children to enjoy.
To extend the use of any of these graphic organizers, invite children to select, research, and
complete the activity for another American with traits similar to a person featured in this book. For Home Place:
example, after filling in a graphic organizer for Abraham Lincoln, ask children to complete the same
activity for another president. Similarly, you might have them use the graphic organizers to show what they
have learned about famous Americans that can be connected to a particular national observance (such as
Women’s History Month), topic (such as explorers or inventors), or month of the year.
Name:
Date:
Graphic Organizer
Name:
Date:
Graphic Organizer
Born:
Name:
Date:
Graphic Organizer
(date)
Name:
Lived:
Ways to
describe this
American:
(where)
Birth
Born:
Best
known for:
Date:
Hom
e Pla
ce:
(city,
state)
Occupation:
(date)
Draw the person.
Draw the person.
One thing this person did:
One special thing this person
did for our country:
Another thing this person did:
Things that
made this
person special:
How this person
inspires me:
1. Choose a famous person
to learn about.
2. Read and talk about
this person.
3. Complete this page.
4. Glue this page to an
envelope.
5. Put pictures and things
inside that give clues
Person of the Month: Famous Americans © 2011 by Karen Shelton, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Person of the Month: Famous Americans © 2011 by Karen Shelton, Scholastic Teaching Resources
9
10
about who the person is.
Person of the Month: Famous Americans © 2011 by Karen Shelton, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Person of the Month: Famous Americans © 2011 by Karen Shelton, Scholastic Teaching Resources
11
7
Name:
Date:
Graphic Organizer
American Pride
Name:
Ways to
describe this
American:
Born:
(date)
Draw the person.
One thing this person did:
Another thing this person did:
I wonder . . .
Person of the Month: Famous Americans © 2011 by Karen Shelton, Scholastic Teaching Resources
9
Name:
Date:
Graphic Organizer
One Special American
Born:
(date)
Lived:
(where)
Occupation:
Draw the person.
USA
One special thing this person
did for our country:
10
Person of the Month: Famous Americans © 2011 by Karen Shelton, Scholastic Teaching Resources
How this person
inspires me:
Name:
Date:
Graphic Organizer
Mystery
American
D
Birth
Best
known fo
r:
ate:
Hom
ce:
e Pla
stat
(city,
e)
Things that
made this
person special:
1. Choose a famous person
to learn about.
2. Read and talk about
this person.
3. Complete this page.
4. Glue this page to an
envelope.
5. Put pictures and things
inside that give clues
about who the person is.
Person of the Month: Famous Americans © 2011 by Karen Shelton, Scholastic Teaching Resources
11