Touching the World
Inspiration Book:
She touched the world : Laura Bridgman, deaf-blind pioneer by Alexander, Sally Hobart - Clarion Books, p2008, c2008--362.4--Int Lvl: 5-8--Rd Lvl: 8.3. Introduction -- A delicate plant -- In touch -- Friend and frustrations -- "A very unusually tall man" -- Taken away -- What can Laura do? -- Words! words! words! -- Schoolgirl -- Windows open -- Weapon or masterpiece -- "Is God ever surprised?" -- Famous -- Farewells -- Afterword: if Laura were alive today -- Source notes -- Bibliography. Chronicles the life of Laura Bridgman, who, at the age of five, became both deaf and blind, and recounts how she learned to communicate with the world around her and became one of the most famous people in the world.
Rationale: Students, even young children, recognize Helen Keller whenever her name is mentioned to children. Many are very intrigued and want to know more, but few have ever heard of Laura Bridgman. Yet it was Laura, and the work Dr. Howe and his staff at Perkins School for the Blind, who “perfected” methods for teaching young blind, and deaf and blind children to learn to communicate. I’ve done a complete revision of the Laura Bridgman post and the Helen Keller post. This blog post’s Inspiration Book, She touched the World, is for older students and the lesson is a biography study and quick research about another blind or deaf person. The Inspiration Book, Helen’s Big World, is part of another blog post and features Grade K-3 story hours about the senses of sight and hearing and lessons, and about sign language for Grades 3-6. Those lessons may be found in the blog post for Helen’s Big World.
Grades 5-8: Challenges, Challenges
Background: Part of the revision for this post is a result of websites going dark and print resources no longer being available. In this case, the webquest originally planned is no longer available nor has an equally effective one been developed. Guess, I should add that to my list of things to do. If there is sufficient demand and the need for more indepth study of deafness and blindness in Grades 5-8 arises, I will develop one. As a result there is only one option and that is a brief research project about deaf and blind people who were achievers in spite of disabilities.
Preparation: Split the Inspiration Book into five sections to read during the days of the lessons and to give the class time to do the research. Make a hot list of electronic research resources your school has available or the ones you want to limit students to for research.
Divide the class into groups of two. Assign one person below. 5 x 8 note cards.
Helen Keller, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Claude Monet, Andrea Bocelli, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Thomas Gore, Harriet Tubman, Louis Braille, Marla Runyan, Thomas Edison, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Linda Bove, Johnnie Ray, William Ellsworth, Howard MacGrath, Gertrude Ederle, Laura Bridgman, Juliette Gordon Low, Marlee Matlin, Robert Smithdas, Richard Kinney, Julia Brace, Alicia Alonso
Introduction: You all have heard about Helen Keller. What challenges did she have to overcome? (Elicit responses.) There was a young woman who lived before Ms. Keller who was also instrumental in education for the blind and deaf, but we don’t know too much about her. The Inspiration Book which we will read during the week, will give us an idea of who she was and how she helped pave the way for Ms. Keller’s remarkable successes.
Begin reading:
She touched the world : Laura Bridgman, deaf-blind pioneer by Alexander, Sally Hobart - Clarion Books, p2008, c2008--362.4--Int Lvl: 5-8--Rd Lvl: 8.3.Chronicles the life of Laura Bridgman, who, at the age of five, became both deaf and blind, and recounts how she learned to communicate with the world around her and became one of the most famous people in the world.
How would your family handle the challenge of having a handicapped relative--brother, sister, mom, dad, grandparents? We’re going to study what it means to be blind and/or deaf like Laura Bridgman in the Inspiration Book. We’re also going to think about the pros and cons of being blind or deaf.
Research--Blind or Deaf or Handicapped People Who Changed the World
Directions: The people we’re going to quick research conquered a disability. On the note card you received, list the person’s challenges and achievements. Include a quotation from that person or about blindness or deafness. List describing words that you find also. Use the online encyclopedias and quotation sources available to use at school.
Use www.wordle.net to create a word cloud. Be sure to include the person’s name for the word cloud. You can edit the cloud to enlarge the person’s name. Select colors you think are appropriate for the person. Have your work checked before printing.
Repeat daily until the book has been completely read and Wordle project completed. Five forty-five+ minutes per day should be sufficient.
Other Titles for Research:
El Deafo by Bell, Cece — Amulet Books, 2014. Dewey: 305.9082; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 3.3.A graphic novel memoir of author/illustrator Cece Bell who grew up hearing impaired. FREE Teaching Resources available for download from Follett.
Alicia Alonso : prima ballerina by Bernier-Grand, Carmen T — Marshall Cavendish Children, 2011. Dewey: 792.802; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 3.9. An illustrated overview of the life of Cuban prima ballerina Alicia Alonso, who was afflicted with an eye defect which caused her to be partially blind; presented in verse.
Helen's big world : the life of Helen Keller (Doreen Rappaport's Big Words Series) by Rappaport, Doreen — Disney/Hyperion Books, 2012. Dewey: 362.4; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.9. An illustrated biography of Helen Keller, introducing young readers to her life and legacy, and including quotations by Keller.
Silent star : the story of deaf major leaguer William Hoy by Wise, Bill — Lee & Low Books, 2012. Dewey: 796.357; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.4. A biography of William "Dummy" Hoy, who pursued his love of baseball and became the first deaf player to have a long career in the Major Leagues, where he accumulated records and top-ranking statistics. Includes an afterword, author's sources, and historical photograph. FREE Teaching Resources available for download from Follett.
Buffalo Bird Girl : a Hidatsa story by Nelson, S. D — Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2012. Dewey: 978.4004; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.9. A picture book biography that examines the life of Buffalo Bird Woman a Hidatsa Native American who lived during the 1800s.
Helen Keller : her life in pictures by Sullivan, George, 1927- - Scholastic Nonfiction, p2007, c2007--362.4--Int Lvl: 3-6--Rd Lvl: 6.0. Presents an illustrated photographic biography of Helen Keller, who became both deaf and blind as an infant, and chronicles her life, struggles, and triumphs.
Explaining deafness by Levete, Sarah - Smart Apple Media, p2010, c2010--617.8--Int Lvl: 5-8--Rd Lvl: 6.3. What is deafness? -- Ears and sounds -- Types of deafness -- Causes of deafness -- Signs of deafness -- Diagnosis -- Treating deafness -- Lip-reading -- Sign language -- Deafness and education -- Schools for the deaf -- Deafness and adulthood -- Technology -- Deafness and the family -- Fighting discrimination -- The future for deafness. An introduction to deafness that discusses what it is, causes, signs, diagnosis, treatment, ways of communicating, what it is like to be hearing impaired, and other related topics.
Lost sight : true survival stories (Powerful Medicine) by Markle, Sandra — Lerner Publications, 2011. Dewey: 617.7; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 6.3. Informative text, photographs, and real-life stories describe eye injuries and diseases that cause blindness and how they are treated and offer tips on eye safety.
Helen's eyes : a photobiography of Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller's teacher by Delano, Marfe Ferguson - National Geographic, p2008, c2008--371.91--Int Lvl: 5-8--Rd Lvl: 6.5. Photographs, illustrations, and text chronicle the life of Helen Keller's tutor, Annie Sullivan.
Out of darkness : the story of Louis Braille by Freedman, Russell - Clarion Books, p1997, c1997--686.2--Int Lvl: 3-6--Rd Lvl: 6.5. A biography of Louis Braille, a nineteenth-century Frenchman who, having been blinded at the age of three, went on to develop a system of raised dots on paper that enabled blind people to read and write.
Helen Keller by Garrett, Leslie, 1964- - DK, p2013--362.4--Int Lvl: 5-8--Rd Lvl: 7.3. Combines photographs, illustrations, and text in an exploration of the life of Helen Keller, a woman who lost her vision and hearing at the age of two, but went on, with the help of her teacher Annie Sullivan, to become a world-famous speaker and writer.
The other victims : first-person stories of non-Jews persecuted by the Nazis by Friedman, Ina R — Houghton Mifflin Co., 1990. Dewey: 940.53; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 8.1. Personal narratives of Christians, Gypsies, deaf people, homosexuals, and blacks who suffered at the hands of the Nazis before and during World War II.
Fiction Titles for Display and/or Check-out:
Silent days, silent dreams by Say, Allen — Arthur A. Levine Books, An Imprint of Scholastic Inc., 2017. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 3.4. A fictional biography of James Castle, a deaf, autistic artist whose drawings hang in major museums throughout the world.
White crane (Samurai Kids, Book 1) by Fussell, Sandy — Candlewick Press, 2010. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 3.8. Even though he has only one leg, Niya Moto is studying to be a samurai, and his five fellow-students are similarly burdened, but sensei Ki-Yaga, an ancient but legendary warrior, teaches them not only physical skills but mental and spiritual ones as well, so that they are well-equipped to face their most formidable opponents at the annual Samurai Games. FREE Teaching Resources available for download from Follett.
A handful of stars by Lord, Cynthia — Scholastic Press, 2015. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.4. When her blind dog slips his collar, twelve-year old Lily meets Salma Santiago, a young Hispanic girl whose migrant family are in Maine for the blueberry-picking season, and, based partly on their mutual love of dogs, the two forge a friendship while painting bee boxes for Lily's grandfather--but as the Blueberry Queen pageant approaches Lily and Selma are confronted with some of the hard truths of prejudice and migrant life.
The sound of all things by Uhlberg, Myron — Peachtree Publishers, 2016. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.4. A hearing boy and his deaf parents from Brooklyn enjoy the rides, food, and sights of 1930's Coney Island where the father longs to know about how everything sounds and his son tries to interpret the noisy surroundings through sign language and a wealth of new words learned from a trip to the library.
A blind guide to Stinkville by Vrabel, Beth — Sky Pony Press, 2015. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.5. Leaving her best friend and the familiarity of Seattle for the paper mill town of "Stinkville," South Carolina, twelve-year-old Alice, who lives with albinism and blindness, takes on the additional challenge of entering the Stinkville Success Stories essay contest.
A dog called Homeless by Lean, Sarah — Katherine Tegen Books, 2012. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.7. Fifth-grader Cally Louise Fisher stops talking, partly because her father and brother never speak of her mother who died a year earlier, but visions of her mother, friendships with a homeless man and a disabled boy, and a huge dog ensure that she still communicates.
As brave as you by Reynolds, Jason — A Caitlyn Dlouhy Book/Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2016. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 4.8. When two brothers decide to prove how brave they are, everything backfires -- literally.
Macy McMillan and the rainbow goddess by Green, Shari — Pajama Press, 2017. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.9. Dealing with her mother remarrying to a man with twin daughters and her family moving, deaf sixth-grader Macy is told that she must help her elderly neighbor Iris Gillan, who is also getting ready to move to a nursing home.
Wonderstruck : a novel in words and pictures by Selznick, Brian — Scholastic, 2011. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 5.0. Relates the stories of twelve-year-old Ben, who loses his mother and his hearing in a short time frame and decides to leave his Minnesota home in 1977 to seek the father he has never known in New York City; and Rose, who lives with her father but feels compelled to search for what is missing in her life. Ben's story is told in words; Rose's in pictures. FREE Teaching Resources available for download from Follett.
Hello universe by Kelly, Erin Entrada — Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2017. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.1. The lives of four misfits are intertwined when a bully's prank lands shy Virgil at the bottom of a well and Valencia, Kaori, and Gen band together in an epic quest to find and rescue him.
Kyle finds her way by Salom, Susie — Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., 2016. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 5.6. On her first day in sixth grade Kyle Constantini punches a bully who is bothering Marcy, a deaf classmate--and so begins her tumultuous year at Georgia O'Keeffe Middle School, in a different school than her twin brother, with new friends, new enemies, and the regional NAVS competition to come.
Rocky road by Kent, Rose — Yearling, c2010 p2012. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.7. Fashion-loving twelve-year-old Tess moves with her deaf younger brother and impulsive single mother to Schenectady, New York, where they open an ice-cream shop and lead a campaign for urban renewal.
Miss Spitfire : reaching Helen Keller by Miller, Sarah Elizabeth, 1979- - Atheneum Books for Young Readers, p2010, c2007--Fic--Int Lvl: 5-8--Rd Lvl: 5.8. At age twenty-one, partially-blind, lonely but spirited Annie Sullivan travels from Massachusetts to Alabama to try and teach six-year-old Helen Keller, deaf and blind since age two, self-discipline and communication skills. Includes historical notes and timeline.
Million-dollar throw by Lupica, Mike — Puffin Books, c2009 p2010. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 6.8. Eighth-grade star quarterback Nate Brodie's family is feeling the stress of the troubled economy, and Nate is frantic because his best friend Abby is going blind, so when he gets a chance to win a million dollars if he can complete a pass during the halftime of a New England Patriot's game, he is nearly overwhelmed by the pressure to succeed.
Teacher Resources:
Laura Bridgman and Julia Brace: predecessors of Helen Keller http://deafness.about.com/cs/deafblind/a/laurajulia.htm
The Perkins School for the Blind
National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness
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