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Game Changes: Great Biographies
Course Objective
To understand how magnificent minds changed and shaped our world.
Curricular Components
Selected Biographies, Supplemental Readings, Instructor-Designed Lectures, Weekly Quizzes and Academic Essays
Class Routine
5min Review
5min Quiz
15min Lecture
45min Reading, Discussion & Vocabulary
20min Writing Instruction
Subject-Specific Knowledge
Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Geography
Skills Development
Critical Reading, Visual Analysis, Socratic Discussion and Formal Writing
About The Course
Individuals have a tremendous ability to shape the world, through their beliefs and actions. This course will examine the lives and influence of some of history’s most important thinkers, activists and scientists. In doing so, students will learn about the variety of life stories that make up a shared human experience. Through this study, students will become better readers, thinkers and writers.
About The Instructor
Chelsey Dietrich
Ms. Chelsey Dietrich is a certified teacher with nearly fifteen years of education-industry experience in the US and China. She has taught small groups and tutored individuals in subjects ranging from elementary school English, middle school humanities, IBDP core subjects and test preparation (MAP, SSAT, SAT). Mrs. Dietrich holds a BA in Journalism from the University of Minnesota and a MA.Ed. in Education from Columbia University. She is a USA certified teacher in the subject of English.
Lesson Components & Structure
This course is designed to provide students with a combination of subject-specific information associated with the social sciences along with the skills-development associated with language arts. The course will be divided into units of four lessons, with each lesson lasting 1.5hrs. Each unit will see students exploring one individual from history or the contemporary world. They will engage with an anchor text, and have their learning supplemented with additional non-fiction texts, short videos, literary works and selected images.
Each class will follow roughly the same structure from week to week. Lessons will begin with a short five minute review of the previous week’s material. Students will then complete a very brief (five minute) quiz to ensure the reading comprehension, conceptual understanding and vocabulary retention. This will be followed with a fifteen minute lecture providing background on the week’s reading component. Next, the class will spend approximately forty-five minutes reading the text aloud. While reading, the teacher will lead the class in the defining of vocabulary and discussion of concepts. The final twenty minutes of class will be devoted to writing, with students being presented with a homework prompt, discussing a possible outline and learning relevant writing skills.
Each week, students will submit a short written response that will form part of a longer book-specific essay. These essays will take various forms and expose the students to varied writing traditions. They will receive in-depth written feedback on the assignment and have the chance to produce a final draft. Students will then be able to collate their work, providing evidence of intellectual growth.
Course Outline
Each semester of this course will cover a total of four biographies, allowing students to learn about a diverse array of individuals. The first semester will have students reading about:
Unit 1: Jane Goodall (Science and Geography)
Unit 2: Nelson Mandela (Politics and World Peace)
Unit 3: Frida Khalo (Art and Feminism)
Unit 4: Albert Einstein (Innovation and Discovery)
Additionally, students will learn about biographies as a genre and give an end-of-semester presentation.
Course Materials
All of the materials for this course are carefully curated by the instructor. Students are encouraged to purchase a physical copy of the individual biographies, but can also retain digital copies. The biographies chosen for this course are from the “The Story Of: A Biography Series for New Readers” collection. Each week, students will also be sent PDF versions of the lesson lecture, supplemental materials, etc. Students will also receive edited versions of each week’s writing assignment. By the end of the course, students will have a “course reader” addressing all biographies covered and all essays written.
Deliverables
Students will be expected to produce approximately four long papers over the course of the semester. They will also complete shorter assignments, linked to weekly reading. Families should expect roughly one hour of homework following each lesson, to include independent reading, the completion of comprehension questions and essay writing. Students will also be expected to produce an end-of-semester presentation on an individual of their choosing.
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