Biographies Inspire Second Grade

Second grade students are invested and inspired as they read biographies. This study connects with the hero study they did last year in first grade. Now they are going deeper and reading about the lives of people who made important contributions in a variety of fields.  A biography of Prudence Crandall was the first biography read aloud to all of the students. She was a Quaker who fought for equal education for all. At the time when she opened her first school in 1832 in Connecticut, white and black students went to school together in the younger grades but were in separate schools as older students.  When Prudence was unable to convince the families of the white students to accept an older female black student into their school, she closed that school and opened a school to teach older black female students. Although the community remained hostile to this school and ultimately Prudence made the decision to close the school for the safety of the students, her efforts inspired others to carry on her work to make education fair for all and to effect change. 

The next biography read aloud to the second grade was about Alice Paul who fought for women to get the right to vote. This communal experience of learning about the lives of courageous people who have inspired change has led to deep conversations among the second grade students

.

Students have chosen a biography to read in small groups; the current choices are about the lives of Helen Keller, Benjamin Bannekker, Bessie Coleman, Mary Anning and Jackie Robinson. As we read about their lives, we are discussing and writing about interesting aspects of their childhood, the personality traits that helped them achieve their goals, and the important contribution each made. Students also imagine the conversation they might have if they had the opportunity to meet the biography subject.  In addition to the book group choices, each student will also have the opportunity to read self-selected biographies and to choose a biography to read, talk about and write about at home.