Walking in the Shoes of Others

Second grade spent the month of December walking in the shoes of people who made a difference in the lives of others. Reading biographies allows students to explore in depth the lives and character traits of people who overcame challenges to create, support, lead and innovate. The first grade hero study enabled students to have a foundation of learning about people who made a difference in the world.

Small groups read and discussed a variety of people. Benjamin Banneker, Elizabeth Blackwell, Wilma Rudolph, Helen Keller, Mary Anning, Bessie Coleman, Sacajawea, Prudence Crandall and Jackie Robinson are various people whose biographies were read by the students. They learned about the person’s childhood and chose several events to then write in their packet. Students discovered that often the way the person handled challenges in their childhood led them into overcoming challenges as an adult and becoming a leader in their field. The selection of character traits and then discussing and writing about examples of those traits in the person’s life was included in the packet as well as a section about interviewing the person. Students were asked to imagine that they had gone back in time and been given the opportunity to share aspects of the person’s life they admired and to ask questions about things they wondered about.

At home reading was connected to this biography study as well. Students chose a biography from school to bring home and read, talk and write about with their family. Our second graders are certainly walking in the shoes of another and experiencing empathy and inspiration