cleopatra - cloud object storage | store & retrieve data ... · day 3 read “cleopatra”* ......

Reading Objectives• Comprehension: Evaluate fact and opinion;

Analyze historical perspective• Tier Two Vocabulary: See book’s Glossary• Word study: Word origins• Analyze the genre• Respond to and interpret texts• Make text-to-text connections• Fluency: Read with inflection/tone: stress

Writing Objectives• Writer’s tools: Strong lead• Write a biography using writing-process

steps

Related Resources• Comprehension Question Card• Comprehension Power Tool Flip Chart• Using Genre Models to Teach Writing• Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela

(Level X/60)

While you are meeting with small groups, other students can:• read independently from your classroom library• reflect on their learning in reading response

journals• engage in literacy workstations

Teacher’s Guide: BioGraphy

Unit-at-a-Glance

Day 1 Prepare to Read

Day 2 Read “Julius Caesar”*

Day 3 Read “Cleopatra”*

Day 4 Reread “Cleopatra”*

Day 5 Literature Circle Discussion/Reinforce Skills*

Days 6–15 Write a biography using the process writing steps on page 10.

Level W/60

Julius Caesar

Cleopatra

® B e n c h m a r k e d u c a t i o n c o m p a n y

™

come back to this anchor chart. We will look for these features in each biography we read.

• Ask students to turn to pages 5–7. Say: Caesar and Cleopatra were leaders of ancient empires. Let’s read about these empires.

• Have a student read aloud the background information while others follow along.

• Say: The ancient governments of the Roman Republic and Egyptian Empire were often ruled by more than one person. What can you infer, or tell, from this? Allow responses. Prompt students to understand that the ancient leaders had more success expanding their empires and defeating their enemies when they formed alliances.

Introduce the Tools for Readers and Writers: Strong Lead• Read aloud “Strong Lead” on page 4. • Say: Nonfiction writers begin their writing with a

strong lead to get readers interested in the topic and encourage them to read on. The biographies in this book have strong leads. Let’s practice recognizing their characteristics so we can identify strong leads in the biographies we read.

• Distribute BLM 1 (Strong Lead). Read aloud the lead with students.

• Model Identifying Strong Lead: This lead begins with a quote. The quote introduces us to the subject of the biography, Eleanor Roosevelt. Then, the author lists some of Eleanor’s accomplishments and explains her importance as a historical figure. This technique arouses readers’ interest and makes them want to learn more.

• Ask students to work with a partner or in small groups to answer the questions about the strong lead and write their own strong lead.

• Bring the groups together to share their findings. Point out that a lead often uses both indirect and direct techniques.

• Ask the groups to read one of the leads they wrote. Use the examples to build students’ understanding of how writers create a strong lead. Remind them that a strong lead can help readers focus on the subject, understand his or her importance, and predict what information the biography will contain.

• Ask groups to hand in their leads. Transfer student-written leads to chart paper, title the page “Strong Lead,” and post it as an anchor chart.

BIOGRAPHIES OF TWO LEADERS FROM ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS

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Prepare to Read

Build Genre Background• Write the word genre on chart paper. Ask: Who

can explain what the word genre means? (Allow responses.) The word genre means “a kind of something.” Square dancing and ballroom dancing are different kinds of dance. Each has its own characteristics that we can use to identify it. In the same way, we can identify each kind, or genre, of literature by its characteristics. When we read, we pay attention to the genre because recognizing the genre helps us know what to expect. When we write, we use our knowledge of the genre to help us develop and organize our ideas.

• Say: Let’s list some literary genres. As students respond, capture their ideas in a list.

• Draw a concept web on chart paper or the chalkboard. Write Biography in the center circle of the web.

• Say: Biography is one example of a literary genre. Think of any biographies you know. How would you define what a biography is?

• Turn and Talk. Ask students to turn and talk to a classmate and jot down features of biographies. Then bring students together and ask them to share their ideas. Record them on the group web. Reinforce the concept that all biographies have certain common features.

Introduce the Book• Distribute a book to each student. Read the title

aloud. Ask students to tell what they see on the cover and table of contents.

• Ask students to turn to pages 2–3. Say: This week we are going to read biographies that will help us learn about this genre. First we’re going to focus on this genre as readers. Then we’re going to study biographies from a writer’s perspective. Our goal this week is to really understand this genre.

• Ask a student to read aloud the text on pages 2–3 while others follow along. Invite a different student to read the web on page 3.

• Point to your biography web on chart paper. Say: Let’s compare our initial ideas about biographies with what we just read. What new features of this genre did you learn? Allow responses. Add new information to the class web.

• Post the chart in your classroom during your biographies unit. Say: As we read biographies this week, we will

Day 1

©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC. All rights reserved. Teachers may photocopy the reproducible pages for classroom use. No other part of the guide may be reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.ISBN: 978-1-4509-3023-9

Before Reading

Introduce “Julius Caesar”• Reread the biography anchor chart or the web

on page 3 to review the features of a biography.• Ask students to turn to page 8. Ask: Based on the

subheadings and illustrations, what do you think you will learn about Julius Caesar? Allow responses.

• Invite students to scan the text and look for the boldfaced words (philosophy, rhetoric, plebeians, gladiator, triumvirate, provinces). Say: As you read, pay attention to these words. If you don’t know what they mean, try to use clues in the surrounding text to help you define them. We’ll come back to these words after we read.

Set a Purpose for Reading• Ask students to read the biography, focusing on

the genre elements they noted on their anchor chart. They should also look for characteristics of a strong lead and think about how the author’s lead makes them want to read on to learn more about the subject.

Read “Julius Caesar”• Place students in groups based on their reading

levels. Ask students to read the biography silently, whisper-read, or read with a partner.

• Confer briefly with individual students to monitor their understanding of the text and their use of fix-up strategies.

Management TipAsk students to place self-stick notes in the margins where they notice characteristics of a strong lead or features of the genre.

After Reading

Build Comprehension: Evaluate Fact and Opinion• Lead a student discussion using the “Analyze

the Subject” and “Focus on Comprehension” questions on page 16. Then, use the following steps to provide explicit modeling of how to evaluate fact and opinion in a biography.

• Explain: We learned yesterday that a biography is a factual retelling of another person’s life. Authors can prove facts through research. However, biographies may also include opinions, which cannot be proven. For example, the author says Julius Caesar was born in 100 B.C.E. The author can prove this fact using a reference book. The author also says Caesar was not humble. The

3BIOGRAPHIES OF TWO LEADERS FROM ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS

©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Reflect and Review • Turn and Talk. Write one or more of the following

questions on chart paper. What is a literary genre, and how can

understanding genres help readers and writers? What did you learn today about the

biography genre? How can readers recognize a strong lead? Ask partners or small groups to discuss their

ideas and report them back to the whole group as a way to summarize the day’s learning.

Day 2

Management Tips• Throughout the week, you may wish to use

some of the reflect and review questions as prompts for reader response journal entries in addition to turn and talk activities.

• Have students create genre study folders. Keep blackline masters, notes, small-group writing, and checklists in the folders.

• Create anchor charts by writing whole-group discussion notes and mini-lessons on chart paper. Hang charts in the room where students can see them.

Days 6–15

©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLCBIOGRAPHIES OF TWO LEADERS FROM ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS

BLM 1

Name _________________________________________________ Date _________________

A Strong LeadDirections: Read this lead for a biography. Then answer the questions.

“I am my husband’s legs,” Eleanor Roosevelt declared while visiting a coal mine disaster. Eleanor’s husband was Franklin Roosevelt, President of the United States from 1933 to 1945. Due to polio, Franklin could not walk on his own. Eleanor accomplished many things in her own right. She was a delegate to the UN General Assembly, worked tirelessly on behalf of women’s rights, spoke out for civil rights, and wrote a popular newspaper column.

1. Is this lead direct, indirect, or both? Explain.

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

2. Does this lead make you want to read on? Explain.

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

3. What would you expect to learn if you read the biography?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Directions: Think of a person you know something about who interests you. Write a strong lead for a biography.

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

It is both. It begins with a quote. (indirect) Then it

Possible answer: The lead makes me want to read on

Possible answer: I would expect to learn more about

Leads will vary. Example: How would it feel to be

names the subject of the biography. (direct)

because it makes me curious about Eleanor Roosevelt.

Eleanor Roosevelt’s life and why women’s rights andcivil rights were important to her.

the author of one of the most popular series of novels ever written? Just ask J.K. Rowling. She has achieved more success than she had ever imagined.

author can support this opinion with evidence, but she cannot prove it. Distinguishing facts from opinions helps readers judge the accuracy and value of the text.

• Distribute copies of BLM 2 (Evaluate Fact and Opinion) and/or draw a chart like the one below.

• Model: In “Julius Caesar,” the author says Caesar married a woman named Cornelia at the age of 17. I know this is a fact because I can check reference books and prove it true. At the end of the text, the author says Caesar had become one of the greatest statesmen who would ever live. I know this is an opinion because it contains the clue word greatest. The author has supported this opinion with details about Caesar’s accomplishments, but she cannot prove it. Evaluating facts and opinions helps me analyze the information in a biography.

• Guide Practice. Work with students to evaluate facts and opinions in the biography. Then, ask them to describe the role of opinions and the balance of facts and opinions in an effective biography.

• Have students keep BLM 2 in their genre studies folder.


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tell me what to look for in the book. What words in this question do you think will help me? (Allow responses.) Yes, I’m looking for the words Caesar, wrote, and book. On page 12, I read, “. . . Caesar wrote a book he called The Wars in Gaul . . .” This sentence answers the question.

• Model. Use the Flip Chart to help you develop other Find It! questions.

Focus on Vocabulary: Word Origins• Explain/Model. Read aloud “Word Origins” on

page 4. Say: A word’s origin is its history. When you know a word’s background, you can make connections to learn its meaning. For example, the author says that Julius Caesar came from an impoverished family. Impoverished comes from the French word for poor. Julius Caesar’s family was poor.

• Practice. Ask students to use a dictionary to identify the origins of other words in the biography, such as manual (from the Latin word for hand) and population (from the Latin word for people).

• Say: Let’s find the boldfaced words in this biography. What can you do if you don’t know what these words mean? (Allow responses.) Along with looking for clues in the text, you can look in a dictionary to learn the origin of the word. The history helps you understand the current definition of the word.

• Ask students to work with a partner to complete the “Focus on Words” activity on page 17 using BLM 3 (Focus on Word Origins). Explain that they should look in a dictionary to find the origin, history, and definition of each boldfaced word. They should think about the connection between the current definition of the word and its history.

• Transfer Through Oral Language. Ask groups of students to share their findings. Then challenge individual students to use the words in new sentences that give context clues to their meaning. Ask other students to listen carefully and explain the connection between the word’s original meaning and the context in which it is used. Encourage students to use at least one of the words later today in their conversation or writing.

• Ask students to save their work in their genre studies folders to continue on Days 3 and 4.

Reflect and Review • Turn and Talk. Ask partners or small groups to

reread the “Features of a Biography” web on page 3 and decide whether all of these features are present in “Julius Caesar.” Ask groups to share and support their findings.

Fluency: Read with Inflection/Tone: Stress• You may wish to have students reread the

biography with a partner during independent reading time, focusing on stressing, or emphasizing, important words. Model by reading aloud the second sentence

Day 2 (cont.)

Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for ELA Assessment• Remind students that when they answer questions

on standardized assessments, they must be able to support their answers with facts or clues and evidence directly from the text.

• Use the Comprehension Question Card with small groups of students to practice answering text-dependent comprehension questions.

• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer Find It! questions. The answer to a Find It! question is right in the book. You can find the answer in one place in the text.

• Model. Read the first Find It! question. Say: When I read the question, I look for important words that

Facts Evidence Opinions Evidence

As a young man, Caesar served as a military aide . . .

fact that can be proven

Caesar was certainly not humble.

humble

Caesar pardoned Pompey’s chief generals . . .


Caesar was ambitious as ever.

ambitious as ever

Caesar remained with Cleopatra in Egypt . . .


Caesar’s death was a major tragedy . . .

major tragedy

Caesar died of 23 stab wounds.


Caesar had become one of the greatest statesmen who would ever live.

greatest . . . who would ever live



on page 9, emphasizing the words intelligent, brilliant, and skillful. Explain that you stressed these words to emphasize Caesar’s traits so they would stand out in listeners’ minds. Then, ask students to read the last three paragraphs on page 15. Remind them to think about meaning to help them figure out which words to emphasize as they read.

Note Regarding This Teacher’s GuideEach book provides an opportunity for students to focus on an additional comprehension strategy that is typically assessed on state standards. The strategy is introduced on page 4 (the third item in the “Tools for Readers and Writers” section) with text-specific follow-up questions found on the Reread pages. Some Reread sections also introduce an advanced language arts concept or comprehension strategy, such as protagonist/antagonist, perspective, or subtitles, because students at this level should be able to consider more than one comprehension strategy per text.

Before Reading

Introduce “Cleopatra” • Ask students to turn to page 18. Say: Today we

are going to read “Cleopatra.” This biography is written in a different format from the other biography we read. Notice how in the margins there are notes to you, the reader. The first time we read the text, we will read to understand the biography, focusing on details about the subject. Tomorrow, we will read this biography like a writer and think about the notes in the margin as a model for how we can write biographies.

• Say: Let’s look at the subheadings and illustrations of this biography. What do you predict you will learn about Cleopatra? Give students time to share their predictions.

• Ask students to scan the text and look for the boldfaced words (administrator, agriculture, spectacle, mortally). Ask: What do you notice about these words? Why do you think they appear in boldfaced type? Allow responses. Then, explain that all of these words have Latin roots.

• Say: As you read, try to figure out the meanings of these words. Think about other words you know that share a root or word part with the boldfaced word. After we read, we will talk about how you used word origins and context clues provided by the author.

Set a Purpose for Reading• Ask students to read the biography, focusing

on details about the subject’s personality and significant events in her life. Encourage them to notice the author’s use of a strong lead.

Read “Cleopatra”• Place students in groups based on their reading


• Confer briefly with individual students to monitor their understanding of the text and their use of fix-up strategies.

After Reading

Build Comprehension: Evaluate Fact and Opinion• Say: Yesterday we evaluated facts and opinions

in “Julius Caesar.” What facts and opinions did you read in today’s biography? How do you know which are facts and which are opinions? Allow responses. As students share their analyses, synthesize their responses into a whole-group chart like the one here.

• Discuss Evaluating Fact and Opinion Across Texts. Lead a discussion using these questions.

Day 3

Page Word Word Origins Word History Definition

9 philosophy Greek philo, “loving” + sophos, “wise”

philosophia (“love of wisdom”): 1300

study of ideas and values based on logic

9 rhetoric Greek rhetorike, “the art of oratory”

about 1300; term rhetorical question in 1840

the art of speaking or writing effectively

11 plebeians Latin plebeius, “of the common people”

around 1530; later used to mean “unrefined,”

lowerclass Roman citizens

11 gladiator Celt gladius, “sword”

1540s; today refers to athletes who engage in serious competitions

trained swordsman in ancient Rome who fought against other gladiators or wild animals

11 triumvirate Latin triumviri, “commission of three men”

1580s; includes common prefix tri- (“three”)

a ruling body of three

11 provinces Latin provincia, “care”

early 14th century; pro- (“before”) + vincere (“to conquer”)

countries or regions often ruled by another power


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Focus on Vocabulary: Word Origins• Ask students to work with a partner to complete the

“Focus on Words” activity on page 29 using BLM 3, which they started on Day 2. Have groups of students share their findings.

• Transfer Through Oral Language. Invite pairs of students to take turns reading the sentence in which each target word is used and making up a new sentence with the word. Invite pairs to share some of their sentences to the class. Other students should listen carefully, identify the target word in the sentence, and offer its definition.

What opinions does the author give? Do the opinions help you better understand the facts? Why or why not?

Do the biographies include more facts or more opinions? Why do you think the author does this? What kinds of leads does the author use? How do the leads get you interested in reading on?

Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for ELA Assessment• Use the Comprehension Question Card with small

groups of students to practice answering text-dependent questions.

• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer Look Closer! questions. The answer to a Look Closer! question is in the book. You have to look in more than one place, though. You find the different parts of the answer. Then you put the parts together to answer the question.

• Model. Read the second Look Closer! question. Say: I will show you how I answer a Look Closer! question. This question asks me to identify a stated main idea. I know because it says, “What sentence tells the main idea . . .” Now I need to look for other important information to find in the book. What information do you think will help me? (Allow responses.) Yes, I need to reread the second paragraph on page 26. The first sentence says, “In 30 B.C.E., an immense battle took place at Actium, in western Greece.” The rest of the paragraph tells details about the battle, so the first sentence states the main idea. I have found the answer in the book. I looked in several sentences to find the answer.

• Guide Practice: Use the Flip Chart to help you develop other Look Closer! questions.

Day 3 (cont.)

Reflect and Review • Turn and Talk. Ask partners or small groups to discuss

the following questions and report their ideas to the whole group. Do you agree with the author that Cleopatra had an “incredible life” and an “unparalleled mystique”? Give examples to support your opinion. Think of a person in public life who interests you. What traits make the person fascinating?

Fluency: Read with Inflection/Tone: Stress• You may wish to have students reread the biography

with a partner during independent reading time, focusing on stressing, or emphasizing, important words. Remind them that they need to think about the author’s “hidden” meaning to help them figure out what to emphasize as they read. Model by reading aloud the second paragraph on page 22, stressing words and phrases such as now, father, expansion of agriculture, sound administrative decisions, and wealthy to highlight Cleopatra’s accomplishments. Then ask students to choose their own paragraph to analyze and read aloud.


Cleopatra was born in Alexandria, Egypt in 69 B.C.E.


Cleopatra was striking in appearance if not beautiful.

striking, beautiful

Cleopatra fled back to Egypt after Caesar was murdered.


In a characteristically bold move, Cleopatra had herself rolled into a carpet and taken to Caesar’s room.

character -istically bold

Antony established Cleopatra and her son as joint rulers of Egypt and Cyprus.


Cleopatra was a practical person.

practical

Cleopatra poisoned herself with a snakebite.


Cleopatra had an incredible life and a tragic death.

incredible, tragic


19 administra-tor

Latin ministrare, “to serve”

1510s; first used to refer to estates

a person in charge of government or business affairs

22 agriculture Latin ager, “field” + cultura, “cultivation”

1600; combined with business to form agribusiness

organized system of farming

24 spectacle Latin spectare, “to watch”

mid-14th century; spectacles referred to early eyeglasses

unusual, eye-catching, or entertaining event

26 mortally Latin mortalis, “death”

mid-14th century; mortal a human or other living thing (1520s)

fatally; to death

©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC BIOGRAPHIES OF TWO LEADERS FROM ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS

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Before Reading

Set a Purpose for Rereading• Have students turn to page 18. Say: Until now, we

have been thinking about biographies from the perspective of the reader. Learning the features of biographies has helped us be critical readers. Now we are going to put on a different hat. We are going to reread “Cleopatra” and think like writers. We’re going to pay attention to the annotations in the margins. These annotations will help us understand what the author did and why she did it.

Reread “Cleopatra”• Place students in groups based on their reading


• Confer briefly with individual students to monitor their understanding of the text and annotations and their use of fix-up strategies.

After Reading

Analyze the Mentor Text• Explain to students that the text they have just read

is a mentor text. A mentor text is a text that teaches. This text is designed to help them understand what writers do to write a biography and why they do it.

• Read and discuss each mentor annotation with students. Encourage them to comment on the writer’s style, choice of facts about the subject’s actions and character, and use of literary techniques such as a strong lead.

Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for ELA Assessment • Use the Comprehension Question Card with small


• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer Prove It! questions. The answer to a Prove It! question is not stated in the book. You have to look for clues and evidence to prove the answer.

• Model. Read the first Prove It! question. Say: I will show you how I answer a Prove It! question. This question asks me to make an inference. I know because it says, “What clues tell you . . .” Now I need to look for other important information in the question. What information do you think will help me? (Allow responses.) Yes, I need to read about Cleopatra as a ruler on page 24. I read that Cleopatra spent the next several years concentrating on ruling her kingdom and increasing the Egyptian treasury. In so doing, she became one of the richest and most powerful women in the world. I have located the clues I need.

• Guide Practice: Use the Flip Chart to help you develop other Prove It! questions.

Analyze the Writer’s Craft• Ask students to turn to page 30. Explain: In the

next few days, you will have the opportunity to write your own biography. First, let’s think about how the author wrote “Cleopatra.” When she developed this biography, she followed certain steps. You can follow these same steps to write your own biography.

• Read step 1. Say: The first thing you’ll do is decide on a person to write about. Let’s turn back to pages 9 and 19 and reread the leads of the biographies to see why the author chose to write about these people. I might write a biography about an inventor, explorer, or musician. What other people would be good subjects for a biography? Why? Allow responses. Write down students’ ideas on chart paper.

• Read step 2. Say: In the biographies we read, the author includes information about people who were important in each subject’s experiences. For example, Julius Caesar and Antony both played a big part in Cleopatra’s public and private life. What people are important to the subject of our biography? Let’s make a list of people and their impact on the subject’s life. Allow responses. Write down students’ ideas on chart paper.

• Read step 3. Say: Before you’re ready to write, you need to list the important events in the subject’s life and the times and places they happened. “Cleopatra” takes place in Egypt and the Roman Republic. The biography tells about the most important events in Cleopatra’s political and personal life. When you write your biography, think about your subject’s experiences and accomplishments. In what settings did these occur? Choose one of the subjects and some of the important people the class has brainstormed. Work as a group to outline important events and accomplishments and when and where they occurred.

Build Comprehension: Analyze Historical Perspective• Explain: Authors who write about the past

describe how people lived in that period of history. Some details may seem strange or even illegal or immoral to readers today. For example, an author writing about the American West in the 1870s might describe everyday citizens engaging in a gunfight in the middle of town. Today, we have laws about weapons. In “Cleopatra,” the author describes how Cleopatra uses her personal relationships to form political

Day 4

Analyze & Synthesize

Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for ELA Assessment • Use the Comprehension Question Card with small


• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer Take It Apart! questions. To figure out the answer to a Take It Apart! question, think like the author.

• Model. Read the second Take It Apart! question. Say: This question asks me to think about the text structure. I know because I must find a description. Now I need to look for other important information in the question. What information do you think will help me? (Allow responses.) Yes, I need to read about Cleopatra’s entrance into Tarsus on page 23. I read, “She sailed up the river in a barge with a golden stern and heavily perfumed purple sails.” I have found the description in the text.

• Guide Practice. Use the Flip Chart to help you develop other Take It Apart! questions.

Summarize & Make Connections Across Texts• Engage students in a discussion about the

biographies in this book. Invite a different student to summarize each biography. Encourage other students to add their ideas and details.

• Ask students to turn to the inside back cover of the book. Say: Good readers think about how literary works are related. We know, for example, that both of these biographies share certain features. They both describe the life of a person. They both describe people who affected that person. What else do they have in common? (Allow responses.) Today we will think about how the subjects in these two biographies are alike and different and the impact each made on history.

• Ask students to work individually or in small groups to complete BLM 4 (Make Connections Across Texts).

• Class Discussion or Literature Circles. Facilitate a whole-class discussion or keep students in their small groups for a literature circle discussion. If you choose to conduct literature circles, share the rules for good discussion. Each group should discuss and be prepared to share its ideas about the following prompts. Which details taught you the most about each subject? Why? What kinds of information are included in both biographies? In your opinion, what was the greatest accomplishment of Julius Caesar? Of Cleopatra? What question would you have liked to ask Julius Caesar? Cleopatra?

alliances. These actions would not be acceptable in a political leader today. Analyzing historical perspective helps readers better understand the people, places, and events in a biography.

• Model: In “Julius Caesar,” the author describes life during the ancient Roman Republic. Slaves made up as much as one-third of the population and did all the manual labor. In most countries today, slavery is illegal and considered immoral and cruel. Analyzing these types of details helps readers better understand what ancient Rome was like and how it contrasts with modern cities.

• Guide Practice. Invite students to work in small groups to find at least two more examples of details that require readers to consider the historical perspective in each biography. Remind them to compare life in ancient Roman and Egyptian times to life today. Then, ask the groups to explain how analyzing historical perspective helps them better understand the text.

Reflect and Review • Ask and discuss the following questions.

How is reading a biography similar to writing a biography? How is it different? What new words have you added to your vocabulary this week? Why do you think they will be useful? Which biographical subject do you find most interesting? Why? How can you use strong leads and word origins to make your writing stronger?

Fluency: Read with Inflection/Tone: Stress• You may wish to have students reread the biography

with a partner during independent reading time, focusing on stressing, or emphasizing, important words. Ask students to read aloud page 27. Prompt them to think about the author’s “hidden” meaning and then decide which words they will emphasize as they read. For example, they might want to stress the word prisoner in the first sentence as a way of highlighting the seriousness of Cleopatra’s situation for their listeners.


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Day 4 (cont.) Day 5

For example, “Sophisticated has the Greek root word sophos meaning ‘wise.’ So does the word philosophy.”

• Continue until students have matched all the new words and target words.

Reread for Fluency: Oral Reading Performance• Discuss with students the emotions described in

the biographies. • Say: Because a biography is about people, it

portrays their feelings at different times in their lives. For example, at the end of “Julius Caesar,” Caesar has an emotional confrontation with his assassins. When you read scenes like this aloud, you can use expression to demonstrate your understanding of how the people feel and help listeners appreciate the event’s importance.

• Invite individual students to read a section of one of the biographies that portrays emotion.

• Encourage students to have fun with their readings and to make them dramatic.

• As a whole class, discuss each reader’s interpretation. Think about alternate ways to interpret the emotions.

Review Writer’s Tools: Strong Lead• Ask students to look for other examples of strong

leads in titles from your classroom library or the school’s library. Each student should select one title at his or her independent reading level. Ask students to read pages specifically to find an example of a strong lead.

• Invite students to share their examples with the class. Ask the other students whether they agree that each lead is strong and, if so, why the lead gets their attention and makes them want to read what follows. Point out that students will not find strong leads in all the books they chose. Strong leads are not a tool all writers use all of the time.

• Tell students that at the end of their discussion, you will ask them to share their important text-to-text, text-to-world, and text-to-self connections.

• While each small group of students discusses the book, confer with individual or small groups of students. You may wish to revisit elements of the genre, take running records, or model fluent reading.



Rules for Good Discussion• Pay attention to the person who is talking and do

not interrupt him or her.• Think about what others are saying so you can

respond and add to their ideas.• Allow and encourage everyone in the group to speak.• Be respectful of everyone’s ideas.

Reinforce SkillsIf time permits, choose from the following activities to reinforce vocabulary and fluency.

Reinforce Vocabulary: Word Origins Challenge• Ask pairs of students to find new words that share

word origins with the glossary words. Allow them to use BLM 3 and a dictionary as they compile their list.

• Have two pairs of students meet. The first pair should say one of their new words. The second pair should identify the root word and matching target word.

Julius Caesar Cleopatra

Attributes of main character

brilliant general, good communicator, conscientious leader

intelligent, courageous, loyal, physically striking, a good administrator

Important influences

Crassus, Pompey, Brutus, Cassius, Cleopatra

Julius Caesar, Antony

Challenges fighting the war in Gaul with little military experience; fighting a civil war against Pompey; being the subject of an assassination plot by former associates

being driven out of Egypt by her brother; choosing sides in the Roman conflict; fighting Octavian

Historical importance

conquered lands to add to the Roman Republic; led the Republic; reduced taxes for poor; began great building projects; created a new calendar

ruled Egypt and made it wealthy by expanding agriculture and trade; became the richest and most powerful woman in the world

Day 5 (cont.)

Write a Biography• Use the suggested daily schedule to guide students

through the steps of process writing. Allow approximately 45 to 60 minutes per day. As students work independently, circulate around the room and monitor student progress. Confer with individual students to discuss their ideas and help them move forward. Use the explicit mini-lessons, conferencing strategies, and assessment rubrics in Using Genre Models to Teach Writing for additional support.

• Before students begin planning their biographies, pass out copies of BLM 5 (Biography Checklist). Review the characteristics and conventions of writing that will be assessed. Tell students that they will use this checklist when they complete their drafts.

• This daily plan incorporates the generally accepted six traits of writing as they pertain to biographies.

Days 6–7: Plan • Ask students to use BLM 6 (Biography Planning

Guide) to brainstorm someone to write about and the important people, places, and events in the subject’s life.

• Encourage students to refer to the “Features of a Biography” web on page 3 and to the steps in “The Writer’s Craft” on pages 30–31 of the book.

• Confer with individual students and focus on their ideas. Did students begin their biographies with a strong lead? Did they include facts and quotes?

Days 8–9: Draft • Tell students that they will be using their completed

Biography Planning Guides to begin drafting. • Say: Remember that when writers draft their ideas,

they focus on getting their ideas on paper. They can cross things out. They can make mistakes in spelling. What’s important is to focus on the person’s early life and accomplishments. You will have an opportunity to make corrections and improvements later.

• Confer with students as they complete their drafts. Use the Biography Checklist to draw students’ attention to characteristics of the biography genre that they may have overlooked. Focus on how students have organized their ideas and the voice of the writer. Did students introduce their subject at the beginning of the biography? Did they describe the person’s character traits, accomplishments, and challenges? Does the biography have a strong voice? Will the voice keep readers interested?

• Pair students for peer conferencing.

Days 10–11: Edit and Revise • Based on your observations of students’ writing,

select appropriate mini-lessons from Using Genre Models to Teach Writing.

Days 6–15• Remind students to use the Biography Checklist as

they edit and revise their biographies independently.• Confer with students, focusing on sentence fluency,

word choice, and conventions. Did students include both long and short sentences? Do the sentences read smoothly? Have students used interesting words and phrases? Did they use a strong lead? Did they use appropriate spelling, punctuation, and grammar?

• You may want students to continue their editing and revision at home.

Days 12–13: Create Final Draft and Illustrations • Ask students to rewrite or type final drafts of

their work.• Invite students to illustrate their final drafts with

one or more drawings that depict specific people or events in their biographies.

• Confer with students about publishing plans and deadlines.

Days 14–15: Publish and Share• Explain: Authors work long and hard to develop

their works. You have worked very hard. And one of the great joys of writing is when you can share it with others. Authors do this in many ways. They publish their books so that people can buy them. They make their work available on the Internet. They hold readings. We can share our writing, too.

• Use one or more of the ideas below for sharing students’ work: Make a class display of students’ completed biographies. Hold a class reading in which students can read their biographies to one another and/or to parents. Create a binder of all the biographies and loan it to the library so that other students can read them.

Create a binder of all the biographies for your classroom library.


©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC10

Days 6–15


©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLCBLM 5

Features of the Genre Checklist Yes No

1. My biography has a strong lead. 2. My biography is logically sequenced. 3. My biography includes the person’s date and place

of birth. 4. My biography includes important events from the

person’s life. 5. My biography includes people who have influenced

the person. 6. My biography describes the person’s personality. 7. My biography quotes the person. 8. My biography quotes people who knew or know

the person. 9. My biography explains why the person is worthy of

a biography. 10. My biography has a strong ending.

Quality Writing Checklist Yes No

I looked for and corrected . . .

• run-on sentences • sentence fragments • subject/verb agreement • correct verb tense • punctuation • capitalization • spelling • indented paragraphs

Name _________________________________________________ Date _________________

Title ________________________________________________________________________ ______

Biography Checklist



Biography Planning Guide

Name _________________________________________________ Date _________________

Directions: Use the steps below to plan your own biography.

1. Decide on someone else to write about.

3. Recall settings and events.

2. Decide who else needs to be in the biography.

Person or Group Impact on Subject’s Life

Family Members:_______________

Friends:_______________

Heroes:_______________

Others:_______________

Setting Important Events That Occurred

Setting #1

Setting #2

Setting #3

Days 6–15


BLM 1

Name _________________________________________________ Date _________________

A Strong LeadDirections: Read this lead for a biography. Then answer the questions.

“I am my husband’s legs,” Eleanor Roosevelt declared while visiting a coal mine disaster. Eleanor’s husband was Franklin Roosevelt, President of the United States from 1933 to 1945. Due to polio, Franklin could not walk on his own. Eleanor accomplished many things in her own right. She was a delegate to the UN General Assembly, worked tirelessly on behalf of women’s rights, spoke out for civil rights, and wrote a popular newspaper column.

1. Is this lead direct, indirect, or both? Explain.

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

2. Does this lead make you want to read on? Explain.

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

3. What would you expect to learn if you read the biography?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Directions: Think of a person you know something about who interests you. Write a strong lead for a biography.

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

It is both. It begins with a quote. (indirect) Then it

Possible answer: The lead makes me want to read on

Possible answer: I would expect to learn more about

Leads will vary. Example: How would it feel to be

names the subject of the biography. (direct)

because it makes me curious about Eleanor Roosevelt.

Eleanor Roosevelt’s life and why women’s rights andcivil rights were important to her.

the author of one of the most popular series of novels ever written? Just ask J.K. Rowling. She has achieved more success than she had ever imagined.



Evaluate Fact and Opinion

Name _________________________________________________ Date _________________

Directions: Use the charts below to evaluate facts and opinions in the biographies.

BLM 2

Julius Caesar


Cleopatra


As a young man, Caesar served as a military aide . . .

fact that can be proven Caesar was certainly not humble.

humble

Caesar pardoned Pompey’s chief generals . . .

fact that can be proven Caesar was ambitious as ever.

ambitious as ever

Caesar remained with Cleopatra in Egypt . . .

fact that can be proven Caesar’s death was a major tragedy . . .

major tragedy

Caesar died of 23 stab wounds.

fact that can be proven Caesar had become one of the greatest statesmen who would ever live.

greatest . . . who would ever live

Cleopatra was born in Alexandria, Egypt in 69 B.C.E.

fact that can be proven Cleopatra was striking in appearance if not beautiful.

striking, beautiful

Cleopatra fled back to Egypt after Caesar was murdered.

fact that can be proven In a character istically bold move, Cleopatra had herself rolled into a carpet and taken to Caesar’s room.

character istically bold

Antony established Cleopatra and her son as joint rulers of Egypt and Cyprus.

fact that can be proven Cleopatra was a practical person.

practical

Cleopatra poisoned herself with a snakebite.

fact that can be proven Cleopatra had an incredible life and a tragic death.

incredible, tragic



Focus on Word Origins

Name _________________________________________________ Date _________________

Directions: Reread each biography. Look up the origins and history for each word below. Then write the definition of the word as used today.

BLM 3


9 philosophy

9 rhetoric

11 plebeians

11 gladiator

11 triumvirate

11 provinces

19 administra tor

22 agriculture

24 spectacle

26 mortally

Greek philo, ”loving” + sophos, “wise”

philosophia (“love of wisdom”): 1300

study of ideas and values based on logic

Greek rhetorike, “the art of oratory”

about 1300; term rhetorical question in 1840

the art of speaking or writing effectively

Latin plebeius, “of the common people”

around 1530; later used to mean “unrefined,”

lowerclass Roman citizens

Celt gladius, “sword” 1540s; today refers to athletes who engage in serious competitions

trained swordsman in ancient Rome who fought against other gladiators or wild animals

Latin triumviri, “commission of three men”

1580s; includes common prefix tri- (“three”)

a ruling body of three

Latin provincia, “care” early 14th century; pro- (“before”) + vincere (“to conquer”)

countries or regions often ruled by another power

Latin ministrare, “to serve”

1510s; first used to refer to estates

a person in charge of government or business affairs

Latin ager, “field” + cultura, “cultivation”

1600; combined with business to form agribusiness

organized system of farming

Latin spectare, “to watch”

mid-14th century; spectacles referred to early eyeglasses

unusual, eye-catching, or entertaining event

Latin mortalis, “death” mid-14th century; mortal a human or other living thing (1520s)

fatally; to death

Make Connections Across Texts

Name _________________________________________________ Date _________________

Directions: Fill in the chart. Use it to compare and contrast the two biographies.



Julius Caesar CleopatraAttributes of main character

Important influences

Challenges

Historical importance

brilliant general, good communicator, conscientious leader

intelligent, courageous, loyal, physically striking, a good administrator

Crassus, Pompey, Brutus, Cassius, Cleopatra

Julius Caesar, Antony

fighting the war in Gaul with little military experience; fighting a civil war against Pompey; being the subject of an assassination plot by former associates

being driven out of Egypt by her brother; choosing sides in the Roman conflict; fighting Octavian

conquered lands to add to the Roman Republic; led the Republic; reduced taxes for poor; began great building projects; created a new calendar

ruled Egypt and made it wealthy by expanding agriculture and trade; became the richest and most powerful woman in the world



Features of the Genre Checklist Yes No

1. My biography has a strong lead. 2. My biography is logically sequenced. 3. My biography includes the person’s date and place

of birth. 4. My biography includes important events from the

person’s life. 5. My biography includes people who have influenced

the person. 6. My biography describes the person’s personality. 7. My biography quotes the person. 8. My biography quotes people who knew or know

the person. 9. My biography explains why the person is worthy of

a biography. 10. My biography has a strong ending.

Quality Writing Checklist Yes No

I looked for and corrected . . .

• run-on sentences • sentence fragments • subject/verb agreement • correct verb tense • punctuation • capitalization • spelling • indented paragraphs

Name _________________________________________________ Date _________________

Title ________________________________________________________________________ ______

Biography Checklist



Biography Planning Guide

Name _________________________________________________ Date _________________

Directions: Use the steps below to plan your own biography.

1. Decide on someone else to write about.

3. Recall settings and events.

2. Decide who else needs to be in the biography.

Person or Group Impact on Subject’s Life

Family Members:_______________

Friends:_______________

Heroes:_______________

Others:_______________

Setting Important Events That Occurred

Setting #1

Setting #2

Setting #3

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