Mommy22alyns Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 DH had a great idea for the girls to start checking out bios of important people they should know. What are some of your recs? We've done Jackie Robinson, Michael Faraday, Jacques Cousteau, and James Audubon. I know there's got to be tons out there, so just throw out your recs and we'll start checking out books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptor_dad Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 This year I have been focused on non fiction and biographies for DS. He has read more than half of the Garrard Bios, http://www.valerieslivinglibrary.com/garrard.htm . I really like them. They are written at a 3-4th grade level and are a quick read. They are *much* lighter than the Landmark books, http://www.valerieslivinglibrary.com/lm.htm which as closer to a 6th grade reading level but that's fine. DS will always read an easy 90p book on a subject and if it catches his fancy he might read a hard 180p book on it. This series has a variety of entries from across the ideological spectrum and has a pleasant 50's -ish approach to history. Late enough to be non-offensive, but old enough to be not heavily revisionist. The main down side is that they are deeply OOP. We have gotten all of ours through the library through ILL. As far as 50 great people go... I find it nearly impossible to make those lists. Do you chose Joe Hill or John Calvin... I think those lists are are pointless. If I was picking only 50 people, I'm not sure any of the 4 on your list would make the cut. I have tried to look for good series or individual good books and the following my child's interest from there. Hopefully this thread will generate more suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 This might be a place to start: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_100:_A_Ranking_of_the_Most_Influential_Persons_in_History I would put in a word for Muhammed (peace be upon him) and not just because I'm Muslim. :) In addition to his Islamic influence he also had a significant military career. Muslims are against visual depictions of all the prophets, lest the images (read: humans) be worshipped/prayed to in place of God. For this reason Islamic visual art revolves repeating geometric patterns and calligraphy. That could also make for some interesting discussion with kids, both cultural and artistic investigation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapbabe Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Mine would have people like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, William Wilberforce, Martin Luther and many people specific to my religion. The Trail Guide to Learning program focuses on biographies. You could look at the table of contents and get a good list there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof3 Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 TWTM has lists of Great Men & Women to cover. :) Some that I want my kids to be familiar with (off my head): Benjamin Franklin Helen Keller Patrick Henry George Washington Carver Ernest Shackleton Thomas Edison Davy Crocket Laura Ingalls Wilder C. S. Lewis The Wright Brothers Mark Twain Harriet Tubman Ronald Reagan George Washington Abraham Lincoln Raoul Wallenberg Corrie Ten Boom Christopher Columbus John Paul Jones Alvin C. York Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof3 Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 And some more: :) (Everyone is going to have a different list, depending on your background, religious beliefs, personal values, etc. If any of these appeal to you, go for it! :)) Alexander Hamilton Louisa May Alcott Florence Nightingale David Livingstone Adoniram Judson Elizabeth I Sir Walter Raleigh Pocahontas Hannibal William Wallace John Bunyan Douglas MacArthur Winston Churchill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Louis Braille -- great story about guy who invented Braille system. ​ ​Not a person, but fabulous book on the great scientists and who they were as people -- Dazzling Discoveries. There are people in there who should be on the list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 I wanted to do something similar, so last summer I organized a year of studying famous speeches. Not quite a biography study, but similar. I printed up 10 speeches, along with a photo, and a name/dob/dod/occupation. Once a month we study a speech, through out the month we watch a mini bio, visit a website maybe, youtube videos, etc. keeping it a little light. Then, at the end of the month we discuss the speech and do a Q&A. Sometimes there's a movie to watch for fun. Here's my list: Aug. Muhammad's Last Sermon (no pic) Sep. Elizabeth I's Speech to the Troops Oct. Patrick Henry's Give Me Liberty of Give Me Death Nov. William Faulkner's Nobel Prize Speech Dec. Aragorn's Speech at the Gates Jan. MLK's I Have a Dream Speech Feb. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address March Lou Gehrig's Farewell Speech April Socrates' Apology May Sojourner Truth's Ain't I a Woman? Speech I'm so glad I decided to do this. I'll definitely be doing it again next year. This time I'll add in some unsavory characters. We've learned a lot. They all speak to us... obviously some more than others to each of us. I'll suggest spending time pouring over bios, pick the ones that move you, the ones that your gut says yes to. I know my kids. I wanted to inspire them, pull at their heart strings, and make them feel bold by these great men and women's words. KWIM? I did a lot of thinking about which ones matched them best at that time. Have fun with it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matrips Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 I just go to the children's part of the library and then down the biography aisles. I randomly pull a variety of people off the shelves. I go for the ones that look enjoyable to read, even picture books sometimes, not the serious, textbook looking ones. We cover a lot of famous people that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapbabe Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 Anyone care to list some of their favorite biographies? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 http://www.start-american-sign-language.com/my-favorite-person-from-deaf-history-is-laurent-clerc.html (Not *my* favourite :p ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 Anyone from King Narmer to Obama.. more likely more than 50, but if I had to choose, I would choose from the lists in WTM too. I have been, actually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My3girls Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 Hmmmm,a fun thread... Here's mine in no particular order. 44 Presidents Scientists (Newton, Galileo, Curie, Einstein, etc...) Artists (Michelangelo, DaVinci, Rembrandt, Picasso, etc...) Composers ( Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, etc...) Abigail Adams Betsy Ross Pocahontas Sacajawea Davy Crockett Sam Houston Alvin C. York Harriet Tubman George Washington Carver Sitting Bull Gen. George Custer Ghandi Sister Theresa Queen Elizabeth I Churchill Marco Polo Magellan Columbus Mandela Martin Luther King Susan B. Anthony Jackie Robinson Amelia Earhart Hellen Keller And the list continues.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walking-Iris Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 It would be impossible for me to make a definitive list of 50 people. But I think it's a great idea to read more biographies with your children. I love the The Getting to Know series (Getting To Know Composers...Artists...Presidents). The Kathleen Krull books are good. (Lives of the Composers, Artists, Authors...) Jean Fritz books are fun. Also reading some autobiographies (or memoirs etc) would be nice. Benjamin Franklin, Franklin Douglas, Jean Fritz, Raold Dahl, Helen Keller, Anne Frank, .... and so on. Classical Kids are fun for learning about some composers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 I'd suggest including some famous musicians/artists; the lists above seem to have a lot of political figures in history. Personally I try to cover various artists with my kids but recently have gotten weak on musicians; for a while I was more organized about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 I'd suggest including some famous musicians/artists; the lists above seem to have a lot of political figures in history. Personally I try to cover various artists with my kids but recently have gotten weak on musicians; for a while I was more organized about it. I'm organizing a blues study that'll last a year. It's going to be light but introduce a lot of people. If it goes well, I'll do jazz and rock the following years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Bayard Rustin. He is the organizer behind Martin Luther King Jr. and his speech writer. He is the man who proposed absolute non violence to Martin Luther King Jr. However, he was gay. So he faded away and stood in the background knowing that public knowledge would "hurt the movement." Many historians refer to him as the best community organizer and one if the least known, but most influential men in American history. http://www.buzzfeed.com/steventhrasher/walter-naegle-partner-of-the-late-bayard-rustin-talks-about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsabelC Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 I have found that learning about famous people happens more easily if you can 'peg' them onto something your child is already interested in. My horse mad daughter, for example, only knows about Napoleon because of his famous charger, Marengo. Likewise she remembers Alexander because "Oh, he's the one who rode Bucephalus!". (I guess it's lucky that horses aren't her only interest, since there are many famous people who didn't ride.) I also tend to 'cheat' a bit by telling / reading the kids the famous but apocryphal stories (eg Washington and the cherry tree) and embellished versions of true stories (eg the picture book of Rosa Parks) because they are a good 'in' to generate interest in historical characters. A lot of the time we don't do a full on biographical study, but just learn little tidbits about, say, the composer of a piece of music the kids happen to be enjoying that day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2denj Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Thanks for sharing this! What a great list! This year I have been focused on non fiction and biographies for DS. He has read more than half of the Garrard Bios, http://www.valerieslivinglibrary.com/garrard.htm . I really like them. They are written at a 3-4th grade level and are a quick read. They are *much* lighter than the Landmark books, http://www.valerieslivinglibrary.com/lm.htm which as closer to a 6th grade reading level but that's fine. DS will always read an easy 90p book on a subject and if it catches his fancy he might read a hard 180p book on it. This series has a variety of entries from across the ideological spectrum and has a pleasant 50's -ish approach to history. Late enough to be non-offensive, but old enough to be not heavily revisionist. The main down side is that they are deeply OOP. We have gotten all of ours through the library through ILL. As far as 50 great people go... I find it nearly impossible to make those lists. Do you chose Joe Hill or John Calvin... I think those lists are are pointless. If I was picking only 50 people, I'm not sure any of the 4 on your list would make the cut. I have tried to look for good series or individual good books and the following my child's interest from there. Hopefully this thread will generate more suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelmama1209 Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 my dd loves reading the value tales books. may be a good place to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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