SCAFFOLDING LITERACY PROJECTEinstein Biography

Year 10 Literacy Support

Presented by:

Kathryn Tebble

Townsville Grammar School

Graphic Overview

Text Selection

Learning Outcomes

• Whole text: Understand structure and language features of the Biography genre; write an orientation paragraph

• Sentence level: Construct cohesive sentences and paragraphs using temporal conjunctions

• Text level: Use appropriate grammatical expression – pronouns and tense

Text Selection• Albert Einstein is one of the greatest scientists of all time. Best known for

developing the theory of relativity, he also won the Nobel Peace Prize for his explanation of the photoelectric effect. Einstein is considered to be the most influential physicist of the 20th century.

• Biography of a Scientist – Albert Einstein was the text of choice for this Scaffolding Literacy sequence because:

• it is an exemplary model of the biography genre, which can be easily deconstructed to closely examine the structure and language features

• in addition, Einstein was an appropriate choice for class as the cohort have individual learning support needs, and the text illustrates that success can come about as a result of persistence and determination in the face of failure

• finally, the students have been reading the autobiography of Ahn Do, The Happiest Refugee, and will be required to transform the novel into a short biographical text.

Acknowledging Prior Learning Experiences

Establish students’ prior knowledge of the topics in the text

• What biographies or autobiographies have you read?

• Why do people write biographies / autobiographies?

• Which would you prefer to read and why?

• What do you know about Albert Einstein?

Building the Field

Build student’s knowledge

• What are the characteristics of an autobiography and a biography?

Text Orientation

A short visual overview of Einstein’s life and achievements

Biography of a Scientist

Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955) Albert Einstein was one of the greatest scientists of all time. He is best known for his Theory of Relativity and his many other contributions to Science. Born in Ulm, Germany, in 1879, he was the son of Herman and Paulina Koch Einstein. At five years of age he was fascinated by a compass that His father showed him. Because of this, he became interested in science. He attended public school at Munich, then at Switzerland where he showed no scholastic ability. He later studied Mathematics and Physics at the Swiss polytechnic Institute in Zurich and in 1900, he graduated. Einstein worked at the Swiss Patent Office in Berlin, in 1902, as an examiner, so he had more free time for his scientific investigations. A year later, he married his first wife and they had two sons. They later separated and Einstein married his first cousin Elsa, who gave3 him two step-daughters. He became a Swiss citizen in 1905. In the same year, Einstein contributed three papers “Annals of Physics”, a German periodical, which was the basis of three new branches of Physics. The first paper was on the Quantum Theory, which was about light particles. The second was on his Theory of Relativity, which consisted of the famous equation, E =mc². The third was a paper on the Brownian motion, which is the irregular movement of particles. He accomplished all this before he held any academic position. In 1909 he became Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Zurich. He held the same position at the University at Prague in Germany, in 1911. A year later, he returned to a similar post at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. In 1914, Einstein accepted the professorship at the University of Berlin. Einstein completed his Theory of Relativity in 1915, and it was published in the following year. During 1929, he developed his Unified Field Theory which was aimed at combining gravitational and electro-magnetic equations. Einstein spent the last twenty-five years of his life trying to prove this theory to other scientists. In 1933, Einstein visited England and the United States. While he was overseas, the Nazi government confiscated his property, his positions and German citizenship. Before this had happened, Einstein had already accepted a position in the United States. He became director of the School of Mathematics at Princeton, New

Read text to students

Genre Structure

Focus:

To explicitly teach the generic structure of the biography genre

READ SECOND PARAGRAPHBorn in Ulm, Germany, in 1879, he was the son of Herman and Paulina Koch Einstein. At five years of age he was fascinated by a compass that His father showed him. Because of this, he became interested in science. He attended public school at Munich, then at Switzerland where he showed no scholastic ability. He later studied Mathematics and Physics at the Swiss polytechnic Institute in Zurich and in 1900, he graduated. Einstein worked at the Swiss Patent Office in Berlin, in 1902, as an examiner, so he had more free time for his scientific investigations. A year later, he married his first wife and they had two sons. They later separated and Einstein married his first cousin Elsa, who gave3 him two step-daughters. He became a Swiss citizen in 1905.

What content is contained in second paragraph?• Important events in Einstein’s personal life: birth, childhood, father’s

influence, education, adult life.

What do you notice about the order of these events?• they are in sequence/chronological order

What could we write in the margin beside paragraph 2?• In the margin, write Important life events, in chronological order

READ FIRST PARAGRAPH (choose students to read)Albert Einstein was one of the greatest scientists of all time. He is best known for his Theory of Relativity and his many other contributions to Science.

What does the writer include in the opening paragraph?

• Name of the person (highlight Albert Einstein)• Why he is famous (highlight one of the greatest scientists)• In the margin, write Orientation beside the first paragraph – add

name and why famous. Students copy on their text handout.

READ PARAGRAPHS 3, 4 AND 5In the same year, Einstein contributed three papers “Annals of Physics”, a German periodical, which was the basis of three new branches of Physics. The first paper was on the Quantum Theory, which was about light particles. The second was on his Theory of Relativity, which consisted of the famous equation, E =mc². The third was a paper on the Brownian motion, which is the irregular movement of particles. He accomplished all this before he held any academic position.

 

In 1909 he became Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Zurich. He held the same position at the University at Prague in Germany, in 1911. A year later, he returned to a similar post at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. In 1914, Einstein accepted the professorship at the University of Berlin.

Einstein completed his Theory of Relativity in 1915, and it was published in the following year. During 1929, he developed his Unified Field Theory which was aimed at combining gravitational and electro-magnetic equations. Einstein spent the last twenty-five years of his life trying to prove this theory to other scientists.

What facts do these paragraphs contain?• In the margin, write Career achievements, in chronological

order

READ PARAGRAPH 6 & 7In 1933, Einstein visited England and the United States. While he was overseas, the Nazi government confiscated his property, his positions and German citizenship. Before this had happened, Einstein had already accepted a position in the United States. He became director of the School of Mathematics at Princeton, New Jersey.

During 1939 he wrote a letter to President Roosevelt warning that the German government was experimenting with nuclear fission. As a result of this, the United States government financed research into atomic energy, Einstein became an American citizen in 1940, and two years later the American scientists split the atom. The first atomic bomb was dropped on Japan in 1945, to end World War II.

What happened in 1933 to influence Einstein’s career and life?

• The Nazi government confiscated his belongings, jobs and citizenship so he went to live and work in the USA

What effect did this have on the history of the world? • America used Einstein’s “splitting the atom” to manufacture the

atomic bombs which ended World War II

READ PARAGRAPHS 8 AND 9Because Einstein was a pacifist, he was disappointed that his experiments had led to destruction. After World War II he was a supporter of World Government. He believed that peace could be kept in the atomic age, if all nations were brought together under a system of world law.

 

Einstein lived a quiet life. He was fond of classical music and played the violin. He was not rich, but he refused large sums of money fro publishers to write his autobiography. He gave support to people who were poor and politically oppressed. He supported Zionism and in 1952, Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel. He refused, saying that he wasn’t worthy. In 1955, this great man died.

What do these paragraphs tell you about the man?

Write a description of character beside paragraph 8.

READ THE LAST PARAGRAPHAs a result of Einstein’s intelligence and contributions to science, he is famous throughout the world today. His Theory of Relativity allowed man to split the atom. He was disappointed about the atomic bomb, but his research on nuclear fission enabled man to use atomic energy as the greatest source of power. Einstein was on of the fathers of the atomic age.

How does it contribute to the whole genre of the biography?

• restates why he is famous• his contribution to society today• In the margin, write Conclusion – restate why famous and

contribution to society today. Highlight the corresponding information on the last paragraph

SUMMARISE

So the generic structure of a biography is:

• orientation (name and why famous)

• sequence of important events and achievements in life (in chronological order)

• conclusion (restate why famous and contribution to society today)

SOURCE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT - "Written Genres in the Secondary School" pp133 -141

(The Learning Place http://www.learningplace.com.au/deliver/content.asp?pid=36856)

Biography of a Scientist

Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955) Albert Einstein was one of the greatest scientists of all time. He is best known for his Theory of Relativity and his many other contributions to Science. Born in Ulm, Germany, in 1879, he was the son of Herman and Paulina Koch Einstein. At five years of age he was fascinated by a compass that His father showed him. Because of this, he became interested in science. He attended public school at Munich, then at Switzerland where he showed no scholastic ability. He later studied Mathematics and Physics at the Swiss polytechnic Institute in Zurich and in 1900, he graduated. Einstein worked at the Swiss Patent Office in Berlin, in 1902, as an examiner, so he had more free time for his scientific investigations. A year later, he married his first wife and they had two sons. They later separated and Einstein married his first cousin Elsa, who gave3 him two step-daughters. He became a Swiss citizen in 1905. In the same year, Einstein contributed three papers “Annals of Physics”, a German periodical, which was the basis of three new branches of Physics. The first paper was on the Quantum Theory, which was about light particles. The second was on his Theory of Relativity, which consisted of the famous equation, E =mc². The third was a paper on the Brownian motion, which is the irregular movement of particles. He accomplished all this before he held any academic position. In 1909 he became Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Zurich. He held the same position at the University at Prague in Germany, in 1911. A year later, he returned to a similar post at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. In 1914, Einstein accepted the professorship at the University of Berlin. Einstein completed his Theory of Relativity in 1915, and it was published in the following year. During 1929, he developed his Unified Field Theory which was aimed at combining gravitational and electro-magnetic equations. Einstein spent the last twenty-five years of his life trying to prove this theory to other scientists. In 1933, Einstein visited England and the United States. While he was overseas, the Nazi government confiscated his property, his positions and German citizenship. Before this had happened, Einstein had already accepted a position in the United States. He became director of the School of Mathematics at Princeton, New

ORIENTATION

- Person’s name - Why famous

Significant Life events, in chronological order Career achievements, in chronological order Nazi government confiscated his property, job and citizenship so he went

Word Study I

Word Meanings

patent citizen professor fission

pacifist oppressed Zionism fascinated

scholastic confiscated fond

Word Meanings

Einstein worked at the Swiss Patent Office in Berlin, in 1902, as an examiner, so he had more free time for his scientific investigations.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

He became a Swiss citizen in 1905.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

In 1909 he became Professor of Theoretic Physics at the University of Zurich.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

During 1939 he wrote a letter to President Roosevelt warning that the German government was experimenting with nuclear fission.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Because Einstein was a pacifist he was disappointed that his experiments had led to destruction.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

He gave support to people who were poor and politically oppressed.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

He supported Zionism and in 1952, Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Language OrientationExcerpt

In 1909 he became Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Zurich. He held the same position at the University of Prague in Germany, in 1911. A year later, he returned to a similar post at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. In 1914, Einstein accepted the professorship at the University of Berlin.

 

Broad language focus

To have students become familiar with a well-written body paragraph, in chronological order.

 

Specific language foci

Content matter (career achievements), textual features (verbs, past tense, pronouns), components of a sentence (temporal conjunctions)

Language Learning Outcomes• Use correct grammar

• Past Tense – retelling past events• Action Verbs – used to tell us what he did• Third Person – the perspective from which the text is written• Personal pronouns –substitute for nouns involving people

• Text cohesion• Signalling words for sequence in time – temporal conjunctions

In 1909 he became Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Zurich. He held the same position at the University of Prague in Germany, in 1911. A year later, he returned to a similar post at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. In 1914, Einstein accepted the professorship at the University of Berlin.

In 1909 he became Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Zurich.

Let’s look at the first sentence in Paragraph 4.

In 1909 – this is a signaling word to show a sequence in time; these words are known as TEMPORAL CONJUNCTIONS

A conjunction is a word used to connect phrases and clauses.

In this sentence it is called a temporal conjunction - temporal means relating to time.

So a temporal conjunction tells us the time – when something happened.

They link sentences to create cohesion in the text – that is, creating a connection and flow from one event to the next, creating a time sequence - CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER.

Can you think of any other temporal conjunctions?

Other temporal conjunctions are – then, next, finally, subsequently, at first, eventually, soon, later, since, in the end, immediately, until then, meanwhile, now, after,

 

He – this tells us WHO the text is about. It is a PERSONAL PRONOUN that is used to show that the text is written in THIRD PERSON

 

Professor of Theoretical Physics – this tells us WHAT Einstein achieved during this time; that he held an important and very high level job as a teacher with specialist skills and knowledge in higher education

 

University of Zurich – this tells us specifically WHERE he worked, adding to the sense of importance. Zurich is the , largest city in Switzerland (a country neighbouring Italy, Austria and France)

 

became – action verb/past tense. It tells us that there was a change or development in his life at this point in time

He held the same position at the University of Prague in Germany, in 1911.

A year later, he returned to a similar post at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.

In 1914, Einstein accepted the professorship at the University of Berlin.

Let’s look at the next three sentences in paragraph 4.

Together, underline the action verbs in the text.

Then together, highlight the temporal conjunctions.

Circle the pronouns

  Now independently read Paragraphs 5 to 10

Firstly, underline the action verbs in the text

Then, highlight the temporal conjunctions

Finally, circle the pronouns

 Sum up

Temporal conjunctions are cohesive ties that tell us when something happened; they create flow in the text by linking one event to the next, creating a time sequence of events in chronological order

Checking Comprehension• Timeline

• Mapping cities / countries

Einstein - Timeline of Life Events & Achievements What he is famous for:

Sequence of Events in Chronological Order

1879 1884

Born Germany Compass given be father – started interest in Science

Hobbies / I nterests:

TransformationsExcerpt: Paragraph 4 – Career achievements

In 1909 he became Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Zurich. He held the same position at the University of Prague in Germany, in 1911. A year later, he returned to a similar post at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. In 1914, Einstein accepted the professorship at the University of Berlin

 

Focus

Using the text to focus on the language choices, sentence and paragraph constructions.

 

Preparing for the transformations:

This part of the sequence requires the teacher to use the selected sentence/s. The sentence/s need to be written on long strips of cardboard.

 

Learning Outcomes• Select relevant content for paragraph• Sentence construction (who, what, where, when)• Improve body paragraph writing• Using commas to separate phrases and clauses• Using temporal conjunctions• Prepositions, pronouns, past tense, verbs

Transformations - Modelled

Below are the cuts to make to the excerpt

 

In 1909/, / he / became / Professor of Theoretical Physics / at the University of Zurich./ He / held the same position / at the University of Prague in Germany/,/ in 1911. A year later/,/ he / returned to a similar post / at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich./ In 1914/,/ Einstein / accepted the professorship / at the University of Berlin.

Cuts in text Meaning

In 1909 A phrase that tells us WHEN the life event happened; a temporal conjunction

comma This separates a phrase from the clause

he A pronoun that tells us WHO

became Professor of Theoretical Physics

A phrase that tells us WHAT happened

at the University of Zurich.

A phrase that tells us WHERE

MODELLINGText – (units of

meaning)‘Teacher Talk’ - Talking through the cuts

In 1909 This is the first sentence in paragraph 4 of Einstein’s biography. The paragraph outlines Einstein’s career achievements. The author has been very succinct, keeping detail to a minimum, but yet still including key information about his career achievements.

The first two words of the sentence tell us WHEN –

The word “in” is a preposition. A preposition is used to indicate time (or place)’ meaning “pre-positioned” or to come before. In this sentence, it is used to indicate a non-specific time – that is, a date sometime during the year 1909.

CUT and LABEL “WHEN”

The words “in 1909” are a temporal conjunction; the words form a phrase (because there is no subject or verb) that leads to the next part of the sentence (the clause); it is a phrase that joins the clause indicating time

CUT and LABEL “TEMPORAL CONJUNCTION / PHRASE”

MODELLING

Text – (units of meaning) ‘Teacher Talk’ - Talking through the cuts

comma The next cut is at the comma.

If a sentence starts with a phrase, a comma is needed to separate it from the main clause. Here the comma is used to separate the phrase “in 1909”, from the main clause “he became Professor of Theoretical Physics”.

CUT comma

he The pronoun “he” is used to refer to Einstein. This tells us WHO is involved

CUT and LABEL “WHO”

became Professor of Theoretical Physics

This is the next group of words to cut. This tells us WHAT happened, using a past tense verb to describe the action. It tells us what position or job he had.

CUT and LABEL “WHAT”

at the University of Zurich. This last group of words tells us WHERE he worked.

JOINT CONSTRUCTIONText – (units of meaning) ‘Teacher/Student Talk’ - Talking through the cuts

He A pronoun that tells us WHO

held the same position A phrase containing a past tense action verb that tells us WHAT happened – it tells us about a similar job that had

at the University of Prague in Germany

A phrase that tells us WHERE

comma The next cut is at the comma.

In this case, the sentence has two phrases at the end of the sentence – “in Germany” is a phrase referring to place, and “in 1911” is a phrase referring to time.

The comma is needed to separate the phrase referring to place (in Germany) from the phrase referring to time (in 1909).

For example, if the comma was removed it would read “Germany in 1911” – Germany cannot be in the year 1911 as the word is referring to time.

CUT comma

in 1911 A temporal conjunction that tells us WHEN the career event happened. It is a non-specific reference to time; that is the year in which he took up the role

INDEPENDENT‘

Using the final two sentences of Paragraph 4:

A year later, he returned to a similar post at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.

In 1914, Einstein accepted the Professorship at the University of Berlin.

 

Hand out one sentence to each group and have them make cuts in the text identifying:

Who

What

Where

When

Temporal conjunction

Comma

Phrase

past tense verb

Pronoun

Following the transformation sequence, the following activity was undertaken

 Text Excerpt: Paragraph 2 – Life Background

 

Born in Ulm, Germany, in 1879, he was the son of Herman and Paulina Koch Einstein. At five years of age he was fascinated by a compass that his father showed him. Because of this, he became interested in science. He attended public school at Munich, then at Switzerland where he showed no scholastic ability. He later studied Mathematics and Physics at the Swiss polytechnic Institute in Zurich and in 1900, he graduated. Einstein worked at the Swiss Patent Office in Berlin, in 1902, as an examiner, so he had more free time for his scientific investigations. A year later, he married his first wife and they had two sons. They later separated and Einstein married his first cousin Elsa, who gave him two step-daughters. He became a Swiss citizen in 1905. 

• Delete the temporal conjunctions • Rearrange the order of the sentences • Have students arrange the sentences in correct order.

Students should find the task a little challenging as without the temporal conjunctions, it can be hard to work out when the events happened. This is to highlight the important of temporal conjunctions in biographical texts.

• Provide missing temporal conjunctions (eg. in 1909) • Have students add them to the sentences • They can then refer to the whole text to check if they have it right.

Then have the students vary the sentences by:

• moving the temporal conjunctions to different places in the sentence and examine the effect

• replacing with other types of temporal conjunctions eg. later when, following

Word Study II

Focus Words: • Biography• Chronology

• Function• Meaning• Word origin (etymology)• Word families using the root bio/chrono

 

Biography of Albert Einstein

Word Study II

Chronos, the God of What? Let’s take a couple of minutes of your ‘time’ to talk about chron, the Greek root word for ‘time.’

Ever owned a Timex? Yes, you knew I was talking about watches, that is, keepers of ‘time.’ Watches are technically chronographs, or writers of ‘time’. The Chrono is one of Timex’s all-‘time’ bestsellers, meant to keep accurate ‘time’ to keep you on ‘time.’ In the same vein, some watches have stopwatches orchronometers, which measure how much ‘time’ has elapsed during an event.

Ever watched synchronized swimmers in the Olympics? They all make their moves at the same ‘time.’ Synchronous events, therefore, happen at the same ‘time.’

You may have encountered the Greek god Chronos during your mythology studies, who was the god of ‘time.’ He is the origin of our depiction of Father ‘Time,’ and was often pictured with wings since ‘time’ tends to fly by.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis is a very popular series that you’ve probably read or watched. Achronicle is a record of historical events that happen over ‘time.’ Chronicles are kept in chronological order, that is, arranging events in the correct ‘time’ sequence in which they occurred.

Ever watched a film in which there was something out of place, like a watch on the wrist of a Roman soldier, or a car speeding down a street during the Middle Ages? Those are both examples of anachronisms, or things that are placed in the wrong ‘time’ period.

For you computer buffs, there’s a widely used Linux and Mac (UNIX) utility called cron; it manages how programs run, using a special syntax for specifying ‘time.’

People with acute symptoms of disease suffer for only a short time, but those with chronic ailments suffer over an extended period of ‘time.’ Hopefully neither you nor any of your cronies, or friends whom you have known for a long ‘time,’ are so afflicted!

Well, to keep ‘in sync,’ or synchronized with the ‘time’ restraints for this podcast and blog, I’ll leave you in a ’time’ly fashion

1. chronograph: writer of ‘time’ 2. chronometer: instrument that measures ‘time’ 3. synchronized: happens at the same ‘time’ 4. chronicle: events in ‘time’ 5. chronological: ‘time’ sequence 6. anachronism: wrong ‘time’ 7. chronic: pertaining to ‘time’ 8. crony: friend over ‘time’

Patterned WritingBroad language focus:

To have students write an orientation for a biography.

Model

Deconstruct the sentences/language used in the Einstein biography orientation paragraph

Joint deconstruct

Jointly deconstruct a Biography orientation paragraph using the patterned writing template – Martin Luther King

Independent writing

Students independently write their own orientation paragraph using the patterned writing template - Ahn Do

Patterned Writing - ModelThe author said

 Albert Einstein

 was

 one of the greatest scientists

 

 of all time.

 

What the language does 

Who 

past tense verb 

what famous for 

when 

  

The author said 

He 

 is

 best known for his Theory of

Relativity 

 and his

 many other

contributions to science.

 What the language does

 Who – pronoun

 

 verb

 what - more specific

information about what he is famous

for

 who - pronoun

 what - more general

information about what he is famous

for 

Patterned Writing - JointTHE AUTHOR SAID

 Martin Luther King

 

 was

 the leader of the

Civil Rights Movement against

racism 

 in the United

States of America

 during the 1950s

and 1960s.

WHAT THE LANGUAGE DOES 

Who – name 

past tense verb

 what - reason

for fame

 where

 

 when

 

THE AUTHOR SAID 

Tragically, 

 at the age of 39

 he

 was

 shot dead.

WHAT THE LANGUAGE DOES 

adverb (Writer’s opinion)

 

 when

 who - pronoun

 verb – past

tense 

 what

Before independent patterned writing• Read through Ahn Do’s Life Timeline (handout)- have students identify that it is organised into four sections

• Personal ife• Education• Career• Awards

 • Brainstorm words to describe Ahn Do (character/personality)

 • Brainstorm words that encapsulate what Ahn Do is best known for (famous for)

• Author• Comedian• Actor• Refugee

 • Expand on these ideas by adding more description to create more sophisticated writing

• Award-winning author• Stand-up comedian / one of Australia’s leading comedians / Australia’s funniest comedian• Impoverished / Vietnamese refugee • Vietnamese-born Australian• Talented actor / accomplished screen actor• Inspirational• Resilient• Optimistic

Patterned Writing - IndependentStudent writes

    

       

What the language does 

Who – name 

verb 

what - reason for fame

 where

 

 when

 

Student writes 

   

       

What the language does 

Who – pronoun 

 past tense verb

 what - more

specific information about what he is famous

for 

 Who - pronoun 

 what - more

general information about what he is famous

for 

Patterned Writing – Example 1

Patterned Writing – Example 2

Patterned Writing – Example 3

Patterned Writing – Example 4

Patterned Writing 2 - Modelled

Broad language focus

To have students write the next (second) biography paragraph - Life Events, in chronological order.

Patterned Writing 2 - ModelledWhat the author said Paragraph content

Born in Ulm, Germany, in 1879, he was the son of Herman and Paulina Koch Einstein.

Birth date - when

Birth location - where

Parents names – who

At five years of age, he was fascinated by a compass that his father showed him. Because of this he became interested in science

Childhood influence – what/who

He attended public school at Munich, then at Switzerland where he showed no scholastic ability

Education - where

Einstein worked at the Swiss Patent Office in Berlin, in 1902, as an examiner, so he had more free time for his scientific investigations

Early employment/work history – when/when/what

A year later, he married his first wife and they had two sons. They later separated and Einstein married his first cousin Elsa, who have him two step-daughters.

Family life – when/who

He became a Swiss citizen in 1905. Significant life event – what/where/when

Patterned Writing 2 - IndependentTask: to write the second biography paragraph – Ahn Do’s Life Events, in chronological order

.Student writes Paragraph content

 

 

 

Birth date - when

Birth location – where

  Childhood influences - what

 

 

Early employment – when/when/what

 

 

Significant life events – what/where/when

 

 

Family life – when/who

Patterned Writing – Example 1

Patterned Writing – Example 2

Assessment of Learning OutcomesTask: To produce a typed 300-400 word Biography of Ahn Do

 

Genre Structure:• Orientation – state why famous and when• Life / family background • Education • Career Achievements• Awards• Conclusion – restate why famous / contribution to society

 

Learning outcomes:• Genre structure• Relevant paragraph content• Textual features

genre structure

paragraph organisation

sentence structure

• Language features past tense

pronouns

temporal conjunctions

punctuation (full stops, capitals, commas)

 

Supporting Resources:• Timeline – Ahn Do (prepared by teacher)• Albert Einstein Biography (text model)• Patterned Writing templates – orientation and life background

Biography Example 1

(expressive language learning difficulties)

Anh Do Biography of his Life

Anh Do is a successful comedian in Australia since 1999. He is very well known for being an author of his own autobiography ‘The Happiest Refugee’ from his experience of surviving Refugee life.

Ahn Do was born on 2 June 1977 in Vietnam. In 1980, only at the age of 2 ½ years old, he boarded a leaky fishing boat to travel with his family as well as 40 other refugees to Sydney, Australia. There were some significant child influences that helped Ahn to be the person he is today. His father who would tell him that “There is now and there is too late”. Another person who helped inspire Anh was his English teacher, Mrs Borny, who first told him “Ahn you are an amazing story teller” which influenced him to tell stories which lead him to becoming a comedian. It also helped him write his autobiography. Today Ahn appears on many reality TV shows, for instance Slideshows, Deal or No Deal, The NRL Shows, Dancing With The Stars as well as many other reality shows. In 2000 Anh married Suzie, his high school sweet heart, and had three children, Xavier, Luc and Leon.

Anh Do was educated at St Aloysius Collage secondary education with a half scholarship. After his graduation from St Aloysius Collage, he studied to become a lawyer at the University of Technology in Sydney, New South Wales.

In his early years of becoming a comedian, his first show was held in 1999 in the Harold Park Hotel, Sydney. In 2000, he was the winner of National Green Faces Comedy Competition and multiple other awards. Throughout his life and career he helped multiple people including Co-writing the Film Footy Legend. His career is still going strong today as a host on TV as well as being a comedian as he hosts his own TV Show Called Anh Does Britain.

One of his earlier awards that he won in 2011 was the Indie Book of the Year Award for his autobiography ‘The Happiest Refugee’ which he wrote in 2011. He has also won many other significant awards for his book, including being shortlisted in 2011 for the NSW Premier’s Literacy Awards, Community Relations Commission Award, Winner of the Indie Award for Children’s category 2012 and winner of Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year Award in 2012.. Overall, he has won 11 awards and was shortlisted for 6 awards.

In conclusion, Anh Do is a successful Australian comedian since beginning his career in 1999. He is very well known for being an author of his own autobiography ‘The Happiest Refugee’ from his experience as a surviving refugee. The contribution that Anh Do has given to society through entrainment as a comedian has been making people laugh and sharing his inspiring story all around Australia. Through humour Anh Do has told his incredible story of being a surviving refugee to everyone and has shown just because you’re a refugee doesn’t mean you can’t do something good when you get to Australia. He always shows that if you work hard and stick to it you will be able to do it. To finish, a saying that Ahn lives by, which comes from his father, is “There’s now and there’s too late.”

Biography Example 2

(ESL)

Biography of Ahn Do

Orientation

Ahn Do is one of the best comedians in Australia since beginning in 1999. He was author of ‘The Happiest Refugee’ and he has acted in various films and made many television appearances. He is famous for actor and comedian, an award winning author and Vietnamese-born Australian. He started with being a nothing and later became a famous person. Nowadays, he often appears in famous TV shows or his own comedy show. He has also received a lot of awards during 2011 to 2013.

Life/family background

Ahn was born on 2nd June 1977 in Vietnam. When he was 21/2 years old, his family fled war-torn Vietnam to Australia as refugees in 1980. They departed on a very ancient, dirty, leaky small fishing boat with 40 other refugees. On the way to Australia, they were attacked by pirates twice in a row. They stole all of their food, water and engines. The refugees almost perished. In the end, they were found by a German Merchant ship and were finally got rescued. Ten years later after they settled in Australia, Ahn’s father left his family when Ahn was only 13 years old. He didn’t come back and see them for over 9 years. A year later, when Ahn was of 14, he started a small business breeding tropical fish. In 1999, Ahn reconciled with his father; it was 9 years since Ahn saw him last. His father had remarried with another woman and Ahn had a half-brother. His half-brother was named after Ahn which shows that Ahn’s father didn’t forget about him after he left the family. At the age of 23 he gave a house to his mother for Christmas; he felt that it was his proudest moment in his life. In the same year, he married Suzie and they had three children. In 2005, Ahn’s brother, Khoa Do, was awarded young Australian of the Year and Ahn became one of the best comedians in Australia.

Education

Ahn attended St Aloysius’ college in Milsons point for his middle school secondary education, a private school which Ahn and his brother, Khoa, joined on a half-scholarship to support paying for the school fees. When he became a University student, he studied a combined Business Law degree at the University of Technology in Sydney. By the time he had finished his degree, law firms offered Ahn jobs. However, Ahn chose to be a stand-up comedian because his friend Dave Grant, who is a comedian, notified Ahn that he earned $50-60K a year for 4 or 5 hours of work per week. Ahn’s friend’s great support helped him become a great Vietnamese born Australian comedian.

Career achievements

In 1999, while a law student and egged on by friends, he braved the stage during amateur comedy nights at Sydney’s Harold Park Hotel. Later in 2007, he was a contestant on ‘Deal or No Deal’ and won a prize of $200,000 for a home viewer. A year later, he was on ‘Dancing with the Stars’. In 2009, he was a guest on Top Gear Australia and in 2008 during the Olympics; he filmed a Beijing Olympics special for the ‘Ten Network’, a brief that included drinking (and vomiting up) juice from a snake’s gall bladder. In 2010, he published his autobiography ‘The Happiest Refugee’ for which he won many important awards.

Reflection• Power of the pedagogy

Engagement On task Improved writing Improved self-editing Confidence and greater independent Effective for students with additional learning support needs

Learning difficulties ESL

• ChallengesTime limitationsBalancing assignment support and focus on SL sequence in

consecutive lessons

ResourcesAlbert Einstein. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 3 November 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/albert-einstein-9285408.\

Alpha History (unknown). The Holocaust. Anne Frank Diary. Retrieved 20 October 2013, from http://alphahistory.com/holocaust/anne-frank-diary-1942-44/

Do, A (2010). The Happiest Refugee. Allen & Unwin: Crows Nest NSW.

Brown, K. (2002). Excel Essential Skills Series: English Year 9 (Chapter 10 Biography – Martin Luther King). Pascal Press: Glebe NSW

Membean Inc. (2011) Chronos, the God of What? Retrieved 25 October 2013, from http://membean.com/wrotds/chron-time

The Learning Place (2013). Written Genres in the Secondary School. Retrieved 3 October 2013, from http://www.learningplace.com.au/deliver/content.asp?pid=36856