I used to be one of those people who thought kindergarten students were not able to truly access biographies because of the amount of background knowledge and historical context necessary. This past school year, I was proved wrong! One of my district's units was about how people grow. The enduring understanding was, "Students will understand that people grow in many ways (physically, intellectually, socially, and emotionally)." Immediately, I was drawn to the idea of teaching biographies since there are so many wonderful examples of real people who have changed the world with their growth. Yet, I worried about my kids being able to access the content knowledge involved in biographies. This led me to a thorough search of the available children's literature. What I found was incredible. There are really accessible, well-written biographies for young children available. This led me to creating a unit centered around learning about the genre of biography and understanding how real people used their growth to have an impact. One of my absolute favorite books (and one the students' favorites) is
Star Stuff by Stephanie Roth Sisson. This is not your typical "Abraham Lincoln" style biography. It's about a man named Carl Sagan who studied the cosmos and became a pioneer in space study and the search for extraterrestrial life. Throughout the book, students see how Carl Sagan grew as a learner and as a thinker, even as a young boy. I begin this unit by building background knowledge about space. By doing so, students are better able to understand Carl Sagan's contributions to science. Here's the link to my planner:
Another really excellent biography for young children is Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell. This biography of Jane Goodall is very engaging for young students who love to learn about animals and Jane's interactions with chimpanzees in Africa. Jane also grows as a learner and as an advocate for animal rights. The book goes into depth about her childhood and how she became interested in working with animals. Students can connect with her childhood interests and passions. Again, I start by building background knowledge about Africa and chimpanzees.
At the end of the unit, I asked students to reflect on this question: "How do people grow as learners?" I was impressed with the depth of students' responses. Using what they learned about Carl Sagan and Jane Goodall (as well as other people we discussed), they generated remarkable insight into how people grow:
