"Leave the beaten track behind occasionally and dive into the woods. Everytime you do so you will be certain to find something that you have never seen before..."
- Alexander Graham Bell (as stated in Lemelson-MIT, Sept. 2000).
Fascinated with sound, the voice, and its characteristics, Alexander Graham Bell explored these natural phenomena and became one of the men that invented the telephone. The article about him on Inventor of the Week is a short biography, mentioning some of his other accomplishments and interests as well. The language is targeted toward a middle school reading level, but I would probably guide students to select passages, depending upon their reading level. Although not American-born, he lived in America and became an American citizen - which may resonate with English language learning students who usually are from other countries. For an activity with this article, students would work in groups to create a picture biography of Mr. Bell. The pictures could be draw, from texts/periodicals, or printed from the internet; and the form of the final product is the student's choice: digital, paper, or more elaborate.
Lemelson-MIT. (Sept. 2000). Alexander Graham Bell: The telephone. Inventor of the Week.
Retrieved from http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/graham_bell.html
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ReplyDeleteI think featuring Alexander Graham Bell, and emphasizing his being a migrant to the United States will give your students inspiration. Unknown language, or culture is not a barrier, it can be learned, in fact, it can be learned really well, and can bring anyone to higher grounds.
ReplyDeleteThis post borders on perfection. I really like that you started with an interesting and accessible quote and that his picture is right there next to the text, ensuring that you pay attention. I think the use of different colors for key words was genius and your paragraph describing the article definitely drew me in.
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