Did you know that J.R.R. Tolkien developed 14 fictional languages for his books and that at least one of them derived from a nonsense language he came up with as a child? Well, iLEAD Exploration third-grader Joseph Clark learned this fun fact and more while researching the beloved author’s life at iLEAD Exploration’s OC Learning Studio recently.
Biographies were the focus in the 3rd-5th grade social studies group last term at the OC Learning Studio, but researching and writing about a famous person’s life is also a great way for your child to learn important research skills and practice informational writing.
At the Learning Studio, the class highlighted different groups of people (mathematicians, scientists, artists, athletes, authors, etc.) each learning period. Their biographical studies culminated in an end of the year project that gave learners the chance to choose someone of interest to them to research and present to their classmates.
Learners were asked to choose someone they would like to research and then to create a shoebox float or diorama to present their figure. The class also composed and delivered a speech about their person to share with the class. The goal was for learners to have the freedom to choose someone who interested them and to create a project to present to their classmates. Having choice empowered learners to choose someone who intrigued them.
Choices varied from family members to authors. Armed with a note taking outline, learners focused on the outline’s key questions to guide their research as they gathered the information they needed for the presentation. Maya Angelou, Tom Brady, Rickey Henderson, Elon Musk, one learner’s great grandfather, Steve Jobs, Duke Kahanamoku, and, of course, J.R.R. Tolkien were among those highlighted in this project.
The Shoebox Float/Diorama Project gave learners a tangible opportunity to create a vision for their project. They were given a rough guideline outlining how to create their float/diorama, but then had freedom to develop their own project. As Joseph Clark put it: “I really enjoyed this project because Tolkien was interesting to learn about. I was excited to create the hobbit hole from one of his books to show my class.”
So we say to you: “A vanimar, vanimálion nostari” (that’s Tolkien’s language Elvish for “O beautiful ones, parents of beautiful children”) try making a float or a diorama of someone you study this year!
All About Biography Report: Notes Packet
