Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt

Written by Kem Knapp Sawyer

"Surely, in the light of history, it is more intelligent to hope

rather than to fear; to try rather than to not try.

For one thing we know beyond all doubt:

Nothing has ever been achieved by the

person who says 'It can't be done.'"

-Eleanor Roosevelt

Genre: Biography

Awards: None

Suggested Grade Levels:

3rd – 6th; This biography is well written for young readers in grades 3-6 because it’s vocabulary and length is manageable. The abundance of pictures makes the length of the book not as long as students’ initial perceptions might be.

Summary:

This thorough biography of first lady Eleanor Roosevelt gives a detailed account of her life from being a young girl whose mother passed away to being the president’s wife during the New Deal to being an inspiring leader who overcame her family’s expectations of her. Deemed the “ugly duckling” by her family, she became an active teacher, writer, and political activist, impacting the world in all her positions and leading a beautiful life.     Organized in 18 short chapters, this biography helps readers with comprehension by selecting one event or location as the focus of each chapter. It also contains a timeline and index for research after reading.

How could Eleanor Roosevelt be used in the classroom?

After reading this biography, the class could utilize their language arts skills to write a letter to Eleanor Roosevelt. Students might consider telling her their honest opinions of her life, what they’ve learned from her, what they think she could’ve done differently, or things they liked about her. This activity would entail students to recall facts and events about her life from the biography, while giving them more experience in writing letters, as well as staying on topic. To instruct students in vocabulary development, students may write down each word they do not understand as they progress through the chapters and write down thoughts of what that word might mean, given the context. If a word is defined in the book (as in the definition boxes), the student would also write down these words. After each chapter students will look up one word from their list in the dictionary to teach the class its meaning. (This activity should be limited to just a few chapters so students are not overwhelmed or distracted from comprehension.) This book could also be used during a social studies unit on presidents or more specifically, the New Deal or World War II. Students could use this book to research a perspective of these historical events and may look for bias in the text compared to other texts.

ESOL strategies/applications/accommodations:

Teachers can use the timeline on pages 122-123 to help guide ESOL students who may struggle with this text. Encouraging them to use the timeline constantly as a reference to keep track of her life would help them feel motivated to continue and reminded of important events they’ve already read about. This biography could be used to instruct ESOL students on the importance of visuals and indexes as sources of information and research for comprehension. Students may also consider completing a Venn Diagram after the first five chapters of this biography. Students can practice comparing and contrasting Eleanor Roosevelt’s life, feelings, and family with their own. This activity would lend itself to building comprehension and making connections so students are engaged, interested, and motivated.

Suggested Read Aloud pages:

Chapters 9 and 10 lend themselves to being great read-alouds because they describe some of the hardest points in Mrs. Roosevelt’s life. It gives her a well-rounded realistic perspective that she is “human,” and not just a hero. There were struggles and trials in her life that she had to overcome. With a read-aloud and discussion of these chapters, students would be exposed to manners of coping and overcoming battles in life and can discuss emotions.

My opinion of Eleanor Roosevelt and its illustrations:

This biography truly captures the beauty, hardship, and excellence of first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt. With each chapter clearly labeled, the reader can stay focused as they explore a new aspect of her life, seeing her true compassion and valuable work ethic. The photographs provided on every page really interest the reader, giving them a greater sympathy and realistic perspective of Eleanor Roosevelt.