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TEN FOR BEN starts with the basics—a portrait to color; activities
that help students discover who, what, when and where; study questions;
a list to take to the library. I've found that basic elements such as
these are often the hardest to find online. Any good lesson should offer
them in one place.
• All these basic activities are designed to be printed out and reproduced
on copiers. The printed pages can stand on their own or be used to guide
students as they do research, either online or in the library.
• The activities are designed for individual students and teams.
For team teaching, divide the class into small teams and assign each team
a different activity. Then have teams share what they know. For example,
information from Ben's Portraits answers some of the questions on Ben's
People.
• Activities cover a wide range of interests and ability levels.
• Activities are designed to help students develop research skills, not
just find answers.
• Some activities can be used as quizzes. These can be administered both
before and after the lesson unit so that the teacher can measure progress.
Because the answers are available online (below, on this page), the answer
pages are also designed to be part of the learning process.
• The lesson has only a few links, but they are of the highest quality,
chosen to cover the subject as widely and in as great a depth as possible.
The links are also chosen because of how well they tie into the American
public school curriculum at grades 4 to 8.
Objectives of the Lesson Unit
After
working with this material, students should be able to
• answer basic questions about Benjamin Franklin's biography.
• identify important contributions made by Benjamin Franklin to American
and world culture.
• identify the sources where information about Franklin can be found.
• prepare an accurate report on Benjamin Franklin or some aspect
of his life and work.
Grade Levels
The lesson is designed for grades 4 to 8. However, younger students can easily do some of the activities, such as Ben's Portraits and Ben's Quotes, and older students will find the Library List and Study Questions especially helpful. The links are to family-oriented sites that can be enjoyed by everyone.
Bibliography for this Lesson
Benjamin
Franklin article in Encyclopedia Britannica
Benjamin Franklin: A Biography, by Ronald W. Clark
Franklin of Philadelphia, by Esmond Wright
Answer Pages
Answers: Ben's Study Questions
Copyright 2002
by Judith Conaway. This page may be reproduced for educational and nonprofit
uses only.
