Monday, May 9, 2016

Biographical Bonanza!




biography is a true story about a person's life.
Mrs. Yollis' class is currently reading biographies about
people who have made significant contributions to our world!



Artists, inventors, statesman, composers,
doctors, inventors,
aviators, astronauts, and pioneers in many fields 
are among the amazing historical figures about whom we are reading!









We are each reading a library book, as well as doing research using
 
World Book Online.



 


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After reading about your biography subject

please leave  a comment as if you are that person!




Be sure to include at least three facts you learned from your library book or the online encyclopedia. Try to use the HTML code to bold your facts!   DO NOT PLAGIARIZE! (Use your own words!)

Watch the comments to see if you can converse with another biography subject you may know!


Family members and friends: 
You are invited to choose your own biography subject and join in the conversation!

12 comments:

  1. Abigail Adams (Abigail)May 11, 2016 at 5:33 PM

    Dear fellow readers,

    I am Abigail Adams. You may already know that I have lived in the White House before, therefore I was the First Lady. Getting to live in the White House was delightful, but I would rather live in my nice, snug home in Quincy. That was where I lived the rest of my life after nine months in the White House.

    I am also well known because of the letters I wrote to my husband, John Adams. For instance, “I long to hear that you have declared an independency. And, by the way, in the new code of laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make, I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember, all men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.” This was a letter I wrote telling my husband not to forget women and girls for we have just as much to contribute as men.

    Sorry, for I need to go and wash my daughter's clothes, take care of our farm and teach all the children their daily reading lessons.

    Adieu
    A Adams

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My Dear Mrs. Adams,

      I am so happy and honored to be able to write to you here. I have long admired you! You were a wonderful role model for me as First Lady, showing me that women could play important roles in government.

      Although I was born 140 years after you, we have much in common. I too lived in the White House with my husband, Franklin. I, as you, supported my husband during his presidency. When my husband became ill with polio, I took trips to seek out facts and information that he needed to be able to continue his work in office.

      You inspired me to carry on the work of fighting for the place of women in our country. I journeyed around the United States giving lectures and holding many press conferences particularly for women reporters. In addition, I wrote numerous articles for magazines and a daily newspaper column.

      I certainly hope that I carried on well the work that you started and that I inspired more women to do the same.

      Very sincerely yours,

      Eleanor Roosevelt

      Delete
  2. Dear Mrs. Yollis,

    My name is Malala and I fought for women's rights in Pakistan. I also helped to stop the Taliban, but they shot me in the head for doing so. I had to be in the hospital for a long time, yet I survived. Sadly, I couldn't go back to see my friends, for my family had bought a house in the UK.

    It is very different here. I don't have to go outside with my head covered, nor do I have to worry about surviving when I go outside. The UK is very strange, but at least I don't have to panic about the Taliban.

    Sincerely,
    Malala (Aaron)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My dearest Malala,

      I must say that I am so sorry about what happened to you in Pakistan. However, I am so proud of your efforts in the fight for women's rights.

      During my years as First Lady from 1933 to 1945, I worked to improve the status and opportunities for women in the United States. I was never physically hurt, nor did I fear for my life as I did this work, so I am particularly awestruck by what you went through. I believe I read that you are the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate. What a wonderful and well-deserved honor!

      Although I am so proud of you and your work, I am saddened to know that such a fight for women's rights must still be fought. After the death of my husband, Franklin, I went to work as a delegate to the United Nations. In fact, I was voted in as the chairman of the UN's Human Rights Commission and helped to write the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I was even selected by President John F. Kennedy as the head of the Commission on the Status of Women. I knew then that many improvements still needed to be made for women, but I had hoped that things today would be even better all over the world than they are.

      I thank you so much for all your efforts, dear Malala. I know you are an inspiration to girls and women all over the world today.

      With sincerest gratitude,

      Eleanor Roosevelt

      Delete
  3. Dearest classmates,
    'Tis I, Benjamin Franklin, a statesman, printer, writer, and last, but definitely not least an inventor. I know I was famous, yet I started our as a very poor man. In fact, one of the rules for my household growing up was we could not talk about the food on the table because most of the time my family served mush. I performed very well in school, yet I was terrible at math.

    Did you know once, when I was thirteen, I wanted to publish something in my brother's newspaper, so I left my story under the door with the pen name of "Silence Doggood"? My brother loved the story. It featured pigs falling in mud holes.

    You probably have heard of all I've done when I was an adult-- inventing bifocals and discovering electricity, but you probably didn't know about the things I did when I was a child.

    Here are some famous quotations published by me: "Little strokes fell great oaks." This means that little by little you get the job done. " A penny saved is a penny earned." This means you should save food, money or anything you have. "Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." This means go to bed early so you can get up early and go to work.

    Goodbye, I must go to bed now. Farewell.


    Your friend,
    Ben Franklin

    ReplyDelete
  4. George Washington (aka Ari)May 12, 2016 at 6:28 PM

    Dear Future Leaders of the World,

    Wow! I can’t believe how far America has advanced since I was a young child of nine years old like you. I had four younger siblings in addition to two older half siblings. I don’t really remember a lot about my dad, however I didn’t have a very warm relationship with my mother. I hope you have a good relationship with your parents.

    You’ll probably grow up and go to college, but I joined the military at 20 years old after my older brother died of smallpox. You have vaccines, so you don’t have to worry about this disease.

    After the war, I became a farmer, nevertheless I still stayed involved in politics. In fact, I didn’t even become president until I was 55 years old. However, I never lived in the White House. I stayed at my family home in Mount Vernon.

    I dedicated my life to our wonderful country, and I hope you see that you can do anything you want with your life.

    Can someone tell us why I didn’t live in the White House? Also, was Washington, D.C. the first capital?

    Sincerely,
    George Washington, your first president

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ring! Ring! Ring!

    Hello?
    I’m Alexander Graham Bell and I am most known for inventing the telephone in 1876. Inventing a kite that would lift you up in the air was very fun, but I am mostly famous for creating the telephone. In Boston, I started to teach deaf people to read lips and talk back to them.

    I’m wondering, How do kids or adults use telephones now? Do they enjoy them? I would be so happy to hear that they use them very usefully. Seeing them play videogames all day would be the worst, so use them for calls and really important messages.

    Meeting all my fellow friends back in time would make my day better, yet seeing my family happy makes me even more joyful!

    Who else invented technology? I heard there is someone named Steve Jobs in your class, and he invented something special with the phone. I wonder what he created?

    Yours Truly,
    Alexander Graham Bell

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dear fellow classmates,

    I have to preform a famous song soon, but I have time to talk about myself. I was born in 1756 and I died in 1791 ☹, so I lived for only 35 years. I lived for a very short life, but I would be glad to see what had happen to my music ☺.
    I wrote my first piece of music when I was only 3 years old! How rude of me, I forgot to tell you my name. It's Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. I am one of the most famous composers who ever lived.

    I am sorry, but I have to go play a famous song I have created, so I must say "farewell fellow classmates"

    Your composer,
    Mozart
    (Michael)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,

    I was very famous for building libraries and built the Edgar Thomson Steel Works Company. Can you guess who I am?

    My name is Andrew Carnegie and I was born in Dunfermline, Scotland on November 25, 1835.

    My father, William Carnegie, lost his job in Scotland working with hand power machine. He didn’t make enough money, so we moved to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania where two of my aunts lived.

    While I was in the Pittsburg, I learned how to be a telegraph messenger and restored railways and telegraphs for the army.

    One of my biggest achievements is building libraries. I believed that everyone including children should have access to all books! Reading is important and fun. Therefore, I paid for 2,811 libraries to be built.

    I was also eager to build a humungous and modern steel mill, called the Edgar Thomson Steel Works. My steel was a lot stronger and easier to work with than other material. Eventually, companies would use my steel to build railroads and bridges across the United States.

    With my success, I’ve earned a lot of money. I spent my life in finding ways to give away my huge fortune because I believed that the world would be a better place if people were educated. So I gave a lot of money to schools and colleges, retired workers, peace organizations and doctors and scientists to find cures for diseases.

    I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about who I am.

    Sincerely Yours,
    Andrew Carnegie (Stella)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hello fellow Americans!

    My name is Ronald Reagan, and I am the 40th president of the United States. These days, a lot of people think, oh Ronald Reagan is the 40th president of the U.S.A, but I was also an actor, a politician, a lifeguard, and a governor. Not what you expected am I right? I was actually in more than 50 movies.

    I had a great life and all, but there is one thing I really want. Abraham Lincoln got his own memorial and George Washington got his own monument. He even got a state named after his last name! I mean, can’t I have a special place since I was a president too? Like at least have a state named after my last name like George Washington, or maybe even a museum. That would be awesome!

    Inside my memorial, I could have a statue featuring me of course and also, I might put in a statue of Sandra Day O’Connor because thanks to me, she was the first woman ever to become a Supreme Court Justice. Oh yeah, and there would definitely be jelly beans inside my monument. Oh how I love jelly beans. In fact, in my meetings I would pass a jar of Jelly Belly beans around to everybody, including me. Most important, the falling of the Berlin Wall was an important event in my presidency! This is super important because I bravely said, “Tear down this wall Mr.Gorbachlev!” After that, you wouldn’t believe what happened. Two years later, the wall was down!


    God bless America! Do any other presidents echo my opinions?

    President Jefferson, do you have any monument?

    All the best,
    Ronald Reagan (Karissa)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Harriet Tubman ( Kate)May 16, 2016 at 1:19 PM

    Dear Class,

    My name is Harriet Tubman, but some people call me Minnie. I am famous for leading the underground railroad where slaves attempted to escape. When I was a child I lived in a log cabin. I was purchased to be a slave when I was six years old. Along with my brothers and sisters, it was a life changing experience.

    At 21, I was in love with John Tubman who was born free. I made a quilt for him as a sign of our love. It was harder than I expected because I was not used to holding the needle because it was so tiny and hard to find on the dirt floor.

    After 1849, I arrived in Philadelphia but I vowed to return to Maryland to help liberate other slaves. In total, I made 19 trips after the Congress pass the Fugitive Slave Act of 1950. Shortly, I became known as the underground railroad conductor. To be safe, I carried a gun and thought I would use it on anyone who threatened the operation.

    At first, even though I was extremely shy in front of a crowd, I was a good story teller. In 1860, I was on my way to Boston to see a former slave named Charles Nalles who had been caught by a slave hunter. He was held in the courthouse for his hearing and there were many people there in support.

    In 1861, the Civil War started for many reasons. One of the reason was because the South wanted to keep slaves, but the North wanted all slaves to be free. The government asked me to work as a nurse and a spy for the Union army. I knew my life a slave and wanted slavery to end for all people. Of course, I said yes!

    The black soldiers did not act free and waited for orders from the white man they were fighting alongside. That is where I assisted and I told the men to look at themselves as free and not to wait for orders as they would be killed if they did that. The war went on to 1862 and beyond.

    In 1863, Abraham Lincoln was President of the United States and I was asked to do a different job and work as a spy. In June 2, 1863, I set off with hundreds of black soldiers in order to dismantle the train tracks so that the Southern army was not able to get supplies. When the war ended the government owed me $1,800.00 for my work.

    In 1913, I had turned ninety-two and I caught pneumonia and died. But I have come back to share my story with you and here I am now.


    Love Harriet Tubman (Kate)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Neil Armstrong (Rayhan)May 17, 2016 at 9:12 PM

    Dear Mrs Yollis,

    Buzz, buzz, buzz. This is Neil Armstrong speaking. Wow! This blog looks sensational. I am astonished that computers have more technology than when I used to be young. Besides,
    NASA has started to send more astronauts. When I went to space I traveled with only three people.


    What was your mission or space ship? I almost got lost in space in my first mission. I did not like the shuttle, nor the features of it. Fortunately, I saved everybody with my amazing pilot skills. "Boy was that scary."
    Did you know I was the commander of all the missions I have gone to. Finally, in my next mission I was triumphant. I was so delighted when I reached the surface of the moon, I said these famous words...
    "One small step for a man a giant leap for mankind."I know those words will be famed, and they are.

    In 1969, President Nixon honored me by bestowing the Presidential Medal of Freedom to me. I felt special, for this award is my work in space. Farewell my friends, I will see you another time.

    Sincerely,
    Neil Armstrong (Rayhan)

    ReplyDelete

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