BIOGRAPHY Julius Caesar Cleopatra by Sarah Albee ® Genre: Biography Level: W/60* LITERARY ANALYSIS How to use this book s2ESPONDTOANDINTERPRETTEXT 1. Learn about the genre by reading pages 2–3. Get Julius Caesar s-AKETEXT TO TEXTCONNECTIONS background information about the subjects of the s!NALYZETHEGENRE biographies on pages 5–7. (Shared reading) READING SKILLS 2. Read the biographies for enjoyment. (Leveled Comprehension texts) Cleopatra s%VALUATEFACTANDOPINION 3. Reread the biographies and answer the questions s)DENTIFYMAINIDEAAND on pages 16–17 and 28–29. (Shared reading) SUPPORTINGDETAILS Word Study 4. Reread the last biography. Pay attention to the comments in the margins. See how an author BIOGRAPHIES OF s7ORDORIGINS writes a biography. (Leveled text) Tier Two Vocabulary TWO LEADERS FROM SEE'LOSSARY 5. Follow the steps on pages 30–31 to write your own biography. (Shared reading) ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS WRITING SKILLS 6. Complete the activity on the inside back cover. Writer’s Tools Answer the follow-up questions. (Shared reading) s3TRONGLEAD by Sarah Albee Writer’s Craft s(OWTOWRITEABIOGRAPHY THEME CONNECTIONS Table of Contents s!NCIENT#IVILIZATIONS Focus on the Genre: Biography . .2 Tools for Readers and Writers . .4 *The reading level assigned to this The World and Lives of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra . .5 text is based on the genre examples only. “Focus on the Genre,” “Reread,” and “Writer’s Craft” features were not Julius Caesar . .8 leveled. These sections are intended Credits for read-aloud or shared reading. Project Editor: Jeffrey B. Fuerst Cleopatra . .18 Creative Director: Laurie Berger Benchmark Education Company Senior Art Director: Glenn Davis The Writer’s Craft: Biography . .30 Director of Photography: Doug Schneider &IFTH!VENUEs0ELHAM .9s Photo Editor: Diane French Glossary . .32 ©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC. English Language Arts Advisor: Donna Schmeltekopf Clark All rights reserved. No part of this publication Make Connections Across Texts . Inside Back Cover may be reproduced or transmitted in any form Photo credits: Cover, Pages 6–15, 17–18, 22–23, 25–26, 29, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, 31: The Granger Collection, New York; Page 21: Réunion des including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without Musées Nationaux/Art Resource, NY; Page 27: Bildarchiv permission in writing from the publisher. Preussischer Kulturbesitz/Art Resource, NY Printed in Guangzhou, China. For information about ordering, call Toll-Free 1-877-236-2465 XXXX-XX-XXXX or visit our Web site: www.benchmarkeducation.com. ISBN: 978-1-4509-3023-9 Focus on the Genre A biography tells the person’s date and place of birth. BIOGRAPHYBIOGRAPHY A biography tells A biography starts about the person’s with a strong “hook.” family, childhood, and What is a biography? important events. A biography is a factual retelling of another person’s life. The person may have lived long ago or in recent history, or the person may still be alive today. Biographies can cover a person’s entire life, or just important parts of a person’s life. When possible, Features a biography includes direct quotes from the person. This helps the reader make a connection to the person. of a Biography A biography What is the purpose of a biography? A biography describes describes the person’s the person’s impact A biography helps a reader understand the people, places, personality and on the world. times, and events that were or are important in the subject’s life. characteristics. It provides a summary of the person’s major life experiences and achievements. In addition, the way the author writes the biography helps a reader get a sense of the person as a real human being A biography quotes who had (and perhaps still has) an impact on the lives of others. the person and/or How do you read a biography? people who knew the person. The title will tell you the subject of the biography and may include something interesting about him or her. The first paragraph will try to “hook” the reader by capturing his or her attention. As you read, note the setting. The setting often influences what Who writes biographies? happens in a person’s life. Also pay close attention to the sequence People who write biographies want to learn more about others’ of events in the person’s life. Ask yourself: Did this event happen life stories and how those people made their marks on the world. to the person, or did the person make it happen? How did this event Some people write biographies because they are interested in a affect the person’s life? What do I admire about this person? Is there certain topic, such as sports, history, or cooking. Others write something in this person’s experiences that I could apply to my life? biographies simply because they are interested in people! 2 3 The World and Lives of Caesar and Cleopatra Today, Italy, Greece, and Egypt are independent countries. But a few Tools for Readers and Writers thousand years ago, the governments and people of each place were Strong Lead interconnected. Italy as we know it today didn’t exist. Instead, it was the Writers of biographies try to “hook” readers, or grab their attention, center of the powerful ancient Roman Republic. The Republic expanded and spread as its army conquered territory after territory. Julius Caesar with the fi rst few sentences, or lead. A strong lead tells readers was one of three leaders of the Republic in 60 B.C.E. something important about the subject of the biography and hints at why he or she is worth reading about. Writers use two types of leads. At the time, Caesar and the Romans sought control of Egypt, whose rulers were descendants of ancient Greece. The Greeks, under the leadership • direct lead—tells who or what the piece is about and why of Alexander the Great, had freed Egypt from Persian rule in 332 B.C.E. the subject is important Ptolemy (TAH-leh-mee), a former general in Alexander’s army, founded • indirect lead—may quote someone, ask a question, describe Egypt’s next ruling dynasty in 305 B.C.E. Cleopatra would be the last in a setting, or tell an anecdote, or true story, about the subject the line of rulers descended from Ptolemy. Word Origins When Cleopatra was born, the once-glorious Egyptian Empire was in a state of decline. The Ptolemies had turned out to be weak rulers. By the time Where do English words come from? Did someone wake up one Caesar and Cleopatra met, Egypt’s treasury had become severely depleted. morning and decide to call that thing that takes your temperature a Egypt was still an independent country, but it had grown increasingly thermometer? No. Most English words come from other languages, dependent on Rome for economic help and military protection. Under such as Greek, Latin, German, and French, to name a few. her rule, Cleopatra restored much of Egypt’s wealth. Julius Caesar’s Thermometer comes from the Greek words thermo, meaning grandnephew would turn Egypt into a province of ancient Rome. “heat,” and meter, meaning “an instrument that measures something.” BRITANNIA Other words with thermo in them also have to do with heat, such 8LI6SQER)QTMVI as thermos. A thermos is a container that keeps liquids hot. Other "5-"/5*$ &') 0$&"/ words with meter at the end have to do with measuring something, GAUL 'ETMXEPGMX] (FRANCE) CISALPINE 2SXI%PPERGMIRXTPEGIREQIW such as pedometer. A pedometer measures how far a person walks. GAUL ETTIEVMRMXEPMGW ILLYRICUM ITALIA NEARER DL4FB SPAIN (ITALY) #MB Identify Main Idea and Supporting Details FURTHER SPAIN Before an author writes a biography, he or she creates an outline Rome PONTUS MACEDONIA ASIA of information. Each section of the outline discusses a portion, or (GREECE) CILICIA AFRICA SYRIA “big idea,” of the person’s life. Each section contains specifi c details NOVA CRETE AFRICA . N F E CYPRUS supporting each big idea. After the outline is complete, the author J U F S S B O F B O 4 F B incorporates the big ideas and supporting details into one biography. QM W E OQ CYRENE These big ideas are called main ideas. Main ideas often appear in EGYPT S the fi rst sentence of a paragraph. These main ideas are called stated main ideas. Other times main ideas are unstated, or implied. Readers must use what they read to fi gure out the main idea. 5 4 Y06076_BK.indd 5 7/8/11 4:11:43 PM Julius Caesar Cleopatra 100 B.C.E.–44 B.C.E. 69 B.C.E.–30 B.C.E. 100 B.C.E.7569636053 51 49 48 48 Gaius Julius Caesar Caesar is captured Cleopatra is born. Octavian, Caesar’s Caesar is elected Crassus, part of the First Cleopatra’s father, Ptolemy drives Caesar defeats Caesar and Cleopatra is born in Rome. by pirates; after he is grandnephew (who consul and forms Triumvirate, is killed in Auletes, dies, leaving Cleopatra out of Pompey at the battle meet and form an released, he returns later is known as First Triumvirate Parthia. With Crassus his throne to 18-year- Egypt. She fl ees to of Pharsalus. Pompey alliance. Caesar backs and executes them. Augustus Caesar), with Pompey dead, a power struggle old Cleopatra and Syria. Roman civil is murdered in Egypt. her in a civil war is born. and Crassus. begins between Caesar her younger brother, war erupts. Caesar Caesar is now the against her brother. and Pompey, the two Ptolemy XIII, to crosses the Rubicon most powerful ruler remaining triumvirs. rule together. to fi ght Pompey. in the world.