TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ............................................................4 Langston Hughes (1902–1967)...............................68 Benjamin Banneker (1731–1806) .............................5 Thurgood Marshall (1908–1993) ............................71 Elizabeth Freeman (1742–1829) ...............................8 Jesse Owens (1913–1980) ......................................74 Phillis Wheatley (1753?–1784)............................... 11 Rosa Parks (1913–2005) ........................................77 David Walker (1785?–1830) ..................................14 Daisy Bates (1914?–1999) .....................................80 Sojourner Truth (1797–1883) .................................17 Gwendolyn Brooks (1917–2000) ...........................83 Maria Stewart (1803–1879) ....................................20 Jacob Lawrence (1917–2000) .................................86 Solomon Northup (1808–18??)...............................23 Jackie Robinson (1919–1972) ................................89 Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) ............................26 Alex Haley (1921–1992) ........................................92 Harriet Tubman (1819?–1913) ................................29 Shirley Chisholm (1924–2005) ..............................95 Robert Smalls (1839–1915) ....................................32 Andrew Foster (1925–1987) ...................................98 Daniel Hale Williams (1856?–1931) ......................35 Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–1968) .....................101 Booker T. Washington (1856–1915)...... ................. 38 Faith Ringgold (1930– ) ................................ 104 George Washington Carver (1861?–1943) ..............41 Alvin Ailey (1931–1989) ......................................107 Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862–1931) ......................... 44 Colin Powell (1937– ) ................................... 110 Mary Church Terrell (1863–1954) ..........................47 Wilma Rudolph (1940–1994) ............................... 113 Matthew Henson (1866–1955) ...............................50 Oprah Winfrey (1954– )......... ...... .................116 Scott Joplin (1867?–1917) ......................................53 Mae Jemison (1956– ) ................................... 119 W. E. B. DuBois (1868–1963) ................................56 Barack Obama (1961– ) ................................122 Bessie Coleman (1892–1926) ................................59 Answer Key .........................................................125 Marian Anderson (1897–1993) ..............................62 Assessment Grid ..................................................128 Louis Armstrong (1901–1971) ................................65 © Carson-Dellosa • CD-104202 3 AFRICAN AMERICAN ACHIEVERS INTRODUCTION Invite students to experience the thrill of reading with the historical biographies in African American Achievers: High-Interest Nonfiction. The passages in this book are appropriate for students in the intermediate grades. Among these grade levels, and even within individual classrooms, you will find learners at different reading levels. When presenting students with a new text, there is always the danger of either frustrating struggling readers or boring those students who have jumped ahead. To help all of these students maintain interest and find success in their reading assignments, this book presents each passage at two different reading levels. Also included with each passage is a set of comprehension questions that applies to both versions of the story and a bonus activity. The questions test students’ skills in determining main idea, reading for details, sequencing, using context clues, and drawing conclusions. The bonus activity is a writing extension that reinforces reasoning skills and encourages students to connect prior knowledge with the text. An assessment grid at the back of the book makes it easy to see which reading comprehen- sion skills each student has mastered. An icon in the lower right or left A indicates the higher-level version. corner of each passage designates the reading level. A indicates the lower-level version. { Use the rubric below to help you assess students’ writing after they have completed the bonus writing extension following each passage. NOVICE EMERGING INDEPENDENT DISTINGUISHED Stayed on topic Did not stay Stayed on topic TOPIC for most of the Stayed on topic on topic with elaboration paragraph Outstanding ORGANIZATION Not organized Organized Well organized organization WRITTEN Hard to Easier to Easy to Well written, EXPRESSION understand understand understand elaborated © Carson-Dellosa • CD-104202 4 AFRICAN AMERICAN ACHIEVERS BENJAMIN BANNEKER (11–106) he young man bent over the pocket What else did Benjamin find interesting? He watch. In the 1700s, a pocket watch liked to study the stars. In one of the fields was a rare and valuable thing. Clocks on his farm, Benjamin built a “work cabin.” Tand watches were not made in the colonies The cabin had a skylight cut in the roof. He of America. The young man borrowed this looked at the stars through this hole in the watch from a wealthy neighbor. But, he did roof and made charts of the sky. Then, he not want to show it off or use it—he wanted wrote and published an almanac, a book that to take it apart! Piece by piece, the 21 year showed when the moon would be full and old took apart the precious watch. Carefully, when people should plant crops. he made a drawing of each tiny gear and component. Then, he put the whole watch In 1791, Benjamin was given a new job. He together again. was asked to help survey, or map out, the new city of Washington, D.C., with a man Benjamin Banneker was the son of a former named Andrew Ellicott. A Frenchman named slave. He lived as a free man in Maryland. Pierre L’Enfant was going to design the new Even though Benjamin had only gone to city—the roads, government buildings, and school for a short time, he was full of curios- parks. L’Enfant had a bad temper and was ity. He loved the fascinating pieces of the unreliable. He was fired. The government had watch, so he started to make large-sized paid for his plans, but L’Enfant took the plans copies of the gears. He carved these pieces with him when he left. Many people believe out of wood. He added chimes to ring for that Benjamin came to the rescue. They say each hour. When it was done, his hand- that he helped Ellicott remember every detail carved clock was the first chiming clock ever of the plans and drew them all from memory! made in America. Even though the wooden The work on Washington, D.C., went on, parts wore down over time, the clock worked partially thanks to Benjamin Banneker. perfectly for 50 years. After his parents died, Benjamin ran their farm. He also repaired watches and clocks. Thanks to his work on the pocket watch, he knew how to fix them. © Carson-Dellosa • CD-104202 5 AFRICAN AMERICAN ACHIEVERS BENJAMIN BANNEKER (11–106) he young man bent over the watch. What else did Benjamin find interesting? In the 1700s, a watch was a rare and He liked the stars. In one of the fields on valuable thing. Clocks and watches his farm, Benjamin built a “work cabin.” Twere not made in the colonies of America. The cabin had a skylight cut in the roof. He The young man borrowed this watch from looked at the stars through this hole in the a wealthy neighbor. But, he did not want to roof. He made charts of the sky. He wrote show it off. He did not want to use it. He and published an almanac. This was a book wanted to take it apart! The 21 year old took that showed when the moon would be full apart the watch piece by piece. He made a and when people should plant crops. drawing of each tiny gear and part. Then, he put the whole watch back together again. In 1791, Benjamin was given a new job. He was asked to help a man named Andrew Benjamin Banneker was the son of a freed Ellicott map out the new city of Washington, slave. He lived in Maryland. Banneker only D.C. A man from France named Pierre L’Enfant went to school for a short time. But, he planned the roads, buildings, and parks for was interested in everything around him. the city. L’Enfant had a bad temper. He was He loved the watch. He started to make fired. The government had paid for his plans. big copies of the gears. He carved these But, L’Enfant took the plans with him when he pieces out of wood. He added chimes. They left. Many people think that Benjamin came rang for each hour. When it was done, his to the rescue. They say that he helped Ellicott hand-carved clock was the first clock of its draw all of the plans from memory. The work kind made in America. The wooden parts on Washington, D.C., went on, in part thanks wore down over time, but the clock worked to Benjamin Banneker. perfectly for 50 years. After Benjamin’s parents died, he ran their farm. He also repaired watches and clocks. Thanks to his neighbor’s watch, he knew how to fix them. © Carson-Dellosa • CD-104202 6 AFRICAN AMERICAN ACHIEVERS NAME: __________________________________ DATE: ________________ BENJAMIN BANNEKER (11–106) 1. Choose a good title for this story. 4. Answer the following questions. A. Watching the Stars • Where did enjamin anneker lie as a child? B. An Interesting Life C. Looking at Maps ______________________________________________________ D. From Clocks to the Capital • What did enjamin build after he took apart the watch? 2. What does the word chimes mean in the story? ______________________________________________________ A. the part of a clock that ticks • Why did enjamin build