The Story of My Life Helen Keller- Young Adult biography

          

The Story of My Life: Helen Keller

Biography- Young Adult

 

This biography of the remarkable Helen Keller was first published in 1903.  It is the true story of Helen Keller who was both deaf and blind from a young age.  She was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama in 1880. When she was just 19 months old, she came down with a fever that would take her ability to hear and her vision.  This triumphant tale chronicles this brave young lady and her challenges as an individual with disabilities.

Helen was an extremely intelligent child who tried to understand her surroundings through touch, smell, and taste.  By the time Helen was 7, she had developed nearly 60 different hand gestures to communicate with her parents.  Helen was often frustrated because of her inability to express herself.  Her teacher Anne Sullivan helped Helen learn the alphabet manual, and she started communicating by finger spelling.  Anne also taught Helen to read Braille and raised type and print block letters.  At the age of 9, she was able to speak and read lips.  

For four years, Anne attended Perkins School for the Blind.  After that, she attended the Cambridge School for Young Ladies to prepare for Radcliffe College.  She graduated from Radcliffe College in 1904 with honors and become the first blind and deaf person to earn a Bachelor of Arts Degree.  

We all could learn a lot from Helen Keller and her determination, gumption, and courage.  

 

I would use this young adult tale about Helen Keller’s life with middle school and high school students.  I would set up tasks at tables and have the students rotate through the different stations.  At one station, the students would have to complete the task with a blind fold on.  At another station, I would have ear plugs for the students to complete the task.  At the third station, students would have to complete the task with both ear plugs and a blind fold.  This would provide a hands-on opportunity for students to experience the difficulties and obstacles Helen Keller faced on a daily basis.  The students could then write a journal entry about their experiences and how losing sight or hearing could make their life different.  

 

This video link is a nice updated summary on the life of Helen Keller.  

https://youtu.be/OZfDV6-3qA4