SCAFFOLDING
LITERACY PROJECT
Einstein Biography
Year 10 Literacy Support
Presented by:
Kathryn Tebble
Townsville Grammar School
Graphic Overview
Text Selection
Learning Outcomes
• Whole text: Understand structure and language features
of the Biography genre; write an orientation paragraph
• Sentence level: Construct cohesive sentences and
paragraphs using temporal conjunctions
• Text level: Use appropriate grammatical expression –
pronouns and tense
Text Selection
• Albert Einstein is one of the greatest scientists of all time. Best known
for developing the theory of relativity, he also won the Nobel Peace
Prize for his explanation of the photoelectric effect. Einstein is
considered to be the most influential physicist of the 20th century.
• Biography of a Scientist – Albert Einstein was the text of choice for
this Scaffolding Literacy sequence because:
• it is an exemplary model of the biography genre, which can be easily
deconstructed to closely examine the structure and language features
• in addition, Einstein was an appropriate choice for class as the cohort have
individual learning support needs, and the text illustrates that success can
come about as a result of persistence and determination in the face of
failure
• finally, the students have been reading the autobiography of Ahn Do, The
Happiest Refugee, and will be required to transform the novel into a short
biographical text.
Acknowledging Prior Learning
Experiences
Establish students’ prior knowledge of the topics in the
text
• What biographies or autobiographies have you read?
• Why do people write biographies / autobiographies?
• Which would you prefer to read and why?
• What do you know about Albert Einstein?
Building the Field
Build student’s knowledge
• What are the characteristics of an autobiography and a
biography?
Text Orientation
A short visual overview of Einstein’s life and
achievements
Biography of a Scientist
Read text to
students
Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955)
Albert Einstein was one of the greatest scientists of all time. He is
best known for his Theory of Relativity and his many other
contributions to Science.
Born in Ulm, Germany, in 1879, he was the son of Herman and
Paulina Koch Einstein. At five years of age he was fascinated by a
compass that His father showed him. Because of this, he became
interested in science. He attended public school at Munich, then at
Switzerland where he showed no scholastic ability. He later studied
Mathematics and Physics at the Swiss polytechnic Institute in Zurich
and in 1900, he graduated. Einstein worked at the Swiss Patent
Office in Berlin, in 1902, as an examiner, so he had more free time
for his scientific investigations. A year later, he married his first wife
and they had two sons. They later separated and Einstein married
his first cousin Elsa, who gave3 him two step-daughters. He became
a Swiss citizen in 1905.
In the same year, Einstein contributed three papers “Annals of
Physics”, a German periodical, which was the basis of three new
branches of Physics. The first paper was on the Quantum Theory,
which was about light particles. The second was on his Theory of
Relativity, which consisted of the famous equation, E =mc². The
third was a paper on the Brownian motion, which is the irregular
movement of particles. He accomplished all this before he held any
academic position.
In 1909 he became Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University
of Zurich. He held the same position at the University at Prague in
Germany, in 1911. A year later, he returned to a similar post at the
Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. In 1914, Einstein accepted
the professorship at the University of Berlin.
Einstein completed his Theory of Relativity in 1915, and it was
published in the following year. During 1929, he developed his
Unified Field Theory which was aimed at combining gravitational
and electro-magnetic equations. Einstein spent the last twenty-five
years of his life trying to prove this theory to other scientists.
In 1933, Einstein visited England and the United States. While he
was overseas, the Nazi government confiscated his property, his
positions and German citizenship. Before this had happened,
Einstein had already accepted a position in the United States. He
became director of the School of Mathematics at Princeton, New
Genre Structure
Focus:
To explicitly teach the generic structure of
the biography genre
READ SECOND PARAGRAPH
Born in Ulm, Germany, in 1879, he was the son of Herman and Paulina Koch Einstein. At five years of age he
was fascinated by a compass that His father showed him. Because of this, he became interested in science.
He attended public school at Munich, then at Switzerland where he showed no scholastic ability. He later
studied Mathematics and Physics at the Swiss polytechnic Institute in Zurich and in 1900, he graduated.
Einstein worked at the Swiss Patent Office in Berlin, in 1902, as an examiner, so he had more free time for his
scientific investigations. A year later, he married his first wife and they had two sons. They later separated and
Einstein married his first cousin Elsa, who gave3 him two step-daughters. He became a Swiss citizen in 1905.
What content is contained in second paragraph?
• Important events in Einstein’s personal life: birth, childhood, father’s
influence, education, adult life.
What do you notice about the order of these events?
• they are in sequence/chronological order
What could we write in the margin beside paragraph 2?
• In the margin, write Important life events, in chronological order
READ FIRST PARAGRAPH (choose students to read)
Albert Einstein was one of the greatest scientists of all time. He is best known for his
Theory of Relativity and his many other contributions to Science.
What does the writer include in the opening
paragraph?
• Name of the person (highlight Albert Einstein)
• Why he is famous (highlight one of the greatest scientists)
• In the margin, write Orientation beside the first paragraph – add
name and why famous. Students copy on their text handout.
READ PARAGRAPHS 3, 4 AND 5
In the same year, Einstein contributed three papers “Annals of Physics”, a German periodical, which was the
basis of three new branches of Physics. The first paper was on the Quantum Theory, which was about light
particles. The second was on his Theory of Relativity, which consisted of the famous equation, E =mc². The
third was a paper on the Brownian motion, which is the irregular movement of particles. He accomplished all
this before he held any academic position.
In 1909 he became Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Zurich. He held the same position at
the University at Prague in Germany, in 1911. A year later, he returned to a similar post at the Federal Institute of
Technology in Zurich. In 1914, Einstein accepted the professorship at the University of Berlin.
Einstein completed his Theory of Relativity in 1915, and it was published in the following year. During 1929, he
developed his Unified Field Theory which was aimed at combining gravitational and electro-magnetic
equations. Einstein spent the last twenty-five years of his life trying to prove this theory to other scientists.
What facts do these paragraphs contain?
• In the margin, write Career achievements, in chronological
order
READ PARAGRAPH 6 & 7
In 1933, Einstein visited England and the United States. While he was overseas, the Nazi government
confiscated his property, his positions and German citizenship. Before this had happened, Einstein had
already accepted a position in the United States. He became director of the School of Mathematics at
Princeton, New Jersey.
During 1939 he wrote a letter to President Roosevelt warning that the German government was
experimenting with nuclear fission. As a result of this, the United States government financed research
into atomic energy, Einstein became an American citizen in 1940, and two years later the American
scientists split the atom. The first atomic bomb was dropped on Japan in 1945, to end World War II.
What happened in 1933 to influence Einstein’s career
and life?
• The Nazi government confiscated his belongings, jobs and
citizenship so he went to live and work in the USA
What effect did this have on the history of the world?
• America used Einstein’s “splitting the atom” to manufacture the
atomic bombs which ended World War II
READ PARAGRAPHS 8 AND 9
Because Einstein was a pacifist, he was disappointed that his experiments had led to destruction. After
World War II he was a supporter of World Government. He believed that peace could be kept in the
atomic age, if all nations were brought together under a system of world law.
Einstein lived a quiet life. He was fond of classical music and played the violin. He was not rich, but he
refused large sums of money fro publishers to write his autobiography. He gave support to people who
were poor and politically oppressed. He supported Zionism and in 1952, Einstein was offered the
presidency of Israel. He refused, saying that he wasn’t worthy. In 1955, this great man died.
What do these paragraphs tell you about the man?
Write a description of character beside paragraph 8.
READ THE LAST PARAGRAPH
As a result of Einstein’s intelligence and contributions to science, he is famous throughout the
world today. His Theory of Relativity allowed man to split the atom. He was disappointed about
the atomic bomb, but his research on nuclear fission enabled man to use atomic energy as the
greatest source of power. Einstein was on of the fathers of the atomic age.
How does it contribute to the whole genre of the
biography?
• restates why he is famous
• his contribution to society today
• In the margin, write Conclusion – restate why famous and
contribution to society today. Highlight the corresponding
information on the last paragraph
SUMMARISE
So the generic structure of a biography is:
• orientation (name and why famous)
• sequence of important events and achievements in life (in
chronological order)
• conclusion (restate why famous and contribution to society today)
SOURCE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT - "Written Genres in the Secondary School" pp133 -141
(The Learning Place http://www.learningplace.com.au/deliver/content.asp?pid=36856)
Biography of a Scientist
Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955)
Albert Einstein was one of the greatest scientists of all time. He is
best known for his Theory of Relativity and his many other
contributions to Science.
Born in Ulm, Germany, in 1879, he was the son of Herman and
Paulina Koch Einstein. At five years of age he was fascinated by a
compass that His father showed him. Because of this, he became
interested in science. He attended public school at Munich, then at
Switzerland where he showed no scholastic ability. He later studied
Mathematics and Physics at the Swiss polytechnic Institute in Zurich
and in 1900, he graduated. Einstein worked at the Swiss Patent
Office in Berlin, in 1902, as an examiner, so he had more free time
for his scientific investigations. A year later, he married his first wife
and they had two sons. They later separated and Einstein married
his first cousin Elsa, who gave3 him two step-daughters. He became
a Swiss citizen in 1905.
In the same year, Einstein contributed three papers “Annals of
Physics”, a German periodical, which was the basis of three new
branches of Physics. The first paper was on the Quantum Theory,
which was about light particles. The second was on his Theory of
Relativity, which consisted of the famous equation, E =mc². The
third was a paper on the Brownian motion, which is the irregular
movement of particles. He accomplished all this before he held any
academic position.
ORIENTATION
- Person’s name
- Why famous
Significant Life events,
in chronological order
Career achievements,
in chronological order
In 1909 he became Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University
of Zurich. He held the same position at the University at Prague in
Germany, in 1911. A year later, he returned to a similar post at the
Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. In 1914, Einstein accepted
the professorship at the University of Berlin.
Einstein completed his Theory of Relativity in 1915, and it was
published in the following year. During 1929, he developed his
Unified Field Theory which was aimed at combining gravitational
and electro-magnetic equations. Einstein spent the last twenty-five
years of his life trying to prove this theory to other scientists.
In 1933, Einstein visited England and the United States. While he
was overseas, the Nazi government confiscated his property, his
positions and German citizenship. Before this had happened,
Einstein had already accepted a position in the United States. He
became director of the School of Mathematics at Princeton, New
Nazi government
confiscated his
property, job and
citizenship so he went
Word Study I
Word Meanings
patent
citizen
professor
fission
pacifist
oppressed
Zionism
fascinated
scholastic
confiscated
fond
Word Meanings
Einstein worked at the Swiss Patent Office in Berlin, in 1902, as an examiner, so he had more
free time for his scientific investigations.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
He became a Swiss citizen in 1905.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
In 1909 he became Professor of Theoretic Physics at the University of Zurich.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
During 1939 he wrote a letter to President Roosevelt warning that the German government was
experimenting with nuclear fission.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Because Einstein was a pacifist he was disappointed that his experiments had led to destruction.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
He gave support to people who were poor and politically oppressed.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
He supported Zionism and in 1952, Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Language Orientation
Excerpt
In 1909 he became Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Zurich. He held the
same position at the University of Prague in Germany, in 1911. A year later, he returned to a
similar post at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. In 1914, Einstein accepted the
professorship at the University of Berlin.
Broad language focus
To have students become familiar with a well-written body paragraph, in chronological order.
Specific language foci
Content matter (career achievements), textual features (verbs, past tense, pronouns),
components of a sentence (temporal conjunctions)
Language Learning Outcomes
• Use correct grammar
•
•
•
•
Past Tense – retelling past events
Action Verbs – used to tell us what he did
Third Person – the perspective from which the text is written
Personal pronouns –substitute for nouns involving people
• Text cohesion
• Signalling words for sequence in time – temporal conjunctions
In 1909 he became Professor of Theoretical Physics at
the University of Zurich. He held the same position at
the University of Prague in Germany, in 1911. A year
later, he returned to a similar post at the Federal
Institute of Technology in Zurich. In 1914, Einstein
accepted the professorship at the University of Berlin.
In 1909 he became Professor of
Theoretical Physics at the
University of Zurich.
Let’s look at the first sentence in Paragraph 4.
In 1909 – this is a signaling word to show a sequence in time; these words are known as TEMPORAL
CONJUNCTIONS
A conjunction is a word used to connect phrases and clauses.
In this sentence it is called a temporal conjunction - temporal means relating to time.
So a temporal conjunction tells us the time – when something happened.
They link sentences to create cohesion in the text – that is, creating a connection and flow from one
event to the next, creating a time sequence - CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER.
Can you think of any other temporal conjunctions?
Other temporal conjunctions are – then, next, finally, subsequently, at first, eventually, soon, later,
since, in the end, immediately, until then, meanwhile, now, after,
He – this tells us WHO the text is about. It is a PERSONAL PRONOUN that is used to show that the text
is written in THIRD PERSON
Professor of Theoretical Physics – this tells us WHAT Einstein achieved during this time; that he held
an important and very high level job as a teacher with specialist skills and knowledge in higher
education
University of Zurich – this tells us specifically WHERE he worked, adding to the sense of importance.
Zurich is the , largest city in Switzerland (a country neighbouring Italy, Austria and France)
became – action verb/past tense. It tells us that there was a change or development in his life at this
point in time
He held the same
Let’s look at the next three sentences in paragraph 4.
position at the
Together, underline the action verbs in the text.
University of Prague in
Then together, highlight the temporal conjunctions.
Germany, in 1911.
Circle the pronouns
A year later, he
returned to a similar
post at the Federal
Institute of Technology
in Zurich.
In 1914, Einstein
accepted the
professorship at the
University of Berlin.
Now independently read Paragraphs 5 to 10
Firstly, underline the action verbs in the text
Then, highlight the temporal conjunctions
Finally, circle the pronouns
Sum up
Temporal conjunctions are cohesive ties that tell
us when something happened; they create flow
in the text by linking one event to the next,
creating a time sequence of events in
chronological order
Checking Comprehension
• Timeline
• Mapping cities / countries
Einstein - Timeline of Life Events & Achievements
What he is famous for:


Sequence of Events in Chronological Order
1879
1884
Born Germany
Compass given be father – started interest in Science
Hobbies / Interests:




Transformations
Excerpt: Paragraph 4 – Career achievements
In 1909 he became Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Zurich. He held the same
position at the University of Prague in Germany, in 1911. A year later, he returned to a similar post at
the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. In 1914, Einstein accepted the professorship at the
University of Berlin
Focus
Using the text to focus on the language choices, sentence and paragraph constructions.
Preparing for the transformations:
This part of the sequence requires the teacher to use the selected sentence/s. The sentence/s need to
be written on long strips of cardboard.
Learning Outcomes
• Select relevant content for paragraph
• Sentence construction (who, what, where, when)
• Improve body paragraph writing
• Using commas to separate phrases and clauses
• Using temporal conjunctions
• Prepositions, pronouns, past tense, verbs
Transformations - Modelled
Below are the cuts to make to the excerpt
In 1909/, / he / became / Professor of Theoretical Physics /
at the University of Zurich./ He / held the same position /
at the University of Prague in Germany/,/ in 1911. A year
later/,/ he / returned to a similar post / at the Federal
Institute of Technology in Zurich./ In 1914/,/ Einstein /
accepted the professorship / at the University of Berlin.
Cuts in text
Meaning
In 1909
A phrase that tells us WHEN the life event happened;
a temporal conjunction
comma
This separates a phrase from the clause
he
A pronoun that tells us WHO
became Professor of
Theoretical Physics
A phrase that tells us WHAT happened
at the University of
Zurich.
A phrase that tells us WHERE
MODELLING
Text – (units of
meaning)
In 1909
‘Teacher Talk’ - Talking through the cuts
This is the first sentence in paragraph 4 of Einstein’s
biography. The paragraph outlines Einstein’s career
achievements. The author has been very succinct,
keeping detail to a minimum, but yet still including
key information about his career achievements.
The first two words of the sentence tell us WHEN –
The word “in” is a preposition. A preposition is used to
indicate time (or place)’ meaning “pre-positioned” or
to come before. In this sentence, it is used to indicate
a non-specific time – that is, a date sometime during
the year 1909.
CUT and LABEL “WHEN”
The words “in 1909” are a temporal conjunction; the
words form a phrase (because there is no subject or
verb) that leads to the next part of the sentence (the
clause); it is a phrase that joins the clause indicating
time
CUT and LABEL “TEMPORAL CONJUNCTION /
PHRASE”
MODELLING
Text – (units of meaning)
comma
‘Teacher Talk’ - Talking through the cuts
The next cut is at the comma.
If a sentence starts with a phrase, a comma is needed to separate it
from the main clause. Here the comma is used to separate the phrase
“in 1909”, from the main clause “he became Professor of Theoretical
Physics”.
CUT comma
he
The pronoun “he” is used to refer to Einstein. This tells us WHO is
involved
CUT and LABEL “WHO”
became Professor of
Theoretical Physics
This is the next group of words to cut. This tells us WHAT happened,
using a past tense verb to describe the action. It tells us what position
or job he had.
CUT and LABEL “WHAT”
at the University of Zurich.
This last group of words tells us WHERE he worked.
JOINT CONSTRUCTION
Text – (units of meaning)
He
‘Teacher/Student Talk’ - Talking through the cuts
A pronoun that tells us WHO
held the same position
A phrase containing a past tense action verb that tells us WHAT
happened – it tells us about a similar job that had
at the University of Prague in
Germany
A phrase that tells us WHERE
comma
The next cut is at the comma.
In this case, the sentence has two phrases at the end of the sentence –
“in Germany” is a phrase referring to place, and “in 1911” is a phrase
referring to time.
The comma is needed to separate the phrase referring to place (in
Germany) from the phrase referring to time (in 1909).
For example, if the comma was removed it would read “Germany in
1911” – Germany cannot be in the year 1911 as the word is referring to
time.
CUT comma
in 1911
A temporal conjunction that tells us WHEN the career event happened. It
is a non-specific reference to time; that is the year in which he took up
the role
INDEPENDENT
‘
Using the final two sentences of Paragraph 4:
A year later, he returned to a similar post at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.
In 1914, Einstein accepted the Professorship at the University of Berlin.
Hand out one sentence to each group and have them make cuts in the text identifying:

Who

What

Where

When

Temporal conjunction

Comma

Phrase

past tense verb

Pronoun
Following the transformation sequence, the following activity was undertaken
Text Excerpt: Paragraph 2 – Life Background
Born in Ulm, Germany, in 1879, he was the son of Herman and Paulina Koch Einstein. At five years of age he was
fascinated by a compass that his father showed him. Because of this, he became interested in science. He attended
public school at Munich, then at Switzerland where he showed no scholastic ability. He later studied Mathematics and
Physics at the Swiss polytechnic Institute in Zurich and in 1900, he graduated. Einstein worked at the Swiss Patent Office
in Berlin, in 1902, as an examiner, so he had more free time for his scientific investigations. A year later, he married his first
wife and they had two sons. They later separated and Einstein married his first cousin Elsa, who gave him two stepdaughters. He became a Swiss citizen in 1905.
• Delete the temporal conjunctions
• Rearrange the order of the sentences
• Have students arrange the sentences in correct order.
Students should find the task a little challenging as without the temporal conjunctions, it can be hard to work
out when the events happened. This is to highlight the important of temporal conjunctions in biographical
texts.
• Provide missing temporal conjunctions (eg. in 1909)
• Have students add them to the sentences
• They can then refer to the whole text to check if they have it right.
Then have the students vary the sentences by:
• moving the temporal conjunctions
to different places in the sentence and
examine the effect
• replacing with other types of temporal conjunctions eg. later when, following
Word Study II
Focus Words:
• Biography
• Chronology
• Function
• Meaning
• Word origin (etymology)
• Word families using the root bio/chrono
Biography of Albert Einstein
Word Study II
Chronos, the God of What?
Let’s take a couple of minutes of your ‘time’ to talk about chron, the Greek root word for ‘time.’
Ever owned a Timex? Yes, you knew I was talking about watches, that is, keepers of ‘time.’ Watches are
technically chronographs, or writers of ‘time’. The Chrono is one of Timex’s all-‘time’ bestsellers, meant
to keep accurate ‘time’ to keep you on ‘time.’ In the same vein, some watches have stopwatches
orchronometers, which measure how much ‘time’ has elapsed during an event.
Ever watched synchronized swimmers in the Olympics? They all make their moves at the same ‘time.’
Synchronous events, therefore, happen at the same ‘time.’
You may have encountered the Greek god Chronos during your mythology studies, who was the god of
‘time.’ He is the origin of our depiction of Father ‘Time,’ and was often pictured with wings since ‘time’
tends to fly by.
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis is a very popular series that you’ve probably read or watched.
Achronicle is a record of historical events that happen over ‘time.’ Chronicles are kept in chronological
order, that is, arranging events in the correct ‘time’ sequence in which they occurred.
Ever watched a film in which there was something out of place, like a watch on the wrist of a Roman
soldier, or a car speeding down a street during the Middle Ages? Those are both examples of
anachronisms, or things that are placed in the wrong ‘time’ period.
For you computer buffs, there’s a widely used Linux and Mac (UNIX) utility called cron; it manages how
programs run, using a special syntax for specifying ‘time.’
People with acute symptoms of disease suffer for only a short time, but those with chronic ailments suffer
over an extended period of ‘time.’ Hopefully neither you nor any of your cronies, or friends whom you
have known for a long ‘time,’ are so afflicted!
Well, to keep ‘in sync,’ or synchronized with the ‘time’ restraints for this podcast and blog, I’ll leave you in
a ’time’ly fashion
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
chronograph: writer of ‘time’
chronometer: instrument that measures ‘time’
synchronized: happens at the same ‘time’
chronicle: events in ‘time’
chronological: ‘time’ sequence
anachronism: wrong ‘time’
chronic: pertaining to ‘time’
crony: friend over ‘time’
Patterned Writing
Broad language focus:
To have students write an orientation for a biography.
Model
Deconstruct the sentences/language used in the Einstein
biography orientation paragraph
Joint deconstruct
Jointly deconstruct a Biography orientation paragraph using the
patterned writing template – Martin Luther King
Independent writing
Students independently write their own orientation paragraph
using the patterned writing template - Ahn Do
Patterned Writing - Model
The author said
Albert Einstein
was
one of the
greatest scientists
of all time.
What the language does
Who
past tense verb
what famous for
when
The author said
He
is
best known for
his Theory of
Relativity
and his
many other
contributions to
science.
who - pronoun
what - more general
information about
what he is famous
for
What the language does
Who – pronoun
verb
what - more specific
information about
what he is famous
for
Patterned Writing - Joint
THE AUTHOR SAID
Martin Luther King
was
the leader of the
Civil Rights
Movement against
racism
in the United
States of America
during the 1950s
and 1960s.
WHAT THE LANGUAGE DOES
Who – name
past tense verb
what - reason
for fame
where
when
was
shot dead.
verb – past
tense
what
THE AUTHOR SAID
Tragically,
at the age of 39
he
WHAT THE LANGUAGE DOES
adverb
(Writer’s
opinion)
when
who - pronoun
Before independent patterned writing
•
Read through Ahn Do’s Life Timeline (handout)- have students identify that it is organised into four sections
•
•
•
•
Personal ife
Education
Career
Awards
•
Brainstorm words to describe Ahn Do (character/personality)
•
Brainstorm words that encapsulate what Ahn Do is best known for (famous for)
•
•
•
•
•
Author
Comedian
Actor
Refugee
Expand on these ideas by adding more description to create more sophisticated writing
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Award-winning author
Stand-up comedian / one of Australia’s leading comedians / Australia’s funniest comedian
Impoverished / Vietnamese refugee
Vietnamese-born Australian
Talented actor / accomplished screen actor
Inspirational
Resilient
Optimistic
Patterned Writing - Independent
Student writes
What the language does
Who – name
verb
what - reason for
fame
where
when
Who - pronoun
what - more
general information
about what he is
famous for
Student writes
What the language does
Who – pronoun
past tense verb
what - more
specific information
about what he is
famous for
Patterned Writing – Example 1
Patterned Writing – Example 2
Patterned Writing – Example 3
Patterned Writing – Example 4
Patterned Writing 2 - Modelled
Broad language focus
To have students write the next (second) biography
paragraph - Life Events, in chronological order.
Patterned Writing 2 - Modelled
What the author said
Paragraph content
Born in Ulm, Germany, in 1879, he was the son of
Herman and Paulina Koch Einstein.
Birth date - when
Birth location - where
Parents names – who
At five years of age, he was fascinated by a compass Childhood influence – what/who
that his father showed him. Because of this he
became interested in science
He attended public school at Munich, then at
Switzerland where he showed no scholastic ability
Einstein worked at the Swiss Patent Office in
Berlin, in 1902, as an examiner, so he had more
free time for his scientific investigations
Education - where
Early employment/work history –
when/when/what
A year later, he married his first wife and they had
two sons. They later separated and Einstein
married his first cousin Elsa, who have him two
step-daughters.
Family life – when/who
He became a Swiss citizen in 1905.
Significant life event –
what/where/when
Patterned Writing 2 - Independent
Task: to write the second biography paragraph – Ahn Do’s Life Events, in
chronological order
.
Student writes
Paragraph content
Birth date - when
Birth location – where
Childhood influences - what
Early employment –
when/when/what
Significant life events –
what/where/when
Family life – when/who
Patterned Writing – Example 1
Patterned Writing – Example 2
Assessment of Learning Outcomes
Task: To produce a typed 300-400 word Biography of Ahn Do
Genre Structure:
• Orientation – state why famous and when
• Life / family background
• Education
• Career Achievements
• Awards
• Conclusion – restate why famous / contribution to society
Learning outcomes:
• Genre structure
• Relevant paragraph content
• Textual features
genre structure
paragraph organisation
sentence structure
• Language features
past tense
pronouns
temporal conjunctions
punctuation (full stops, capitals, commas)
Supporting Resources:
• Timeline – Ahn Do (prepared by teacher)
• Albert Einstein Biography (text model)
• Patterned Writing templates – orientation and life background
Anh Do Biography of his Life
Anh Do is a successful comedian in Australia since 1999. He is very well known for being an author of
his own autobiography ‘The Happiest Refugee’ from his experience of surviving Refugee life.
Biography
Example 1
(expressive language
learning difficulties)
Ahn Do was born on 2 June 1977 in Vietnam. In 1980, only at the age of 2 ½ years old, he boarded a
leaky fishing boat to travel with his family as well as 40 other refugees to Sydney, Australia. There
were some significant child influences that helped Ahn to be the person he is today. His father who
would tell him that “There is now and there is too late”. Another person who helped inspire Anh
was his English teacher, Mrs Borny, who first told him “Ahn you are an amazing story teller” which
influenced him to tell stories which lead him to becoming a comedian. It also helped him write his
autobiography. Today Ahn appears on many reality TV shows, for instance Slideshows, Deal or No
Deal, The NRL Shows, Dancing With The Stars as well as many other reality shows. In 2000 Anh
married Suzie, his high school sweet heart, and had three children, Xavier, Luc and Leon.
Anh Do was educated at St Aloysius Collage secondary education with a half scholarship. After his
graduation from St Aloysius Collage, he studied to become a lawyer at the University of Technology
in Sydney, New South Wales.
In his early years of becoming a comedian, his first show was held in 1999 in the Harold Park Hotel,
Sydney. In 2000, he was the winner of National Green Faces Comedy Competition and multiple other
awards. Throughout his life and career he helped multiple people including Co-writing the Film Footy
Legend. His career is still going strong today as a host on TV as well as being a comedian as he hosts
his own TV Show Called Anh Does Britain.
One of his earlier awards that he won in 2011 was the Indie Book of the Year Award for his
autobiography ‘The Happiest Refugee’ which he wrote in 2011. He has also won many other
significant awards for his book, including being shortlisted in 2011 for the NSW Premier’s Literacy
Awards, Community Relations Commission Award, Winner of the Indie Award for Children’s category
2012 and winner of Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year Award in 2012..
Overall, he has won 11 awards and was shortlisted for 6 awards.
In conclusion, Anh Do is a successful Australian comedian since beginning his career in 1999. He is
very well known for being an author of his own autobiography ‘The Happiest Refugee’ from his
experience as a surviving refugee. The contribution that Anh Do has given to society through
entrainment as a comedian has been making people laugh and sharing his inspiring story all around
Australia. Through humour Anh Do has told his incredible story of being a surviving refugee to
everyone and has shown just because you’re a refugee doesn’t mean you can’t do something good
when you get to Australia. He always shows that if you work hard and stick to it you will be able to
do it. To finish, a saying that Ahn lives by, which comes from his father, is “There’s now and there’s
too late.”
Biography of Ahn Do
Biography
Example 2
Orientation
Ahn Do is one of the best comedians in Australia since beginning in 1999. He was author of ‘The
Happiest Refugee’ and he has acted in various films and made many television appearances. He is
famous for actor and comedian, an award winning author and Vietnamese-born Australian. He
started with being a nothing and later became a famous person. Nowadays, he often appears in
famous TV shows or his own comedy show. He has also received a lot of awards during 2011 to 2013.
Life/family background
(ESL)
Ahn was born on 2nd June 1977 in Vietnam. When he was 21/2 years old, his family fled war-torn
Vietnam to Australia as refugees in 1980. They departed on a very ancient, dirty, leaky small fishing
boat with 40 other refugees. On the way to Australia, they were attacked by pirates twice in a row.
They stole all of their food, water and engines. The refugees almost perished. In the end, they were
found by a German Merchant ship and were finally got rescued. Ten years later after they settled in
Australia, Ahn’s father left his family when Ahn was only 13 years old. He didn’t come back and see
them for over 9 years. A year later, when Ahn was of 14, he started a small business breeding
tropical fish. In 1999, Ahn reconciled with his father; it was 9 years since Ahn saw him last. His father
had remarried with another woman and Ahn had a half-brother. His half-brother was named after
Ahn which shows that Ahn’s father didn’t forget about him after he left the family. At the age of 23
he gave a house to his mother for Christmas; he felt that it was his proudest moment in his life. In
the same year, he married Suzie and they had three children. In 2005, Ahn’s brother, Khoa Do, was
awarded young Australian of the Year and Ahn became one of the best comedians in Australia.
Education
Ahn attended St Aloysius’ college in Milsons point for his middle school secondary education, a
private school which Ahn and his brother, Khoa, joined on a half-scholarship to support paying for
the school fees. When he became a University student, he studied a combined Business Law degree
at the University of Technology in Sydney. By the time he had finished his degree, law firms offered
Ahn jobs. However, Ahn chose to be a stand-up comedian because his friend Dave Grant, who is a
comedian, notified Ahn that he earned $50-60K a year for 4 or 5 hours of work per week. Ahn’s
friend’s great support helped him become a great Vietnamese born Australian comedian.
Career achievements
In 1999, while a law student and egged on by friends, he braved the stage during amateur comedy
nights at Sydney’s Harold Park Hotel. Later in 2007, he was a contestant on ‘Deal or No Deal’ and
won a prize of $200,000 for a home viewer. A year later, he was on ‘Dancing with the Stars’. In 2009,
he was a guest on Top Gear Australia and in 2008 during the Olympics; he filmed a Beijing Olympics
special for the ‘Ten Network’, a brief that included drinking (and vomiting up) juice from a snake’s
gall bladder. In 2010, he published his autobiography ‘The Happiest Refugee’ for which he won many
important awards.
Reflection
• Power of the pedagogy
 Engagement
 On task
 Improved writing
 Improved self-editing
 Confidence and greater independent
 Effective for students with additional learning support needs
 Learning difficulties
 ESL
• Challenges
 Time limitations
 Balancing assignment support and focus on SL sequence in
consecutive lessons
Resources
Albert Einstein. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 3 November 2013,
from http://www.biography.com/people/albert-einstein-9285408.\
Alpha History (unknown). The Holocaust. Anne Frank Diary. Retrieved 20 October 2013,
from http://alphahistory.com/holocaust/anne-frank-diary-1942-44/
Do, A (2010). The Happiest Refugee. Allen & Unwin: Crows Nest NSW.
Brown, K. (2002). Excel Essential Skills Series: English Year 9 (Chapter 10 Biography –
Martin Luther King). Pascal Press: Glebe NSW
Membean Inc. (2011) Chronos, the God of What? Retrieved 25 October 2013, from
http://membean.com/wrotds/chron-time
The Learning Place (2013). Written Genres in the Secondary School. Retrieved 3
October 2013, from http://www.learningplace.com.au/deliver/content.asp?pid=36856