“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.” —Booker T. Washington
For this review, I received a physical copy of the book, Heroes of History- Louis Zamperini and a digital download of the corresponding Unit Study.
About Louis Zamperini
Louis was often in trouble as a child. By the time he was thirteen, he was out of control. The local police chief even tried to scare him straight after Louis had severely beaten a bakery truck driver but even that failed to change Louis.
His older brother, Pete, was the complete opposite. Pete, a model son, excelled at school and with sports. With enough prodding, Pete was able to convince Louis that he should try running. His very first race he came in dead last but he agreed to let his brother train him and try one more race. Much to his surprise, Louis didn’t come in last. Pete continued to train him and soon Louis was becoming a better runner and was getting positive attention. Much to his surprise, he liked the positive attention.
Louis went on to compete in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany. During World War II, Louis was a member of the Air Corp and was a prisoner of war. I encourage you to read the book to find out how this former juvenile delinquent became an Olympian.
Louis Zamperini Downloadable Unit Study
The Unit Study is divided into different components. These include:
- Key Quotes
- Display Corner
- Chapter Questions
- Student Explorations
- Community Links
- Social Studies
- Related Themes to Explore
- Culminating Event
- and Appendixes
There are eight Key Quotes that the authors feel are can be used to compliment the Louis Zamperini Unit Study. The students are encouraged to memorize the quotes, study them for meaning and display them. One of these Key Quotes is:
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” —Winston Churchill.
The Display Corner is a great way for the student(s) to gather and exhibit things that pertain to Louis Zamperini’s life. These might include maps of the locations where he traveled to or items that represent the Olympics or World War II, for example.
The Chapter Questions feature six questions related to each chapter of the Louis Zamperini book. The first question references a vocabulary word and includes the page number that it was found on so the student can see the word in context. The next question asks a specific factual question about the text. The next two questions help the teacher determine the student’s level of comprehension. (The answers to these four questions are given in Appendix B of the guide.) The final two questions ask the students opinion or interpretation of the passage.
Of these questions, the first three are easier and are written for younger students. The final three questions are more difficult and are geared toward older students. The recommendation for all the questions is that the student write the answers in complete sentences versus writing just one word answers.
The ideas in the Student Explorations include writing essay papers, various hands-on activities and audio/visual activities. These student explorations give the students a chance to dig deeper and retain of what they are learning.
There are so many rich activity ideas in the Unit Study. No matter what style of learning the student prefers there are activities geared just for them.
This past week I attended this year’s Midwest Parent Educators conference and picked up more YWAM books. In fact, we now own all the Heroes of History books (that have been published to date) along with a growing number of the Christian Heroes series. We are definitely hooked on these great books!
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Jennifer