This curriculum introduces students to obituaries. The objective is to spur a lifelong interest in reading them. It features six obituaries* from major newspapers, each accompanied by a lesson plan.
Level
The curriculum is designed for ages 10-13, more or less.
Lesson Plans
The lesson plans include:
-
- Pre-reading activities
- Full texts of each obituary
- Discussion questions
- Worksheets
- Further resources
- Common Core State Standards
Time Frame
The lessons are in no particular order, and can be moved around. The curriculum can be taught in a week, or spread out over a few weeks.
Format
The lesson plans are Google Documents. They can be copied for modification/improvement, or printed.
***
Momofuku Ando: the inventor who changed the way we eat
Uli Derickson: the hero of Flight 847
Rudy Horne: the hidden figure behind “Hidden Figures”
Vivian Nicholson: a cautionary tale
Stanislav Petrov: the man who saved the world
Marie Wilcox: savior of a dying language
* An obituary is a newspaper article about someone who has died. It recounts the person’s life and accomplishments, often with historical context. The obituaries presented here are works of objective journalism: they are news stories, assigned by editors, and written by journalists with no connection to the deceased.
An obituary should not be confused with a:
-
- Death Announcement: a classified ad, usually written and paid for by family members
- Tribute: an appreciation written by a family member, colleague, or friend
- Eulogy: a speech given at a memorial service