Unit studies are a great way to teach kids about one focus topic without neglecting other school subjects. And a Helen Keller unit study will help you teach your kids all about Helen Keller.
Helen Keller overcame tremendous obstacles and became a fierce advocate for people with disabilities, civil rights, free speech, and economic justice. Here is a primer on how to teach your children Helen Keller’s exciting, inspiring story.
Helen Keller was an amazing person who overcame a lot of obstacles to become a successful and influential woman. Not only did she heavily impact the deaf and blind communities, she also inspires people with disabilities all over the world every single day.
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Teaching Kids the Story of Helen Keller
The story of Helen Keller has long been a mainstay of elementary school education. Her inspiring life story, her fierce intellect, and her devotion to many social causes make her a historically prominent American worthy of study. Here is a primer on Keller’s life and impact, as well as some ideas for teaching your children about her.
Who Was Helen Keller?
Helen Keller was born in Alabama in 1880. At 19 months, she lost her sight and hearing following a bout of Scarlett Fever. For seven years, she remained nonverbal and largely contained to her family’s home.
In 1887, her parents hired Anne Sullivan, a dogged educator who painstakingly showed young Helen how to identify objects, how to read Braille, and how to write. Helen learned how to touch-lip read and speak. By the age of twenty, she was attending school in person, eventually matriculating to Radcliffe College, now Harvard University.
What Was Helen Keller’s Impact on History?
In 1903, Keller wrote her autobiography The Story of My Life. This popular work would be the first of her many social contributions. Keller’s work as a lecturer, educator, and advocate changed how people understood their friends living with disabilities.
She founded the American Foundation for the Blind and the American Foundation for the Overseas Blind. As an ambassador for the latter group, Keller visited 35 countries to tell her story and advocate for visually-impaired persons.
In her life – and since her death in 1968 – Helen Keller inspired the world. Popularly, she is a symbol of resilience, strength, and the importance of inclusive education. Yet her effect on the world is far broader than that.
What Do People Not Know about Helen Keller?
While Helen Keller is primarily – and rightfully – known for her work on behalf of persons with disabilities, her advocacy extended much further.
Keller was a free-speech proponent. She co-founded the American Civil Liberties Union in 1920.
Keller also fought for black Americans’ civil rights as an early booster of the NAACP. Moreover, she was a staunch defender of worker’s rights, going so far as to join the Industrial Workers of the World in the early twentieth century. This progressive activism marked her as an FBI surveillance target for decades.
Also of note: Keller received both an Academy Award for a documentary of her life and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Lyndon Johnson.
How can I Teach My Kids Helen Keller’s Story?
As you are probably aware, many resources cover Helen Keller’s struggle to overcome her hearing and vision loss. You can assign your children to read William Gibson’s play The Miracle Worker or watch the excellent 1962 film starring Patty Duke and Anne Bancroft.
You can encourage them to think about obstacles they’ve overcome and how those challenges informed their values and how they see the world. Even if these challenges aren’t as dramatic as the ones Keller faced, you can show your children how struggle forges both resilience and empathy.
While Keller’s personal life story is particularly engaging, you shouldn’t shy away from discussing the social and political causes she championed. They provide an interesting entry point for many larger 20th-century American struggles: minority rights, freedom of expression, women’s rights, and economic inequality. These sometimes-controversial topics inform not only American history but also current issues in the news.
Free Helen Keller Unit Study
If you want to teach your kids about Helen Keller, you’re going to love my free Helen Keller unit study.
This unit study introduces upper elementary aged kids to the amazing Helen Keller. Learn who she was, what she did, and how she changed the world.
Sitting at 8 pages, this is a short and sweet study. You’ll get a quick overview of Helen Keller’s early life and how, with the help of Anne Sullivan, she overcame her struggles. Students will be able to document some of Helen’s famous accomplishments.
Then students will be able to see a list of brail syllabary. Be sure to ask the if they think learning brail would be a challenge or not!
Wrap your mini study up with a word search and you’ll be well on your way to further understanding the wonder that is Helen Keller. Grab your mini study on the Life of Helen Keller now! (It’s free.)
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