Profiles from History: Stories of Those Who Are Worthy of Remembrance

by Ashley M. Wiggers

Geography Matters

Profiles from History differs from most other collections of brief biographies in that it is visually interesting and includes extended activities for each story. It is best used as a supplement for students in grades 3 through 5.

Characters profiled are a diverse group of explorers, inventors, artist, composers, authors, and scientists. The selection tilts towards supporting a study of U.S. History with John Smith, Pocahontas, William Bradford, Squanto, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Lewis & Clark, Sacagawea, Zebulon Pike, and Jesse Applegate—half of the stories. Others drawn from world history are Marco Polo, Johannes Gutenberg, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, William Shakespeare, Galileo, George Frideric Handel, James Cook, Mozart, and Francois Millet.

Profiles from History is one of the required resources for GeoMatters' new Trail Guide to Learning program, but it might be used with any history study, selecting stories that fit the time period under study.

Each story is two to three pages in length—great for either reading aloud or for independent reading. Each story features a drawing of the person and a full-page map showing where they lived or traveled. In addition, each story is followed by extended activities that include a few discussion questions, timeline activity, a few suggested activities (e.g., further research, cooking, drawing, planting seeds), a word scramble, fill-in-the-blanks and/or true/false questions, a word search, and a crossword puzzle. The extended activities certainly enhance the lessons in terms of comprehension, and they often direct students to learning beyond what is presented in each story. Timeline pages and figures are included at the back of the book along with an answer key.

The book is very attractive with quality art work and visually interesting page layout. The large font size keeps the amount of content to an appropriate level so that students do not feel overwhelmed. The stories allow rare glimpses of the author's Christian viewpoint, but not enough to put off a secular audience.

Review posted June 2009.