The Best and Most Beautiful Things in the World

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen nor even touched, but just felt in the heart.  --Helen Keller

Who Was Helen Keller? This spring, fourth graders are exploring a title from the popular Who Was? series.  Our Reading Road Trip biography tells Helen Keller’s life story, describing her childhood loss of sight and hearing and her learning of communication skills with the help of teacher Annie Sullivan. The inspiring narrative follows Helen as she works to earn a college degree and as she reaches out to help others with disabilities.

After reading the book, Reading Road Trippers have been creating amazing projects and earning points for their teams.  Check out a Sign Language Alphabet video, researched and performed by Ella D.

When she was just two years old, Helen Keller became deaf and blind.  She lived in a confusing world of silence and darkness. With the help and patience of teacher Annie Sullivan, Helen learned to read, to write, and to do many remarkable things. 



Helen Keller Facts by Morgan R.



Historical fiction inspired by the life of Helen Keller: Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller by Sarah Elizabeth Miller.  At age twenty-one, lonely and partially blind, Annie Sullivan travels from Massachusetts to Alabama to teach six-year-old Helen Keller self-discipline and communication skills.

Learn more about Annie Sullivan in Helen’s Eyes: A Photobiography of Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller’s Teacher by Marfe Ferguson Delano.  Photographs, illustrations, and text chronicle the life of Helen Keller's tutor, Annie Sullivan. 

Explore a biography in graphic novel format: Helen Keller: Courageous Advocate by Scott L. Welvaert.  A brief biography of Helen Keller, following her life, her struggles with blindness and deafness, and her many achievements in spite of her disability.

Braille Alphabet Poster by Rebecca B.

Let's take a look at a Mini Photo Biography, researched and narrated by Henry G.

After reading the book, Hailey C. created an acrostic poem about Helen Keller:

   Had a helpful teacher

   Eye disorder

   Language impairment and loving

   Ear disorder

   Never gave up

   Knowledgeable

   Eager to learn

   Learned well

   Long time to overcome language impairment

   Encouraging

   Ready for anything

Braille Poster Project by Thomas R.