Can you imagine what it would be like if you couldn’t see or hear? It might be really hard to talk to people and understand what’s happening around you! Today, we’re going to learn about an amazing woman named Helen Keller. She became one of the most inspiring people in history, even though she couldn’t see or hear.
Helen Keller was born in Alabama on June 27, 1880. When she was born, she could see and hear just like you. But when she was only 19 months old, she got very sick with a high fever. After that, she couldn’t see or hear anymore. This made it really hard for her to communicate, and she often felt upset because she couldn’t tell people what she wanted.
Helen’s parents knew she needed special help, so they found a teacher named Anne Sullivan. Anne had been blind too, but she got her sight back after surgery. She understood what Helen was going through and wanted to help her. Anne became Helen’s teacher and friend for over 50 years! People called Anne “The Miracle Worker” because she was so good at teaching Helen.
Anne taught Helen how to communicate by using her sense of touch. She would trace letters on Helen’s hand, and Helen would copy the movements. Helen also learned to read using Braille, a special system of raised bumps that blind people can feel with their fingers. By the time she was 10, Helen could read and even use a typewriter!
Another teacher, Sarah Fuller, helped Helen learn to talk. Sarah showed Helen how to feel the vibrations of words on her lips. Helen learned to make sounds by feeling these vibrations and moving her lips. Isn’t that incredible?
When Helen was 16, she went to college at Radcliffe College for Women in Massachusetts. Anne Sullivan went with her to help by signing the teacher’s words into Helen’s hands. In 1904, Helen graduated with honors, becoming the first deaf and blind person to finish college!
While in college, Helen started writing about her life, and her stories were published in magazines and books. She wanted to help others like her, so she joined the American Foundation for the Blind. Helen traveled to give speeches and raise money for the foundation. She even visited wounded soldiers during World War II to encourage them.
Throughout her life, Helen met many famous people, including American Presidents like Grover Cleveland and Lyndon Johnson, the author Mark Twain, and Alexander Graham Bell, who invented the telephone. She also wrote a book called “Teacher” to honor Anne Sullivan.
Helen Keller passed away in 1968, just before her 88th birthday. She lived an extraordinary life, overcoming many challenges with the help of her teachers and friends. The next time you face something difficult, remember Helen Keller and how she showed us that we can do great things, no matter what!
True or False: Helen Keller was born deaf and blind.
Answer: False. She became deaf and blind when she was 19 months old.
Fill in the blank: ________ was Helen Keller’s teacher and companion for over 50 years.
Answer: Anne Sullivan
What is the name of the special reading system for the blind that uses raised bumps in place of letters?
Answer: Braille
True or False: Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to graduate from college.
Answer: True
Great job! Helen Keller’s life teaches us that even when things are tough, we can achieve amazing things. Thanks for learning with us!
**Who Was Helen Keller?**
Can you imagine what it would be like to not be able to see or hear? It would be super frustrating to try to communicate! Today, we are going to talk about the remarkable life of a woman named Helen Keller and how she became one of the most inspirational people in history.
Helen Keller was born in Alabama on June 27, 1880, with full sight and hearing. However, when she was just 19 months old, she got sick with a terrible fever that left her deaf and blind. As a young child, Helen had trouble communicating with others and often became angry and frustrated. She had not learned to speak before she got sick, so she would use special motions to show what she wanted. Her parents knew that she needed special help, which is how Anne Sullivan came into Helen’s life.
Anne Sullivan was once blind herself, but her sight returned after surgery. Having lived through her own experience, she knew she could help Helen live a full life. Here is an interesting fact: Anne Sullivan was Helen’s helper and companion for over 50 years, starting when Helen was just six years old. One of Anne Sullivan’s nicknames was “The Miracle Worker” because of her success in teaching.
So how did Anne Sullivan help Helen Keller learn to communicate? First, she started by teaching Helen words using her sense of touch, tracing one letter at a time. Helen would repeat the tracing movement in Anne’s hand. Helen learned how to read using a special reading system for the blind called Braille, which uses letters made from little bumps. You may have seen Braille letters before at school or in public places. By the age of 10, Helen was not only able to read but could also use a typewriter!
Helen had another teacher, a woman named Sarah Fuller, who helped her learn how to talk. Sarah used the vibrations of words on her own lips to teach Helen how to speak. Helen learned how to feel sound vibrations and also how to move her lips to make her own sounds. Pretty amazing, right?
By the time she was 16 years old, Helen Keller was already in college. She attended Radcliffe College for Women in Massachusetts, and Anne Sullivan went with her, helping Helen to listen to her college lectures by signing the teacher’s words into her hands. In 1904, Helen graduated college with honors, becoming the first deaf and blind person to do so.
While in college, Helen began writing about her experiences being deaf and blind, and these stories were published in magazines. They eventually were published in books, attracting many readers interested in her remarkable life. When Helen got older, she wanted to help others like herself. She joined an organization called the American Foundation for the Blind and traveled around to give speeches and raise money for the foundation. She also volunteered to visit wounded soldiers during World War II, encouraging them to never give up.
Throughout her life, Helen Keller was an advocate for others living with disabilities, especially those who were deaf and blind. During her travels, she met American Presidents like Grover Cleveland and Lyndon Johnson, as well as the author Mark Twain and Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone. She also wrote a book called “Teacher” in honor of her teacher, Anne Sullivan.
Helen Keller died in 1968, just a month before her 88th birthday. Now that we have learned about the amazing and remarkable life of Helen Keller, let’s see what you remember!
**True or False:** Helen Keller was born deaf and blind.
**False:** She did not become deaf and blind until she was 19 months old.
**Fill in the blank:** ________ was Helen Keller’s teacher and companion for over 50 years.
**Answer:** Sullivan
**What is the name of the special reading system for the blind that uses raised bumps in place of letters?**
**Answer:** Braille
**True or False:** Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to graduate from college.
**Answer:** True
Great job, friends! Helen Keller led a unique life filled with challenges, yet through the help of teachers and friends like Anne Sullivan, she was able to lead not only a good life but an extraordinary one. The next time you face a challenge that seems overwhelming, remember Helen Keller and that even under the most difficult circumstances, we are capable of great things.
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