Great Minds: Helen Keller

Name: __________________________________________________

Great Minds:

Helen Keller

by Lydia Lukidis

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489954

L

ife is very different when you can’t

see or hear. Most people can only

imagine what it would be like for

everything to be dark and silent all the

time. Helen Keller never had to imagine

it, because she lived it. She was born

on June 27, 1880, in Alabama. She was

very healthy and had no medical

problems. Her father worked for a

newspaper and her mother stayed

home to take care of her. She grew up

on the family’s large farm.

But when Helen was 1

years old,

something unexpected happened

and she got very sick. For about a

week, she had a terrible fever and

headache. Doctors suspected she

contracted scarlet fever or meningitis.

She survived, but she lost her sight and

hearing at the same time. Her parents

were shocked.

As Helen grew up, she tried to

communicate with her family and

friends. It was sometimes frustrating for

her because it was hard to let others

know what she needed. At times, she

would get angry and throw tantrums.

Helen quickly realized she was different,

and her parents recognized she

needed help.

They called the Perkins School for

the Blind in

Boston to get

advice. The director

said Anne Sullivan might be able to

help. Anne used to attend the school.

She became mostly blind after she got

sick at age five. Then she got a special

surgery when she was 15 and could

see just well enough to read. Since

Anne understood what it was like to be

blind, people thought she could really

help Helen. Little did anybody know

that they were about to form a 50-year

friendship and special bond.

Now imagine how hard it would be

to learn words when you’re blind and

deaf. Anne began to teach Helen

words using some special tricks. For

example, let’s say she wanted to teach

her the word cup. Anne would place

a cup in one of Helen’s hands and she

would press the letters C-U-P in the

other hand.

Helen started learning some words

this way. It was not easy and things

didn’t really click just yet. Helen would

get very frustrated and even once

knocked out one of Anne’s teeth

during a lesson. But then one day,

Helen really started to grasp it. Anne

put Helen’s hand in water, then spelled

out W-A-T-E-R in her other hand. Helen

Name: __________________________________________________

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489954

finally understood how the process

worked. It was a big day for her, and

she learned many words after that.

The next challenge was learning how

to read. Anne taught Helen how to

read braille. Braille is a special reading

system for blind people. Letters are

made out of little bumps on a page

that you can touch. Helen caught on

fast and was able to read entire books

and use a typewriter by the age of 10.

She was determined to persevere.

At that point, Helen was ready to

learn how to speak, and Sarah Fuller

helped her with this. Sarah was a

teacher at the Horace Mann School for

the Deaf. She knew certain techniques

that would help. As Sarah spoke, Helen

would place her hand on Sarah’s lips.

Instead of hearing the sound, she felt

the sound vibrations and felt how the

lips moved to make certain sounds.

Helen herself started saying a few letters

and sounds. She was ecstatic. This was

the rst time in her life she was able to

do that! Eventually, she learned

complete words. And with hard work

and determination, she was able to say

full sentences.

Helen was an excellent student. She

attended four different schools as a

child and

teenager:

Perkins

School,

two schools

for the deaf,

and a school

to prepare for

college. When

she was 20 years

old, she started at

Radcliffe College for women in

Massachusetts. Anne went to class with

her to help her. Helen graduated with

honors.

Helen Keller is a great example of

someone who was always determined

and never let obstacles get in her way.

She took the challenges life presented

her and turned them into something

positive. As she grew older, she wanted

to help others who had the same

challenges. Helen became an activist

and her mission was to inspire others.

She spent her life raising money and

awareness for the rights of women and

people with disabilities. She wrote many

articles and books about her unique

experiences. She traveled all over the

world and lived until she was 87 years

old.

Helen Keller at age 8

with Anne Sullivan

The Braille Alphabet

a b c d e f g h i j k l m

n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Name: ______________________________________

1. According to the article, how did Helen Keller become

blind and deaf?

a. She was born blind and deaf.

b. She was in a terrible horseback riding accident.

c. She became blind and deaf later in life due to old age.

d. She contracted a serious illness as a child.

2. Based on the information in the article, why did Helen Keller become angry and

upset when she was a child?

a. Keller was used to getting her way, and she had tantrums when she didn’t get

her way.

b. Keller was frustrated that she couldn’t communicate with her family and friends.

c. Keller was treated unkindly by her brothers and sisters because of her disabilities.

d. Keller experienced a lot of physical pain from her disabilities.

3. Who was Anne Sullivan?

________________________________________________________________________________

4. Who was Sarah Fuller?

________________________________________________________________________________

5. Which of the following statements about Helen Keller is not correct?

a. Helen Keller learned how to read braille, use a typewriter, and even speak.

b. Helen Keller lived a very isolated life, surrounded only by family and a couple

friends.

c. Helen Keller lived until the age of 87 years old.

d. Helen Keller became an author and a political and social activist.

Great Minds:

Helen Keller

by Lydia Lukidis

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489954

Name: ______________________________________

Great Minds:

Helen Keller

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489954

The following terms are vocabulary words from the article.

Match the vocabulary word with its correct definition by

writing the corresponding letter on the line.

1. _____ braille

2. _____ ecstatic

3. _____ tantrums

4. _____ techniques

5. _____ advice

6. _____ persevere

7. _____ vibrations

8. _____ grasp

9. _____ activist

10. _____ inspire

a. help or guidance from a knowledgeable person

b. a person who campaigns for social change

c. to keep going even though something is very difficult

d. a system of raised bumps on a surface that people

who are blind can read with their fingertips

e. understand or comprehend

f. outbursts of anger or frustration, often by a young child

g. encourage; motivate

h. overwhelming excitement or happiness

i. tremors or quivering that occur when sound travels

j. methods or strategies for mastering a skill or task

Name: ______________________________________

Great Minds:

Helen Keller

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489954

In the article, “Great Minds: Helen Keller,” you learned

how Helen Keller overcame challenges with the help of

two women who served as her teachers and friends.

On the lines below, write about someone who taught you

something valuable in your life. You could write about one of your

school teachers, a coach, a music teacher, a tutor, or even one of

your parents or older siblings. Describe what they taught you and

why it is important to you.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Helen Keller with

Anne Sullivan

1. According to the article, how did Helen Keller become

blind and deaf?

a. She was born blind and deaf.

b. She was in a terrible horseback riding accident.

c. She became blind and deaf later in life due to old age.

d. She contracted a serious illness as a child.

2. Based on the information in the article, why did Helen Keller become angry and

upset when she was a child?

a. Keller was used to getting her way, and she had tantrums when she didn’t get

her way.

b. Keller was frustrated that she couldn’t communicate with her family and friends.

c. Keller was treated unkindly by her brothers and sisters because of her disabilities.

d. Keller experienced a lot of physical pain from her disabilities.

3. Who was Anne Sullivan?

________________________________________________________________________________

4. Who was Sarah Fuller?

________________________________________________________________________________

5. Which of the following statements about Helen Keller is not correct?

a. Helen Keller learned how to read braille, use a typewriter, and even speak.

b. Helen Keller lived a very isolated life, surrounded only by family and a couple

friends.

c. Helen Keller lived until the age of 87 years old.

d. Helen Keller became an author and a political and social activist.

Great Minds:

Helen Keller

by Lydia Lukidis

Super Teacher Worksheets - www.superteacherworksheets.com

489954

ANSWER KEY

Anne Sullivan was a former student at Perkins School for the Blind and teacher

to Helen Keller. She taught Keller to recognize the relationship between

everyday objects and words and read braille.

Sarah Fuller was a teacher for the deaf who helped Helen Keller learn how to

speak words and full sentences.

Great Minds:

Helen Keller

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489954

The following terms are vocabulary words from the article.

Match the vocabulary word with its correct definition by

writing the corresponding letter on the line.

1. _____ braille

2. _____ ecstatic

3. _____ tantrums

4. _____ techniques

5. _____ advice

6. _____ persevere

7. _____ vibrations

8. _____ grasp

9. _____ activist

10. _____ inspire

a. help or guidance from a knowledgeable person

b. a person who campaigns for social change

c. to keep going even though something is very difficult

d. a system of raised bumps on a surface that people

who are blind can read with their fingertips

e. understand or comprehend

f. outbursts of anger or frustration, often by a young child

g. encourage; motivate

h. overwhelming excitement or happiness

i. tremors or quivering that occur when sound travels

j. methods or strategies for mastering a skill or task

ANSWER KEY

d

a

f

i

b

h

c

j

e

g