|
Mae Jemison: Star Child |----------> |
The writer
includes the name of the person he or she is writing about. |
| The introduction grabs the reader’s attention with a question. |
Have you ever dreamed of flying freely through outer space surrounded by a sea of stars? Mae Jemison fulfilled that dream. On September 12, 1992, aboard the spaceship Endeavour, she became the first African-American woman to blast into outer space. This wasn’t the only time, however, that Jemison had reached for the stars and realized her dreams. |
The writer lets
the reader know
who the
biography
is about. |
The writer provides
information about
Jemison’s childhood. |
Jemison was born on October 17, 1956, in Decatur,
Alabama, but she grew up in Chicago, Illinois. There
weren’t many African-American female role models while
Jemison was growing up, but she didn’t let that stop her
from achieving her goals. She was especially interested in
anthropology, archaeology and astronomy. Luckily, her
parents encouraged those interests. That encouragement
drove her to excel. She graduated from high school at 16!
Then she earned degrees in chemical engineering and
African-American studies at Stanford University. Soon after,
she graduated from Cornell University’s medical school.
No obstacle was too great for Jemison to overcome! | The writer uses
Jemison’s
education as an
example that
shows how she
worked hard to
achieve her goals. |
| The writer gives
examples of Jemison’s
accomplishments. |
Jemison’s accomplishments did not end there. In 1981,
she joined NASA’s space program in Houston, Texas. In
1988, however, Jemison realized her biggest dream: She
finally became an astronaut! Just four years later, she
was named Science Mission Specialist (another NASA first)
on the Endeavour flight. | |
|
Today she encourages young people, especially women
and girls, to study the sciences. Her life example teaches
us to follow our dreams, no matter how great! |
The writer’s
conclusion lets
the reader know
why Jemison is
an important
person to
learn about. |