Annie Sullivan Biography Storyboard
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The Miracle Worker by William Gibson
By Lauren Ayube
The Miracle Worker is a play It is based off of Helen Keller’s 1903 autobiography, The Story of My Life. When illness left baby Helen blind and deaf, it seemed hopeless that she would ever be able to learn, communicate, or live any kind of real life. When a young woman named Annie Sullivan enters the Keller home, everything changes for Helen and her family. The Miracle Worker is truly a story of perseverance, patience, and love.
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Storyboard Description
Poster for The Miracle Worker biography activity. Create a biography for Annie Sullivan or Helen Keller!
Storyboard Text
- Annie Sullivan
- ThemeEven at a young age, Annie Sullivan was strong-willed and independent. As a young adult, Annie was known for her perseverance. She never gave up, no matter how challenging things became with Helen or in her own life.
- Childhood and EducationAnnie was born in 1866 in a small town called Feeding Hills, MA. Annie contracted the eye disease trachoma at age 5, which severely damaged her sight. When Annie was only 8, her mother died and her father abandoned the family. Annie and her mentally disabled brother Jimmy were sent to live at the Tewksbury Almshouse, which was a dirty, overcrowded, rundown home for the poor. Jimmy died a few months later. Annie learned about the Perkins School for the Blind, and became a student there in 1880. She had surgery, which helped her vision a bit. Since she had never been to school before, she struggled socially and got into trouble. However, Annie was very bright and quickly excelled academically. She graduated as the valedictorian in 1866.
- April 14, 1866 - October 20, 1936
- AccomplishmentsAnnie Sullivan is known for being Helen Keller's extraordinary teacher. She taught Keller over 600 words, how to read Braille, and her times tables in a very short time. When Perkins, Annie's old school, heard about the success Annie was having with Helen, they wrote a report about it. This report spread, and Annie and Helen were regarded as celebrities. Annie got Helen into the Perkins School, and when the family could not longer pay for it or Annie's time, many wealthy people pitched in. With Annie's consistent guidance and love, Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to graduate from college. Her work with Helen Keller lives on through several books, plays, and movies of about their story.
- Family LifeAnnie's parents had 5 children, 2 of whom died at childbirth. Annie's mother became ill and passed away when Annie was only 8 years old. Annie's father was not a nice man, and was often abusive and mean; he abandoned the children soon after their mother died. Annie was close to her younger brother, Jimmy, but when they were sent to live in a poor house, it is said that their sister was sent to live with relatives. As an adult, Annie married John H. Macy in 1905. She and Helen Keller remained close all of their lives, and became like family.
- Interesting FactsShe experienced constant pain in her right eye, which was later removed to improve her health.She wore dark glasses to help with her eye pain.She did not fit in at The Perkins School.Mark Twain was the first to recognize her as "The Miracle Worker".She was friends with Charlie Chaplin.Annie's ashes were placed at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., which is the resting place of many distinguished people.
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