Learning Heroes 2012

Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon and this is his story.

Neil Alden Armstrong was born on the 5^th August 1930 in Wapakoneta United States, he was born to Stephen his dad and Viola his mum.

He had a brother and a sister they were called June and Dean, sadly both of his parents died in 1990. On the 28^th January 1956 Neil married a woman called Janet Elizabeth Shearon when he was 26.

On the 15th August 1957 Neil took his first flight in a rocket plane when he was only 27! When Neil was 35 he was aboard Gemini 8 (which was his rocket) and that marked his first space flight.

Neil was joined by two other astronauts called Michael Collins and Edwin Aldrin, and then they all started their way to the moon.

The 20th July 1969 was the day when a man from Earth stepped for the first time on the Moon. On the 24th July they all returned to Earth, and then Neil won a presidential medal for freedom.

On the 12th June 1994 Neil married a lady called Carol Knight, this was his second marriage.

The doctor at work

Valentino Rossi is an enthusiastic Italian Motorbike rider. He is famous for winning many world championships and known as the G.O.A.T (Greatest Of All Time) and the doctor because he tears his opponents apart (metaphorically) and has a degree as a doctor.

Family and Childhood

Valentino Rossi was born on February 16^th 1979 in Urbino. His dad was a former motorcycle racer. Valentino’s first love was go karting and his dad replaced a 60cc motor for a 100cc national kart motor for his then five year old son. Valentino took up the sport of mini moto and had won many regional competitions by 1991.

Racing events

He started racing with a small engine125cc and has now progressed to Moto GP which is allowed up to 1000cc. In 1996 he raced for Aprilia (125cc).He won the world championship with them in 1997 (125cc) and 1999 (250cc).Then he won the world championship with Honda in 2001 (500cc) 2002 (motoGP) and 2003 (motoGP). He started racing for Yamaha in 2004 and won the world championship in 2004 (motoGP) 2005 (motoGP) 2008 (motoGP) and 2009 (motoGP).Now he is racing for Ducati. This is why he says “I go very fast, I win the race, I’m very happy”

Why is he a good role model?

One of the reasons why he’s great role model is that when he’s far in front he races the same way as he would if he was fighting for first place. He uses many habits of mind like: perseverance, being accurate and precise, taking responsible risks, managing impulsivity. Learning continuously and applying past knowledge to new situations. So if you want to be like Valentino use these habits of mind and others as much as you can.

The world of motoGP has now changed forever thanks to Valentino Rossi, the Italian king of motorcycle racing.

Most of us know her as the famous witch ‘Hermione Granger’ from the Harry Potter films. But what we don’t know is all the other things she has starred in and how great a role model she is.

Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson was born on the 15^th April 1990 in Paris. Emma moved to England when she was 5 years old with her mother (Jacqueline Luesby) and younger brother (Alex Watson) because of her parents’ divorce. That was when her life was going to change for the better. Emma had always wanted to be an actress form the age of 6. She trained for years at a part-time Theatre School. At the age of 8 her chance came when she went for the role of Hermione Granger. By the time she was 10 she had starred in a couple of productions and had had a more or less normal childhood.

Her and all her fellow cast mates were told they had the part after eight, long tiring auditions. For her performance in the Philosopher’s Stone she was nominated for five awards including the Young Artist Award for leading young actress. Once the second film was released, she won an Otto award from Germany. Then of course there was the third film when she won two Otto awards and the child performance of the year award. As you can see so far Emma has won an award for each film she has done and that is what made her famous. Also modelling has helped her on her way to fame, as she was in a lot of magazines.

Most of Emma’s years were taken up by acting and modelling but she still managed 8 A*s and 2 A’s in her GCSEs. Also once Harry Potter was finished she continued her learning by going to the Brown University for her last year.

Emma’s jobs are acting and modelling. Emma has starred in all the Harry Potter movies, Ballet Shoes and she did a voice in The Tale of Desperaux. She also models for a group called Burberry. She was in their Autumn/Winter 2009 campaign and Spring/Summer 2010 campaign. She also helped a group called People Tree in one of there modelling projects.

So by having all these jobs she needs to have different ideas and different ways of thinking so she has to think flexibly most of the time.

Introduction

David Walliams is hilariously funny. He’s an author of children’s books, a long distance swimmer as well as a charity helper and a comedian. He’s obviously a complex man.

Birth & Family

David Edward Williams was his original birth name but he has chosen to change it. He was born in Merton near London almost 42 years ago, but he was brought up in Banstead. His father Peter had a job as a London transport engineer; his mother was a lab technician which does pay a bit. So he was brought up with some or enough money.

Childhood & Education

He was born in 1971. At primary school he was at an all boys school named Collingwood school in Wallington, he then went to Reigate Grammar school. Also David studied drama at the University of Bristol, as well as that he was a member of the youth theatre. He met Matt Lucas, as well as one of his co – stars.

Achievement & Career

David’s first appearance with people watching was Sky 1’s game show. That is where he broke though to comedy. Matt Lucas was David’s co-star in 2 humorous programs, the entertaining Little Britain and the diverting Come Fly With Me and he is now a judge on Britain’s Got Talent. He has also got a famous face for swimming, as he swam the Thames for charity.

Conclusion

David Walliams’ funny approach to his famous way of life, encouraging people by his cycling to changing the life style of people in need, making a different approach to comedy and his charity work makes him different to other people and comedians. David Walliams is, without a doubt, one of the funniest men alive!!!

Early life

Hans Christian Andersen is a Danish author who wrote 168 books in his lifetime. Hans was born on April 2^nd 1805 and 2005 marked his 200^th birthday! Hans’ father was a shoe maker and his mother a washer woman for rich families with large homes. At the age of 14, he left home to live his own ways of life and to live his dream.

Hans Christian Andersen was an artist, singer and an actor, but he was not successful at first. Andersen was also a poet and his poetry won him many fans and then travelled through Europe. Hans had an award named after him called the Hans Christian Andersen award in the literature awarded by one author or illustrator every 2 years. Andersen was at first studying to become a tailor.

His book of fairytales

Andersen wrote many books in his life time which lead up to his book of fairy tales that contained many books like: the Little Match Girl, The Fir Tree, The Bottle Neck, The Angel, The Bell, The Metal Pig, The Elf On The Rose, The Butterfly, The Snow Man and many, many more.

Hans Christian Anderson wrote a book of fairytales that was published in 1835 and the book was a success! Hans for a time had his face and paper creations on stamps.

Hans’s books are still popular today but not many people know him but they read a lot of his stories and mostly the Ugly Duckling when they are young and other books at times. But they do not know it’s him because people rewrote his stories.

Introduction

Sir Paul McCartney inspires me because he has achieved a lot in his life. He also has a music career and was in a band called The Beatles. He has also earned over £475 million in his life. Paul has had over five occupations! Paul uses a lot habit of mind such as:

• Being creative and imaginative

• Perseverance

and many more.

1942-1980

Paul was born on the 18^th of June in Walton Hospital, Liverpool. He met John Lennon at the age of 15 which continued on to him joining the Quarrymen. He wrote many songs for them. Eventually George Harrison joined them in 1998 as the lead guitarist. They had tried many names like: Johnny and the Moondogs and The Silver Beatles! After a long time in The Silver Beatles, Paul moved on to the making of the Beatles at the age of 20. About six years later, he married Linda Eastman. At 30 years old, which was soon after his marriage, he made a nursery rhyme of Mary had a Little Lamb for fun and it made it to the charts! From that day on he was a solo artist.

1981-2012

At the age of 52 he starred in a TV sitcom called Bread which Paul enjoyed doing for his many viewers! In 2000 at the age of 57 he was named one of the greatest songwriters of the millennium! Sadly a shock soon came to Paul when he was 59 in 2002 that his wife Linda Eastman died (R.I.P). So he then married Heather Mills! In 2011 (aged 68) he got a divorce with Heather Mills and soon married Nancy Shevell.

Life Fanatic

Roald Dahl was an inspirational British man. Not only for his talent of writing, but for his bravery in World War 2. He was born on September 13^th 1916 in Wales and died on the 23^rd of November 1990 at the age of 74.

Childhood

When Roald Dahl was just 4 years old, his 7 year old sister called Astri died of a horrible disease called appendicitis. A few months later his dad died by falling out of a boat on a fishing trip. When he was 13, he entered Repton Public School in Derby.

Adulthood

When Roald Dahl was 18 he graduated from Repton School. After that he accepted a position with Shell Oil Company in London. 4 years later he started work at Shell’s Branch Office in East Africa. In 1939 Roald Dahl joined the R.A.F and learned to fly a fighter plane in Nairobi (Kenya) at the age of 23. Just one year later he suffered a serious injury as a result of a plane crash in Libya. Roald had to spend several months in a military hospital in Alexandria (Egypt). When he was 25 Roald Dahl rejoined his squadron, then stationed in Greece. One year later he started work at the British Embassy in Washington. In 1943 Roald Dahl published his first book called the Gremlins and was invited to the White House to meet the American president.

Achievements

Two of Roald Dahl’s greatest achievements are his success in his writing and his bravery in World War 2.

Conclusion

Sadly Roald Dahl had to die at sometime and that time was 23^rd of November 1990. One of Roald Dahl’s legacies was his fantastic books. Here are some of the books he wrote: The Gremlins, James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Magic Finger, Fantastic Mr Fox, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, Danny the Champion of the World, The Enormous Crocodile, The Twits, George’s Marvellous Medicine, The B.F.G., Revolting Rhymes, The Witches, The Giraffe, Pelly and Me, Boy Tales of Childhood, Going solo, Matilda and Esio Trot.

Nelson Mandela is not just a legend but a persevering role model who stood up for black South Africans.

Nelson was born on the 18^th of July 1918. At the age of 26 he joined the African National Congress Party. Shortly after, he married Evelyn Maze. However in 1960 the A.N.C was banned by a white South African government. People like Mandela got angry and protested meanwhile the A.N.C was illegally reformed.

In 1962 he, along with many other A.N.C members, was jailed . Two long years later he was sentenced for treason. This only enraged more people and over the next 26 years the black South Africans would gain power and be liberated.

In 1990 he was released into a black controlled country. Only three years later he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1994 his autobiography was published, A Long Walk To Freedom and soon he was elected first black president. Five years later he stepped down and became an ambassador.

He is now 94, living a peaceful life and has touched the hearts of many and is most definitely a light in the darkness.

Derren Brown was born on the 27^th of February 1971 in Purely, London. He has inspired me to learn illusions and to be a magician. He is a great role model for being creative as he makes his own shows and illusions.

He has a brother who was born in 1980. He has two stepbrothers called Joseph and Andrew. His mum’s name is Vicky and his sister is called Lytrell.

Derren attended Whitgift School at the age of 14 (1985), it was an independent school for boys in South Croydon, where his father coached swimming. After he started at the University of Bristol, he attended a hypnosis show which inspired his future career. Whilst studying, he started working as a magician performing close up magic. At the age of 22 he started performing stage hypnosis at the University of Bristol under the stage name Derren V Brown. Derren graduated at the age of 23 having studied law and German.

At the age of 28 in 1999 Channel 4 asked Derren to make some mind reading TV shows called Mind Control. Derren’s first live stage show was called Derren Brown Live and was performed in 2003. This is a list of some of his shows: Derren Brown Live, Trick Of The Mind, Trick Or Treat, The Events, The Experiments, Russian Roulette, Séance, Messiah, The Gathering, The Heist, Something Wicked This Way Comes, The System, Mind Reader-An Evening Of Wonders, Hero At 30,000 Feet, Enigma, Miracles For Sale, Derren Brown-Enigma, Svengali

Derren Brown, an amazing person who is always looking to learn more about magic and illusions, is a great role model for continuously learning. Because of being such a good person, he became the patron of the Parrot Zoo Trust. We all hope that he will carry on doing what he does.

David was born on 20th of August 1971. David Walliams is an inspiration for the fundraising he has done. He has also raised a lot of money for Sport Relief doing some activities; he is a great British man.

Family and how he became famous

David Walliams was first known for the TV appearance, as “Lesley Luncheonmeat” on Sky1’s show games world in 1993.His wife is called Lara Stone, she is a former Dutch model. David’s parents are Peter and Kathleen Williams, Kathleen is a lab technician, Peter is a London transport engineer.

Charity work

Recently he swam across the River Thames and in 2006 he swam across the English Channel and the strait of Gibraltar for charity. When David Walliams swam all the events he was taking massive risk of injuring himself.

School and work

In college he got a BA in drama. In school David was very badly bullied and at sea scouts he developed characters he could act out to keep the bullies at bay. David was a judge on series 6 of Britain’s Got Talent along with Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and fellow new judge Alisha Dixon. He was also on Come Fly with Me. Walliams appeared on series 7 episode 6 on BBC2 show Top Gear. In 2008 Walliams signed a contract with Harper Collins to publish some children’s books. Some of the books were The Boy in the Dress, Mr Stink, Billionaire Boy and Gangster Granny which were illustrated by Quentin Blake and Tony Ross. In early 2012 he hosted new panel show Wall of Fame on Sky1.

David Walliams persevered with the fundraising he has done for Sport Relief. He was creative with all the books he has written. He also took a lot of risks. That’s why he is an inspiration.

Best Manager

Sir Bobby Robson was a British man, who was a manager for a lot of football teams like Barcelona, Ipswich Town and England.

Birth and Childhood

He was born in 1933. When he was a boy he said he wanted to be the best football player ever. He played football at school all the time when it was break time and lunch time too. One of his friends at school watched him play football they called him the brick. They called him that because he was good at skilling people and when he got tackled he got straight up and wasn’t hurt.

Football Player Career

His first team he played for was Fulham and his second was West Bromwich Albion in the spring of 1956. When he was at West Bromwich Albion his mates called him Bobson. He was a Striker for West Bromwich Albion and was a midfielder for Fulham.

Manager

Sir Bobby Robson won the F.A. Cup with Ipswich and he won a trophy with Barcelona when they won the league. Sir Bobby Robson’s first international team was England. He is famous for leading England to the 1990 World Cup Semi-Final.

Sad Death

Sir Bobby Robson died on the 31st of July 2009 when he was only 76. He had cancer and couldn’t help it they tried and tried… but he died. At Ipswich Town’s home ground they had a moment of silence and at Barcelona too. This was sad for the England fans and the Ipswich and Barcelona too, so they were all sad what happened to him. This was a blow for his family he was a hero to some people, and his family were proud of him. He said “Ipswich I will stand by you.” One of Ipswich Town’s players today thought he was amazing. This player was Ipswich’s number 6 Grant Leadbitter.

When he passed away it was very sad but now they had a statue of him at Ipswich Town’s stadium to be remembered when he was the Ipswich, Barcelona and Ipswich Manager.

Queen Elizabeth is our striving for accuracy queen. She has run Great Britain for 60 years, without fail. Surviving and helping in WW2, inspiring millions of people with her famous speeches and coping the death of two loved ones during her childhood. She is loved and treasured. Our queen has done it all.

Birth and Childhood

Among the early hours of Wednesday 21^st April, 1926 the world was blessed with a future queen. She was born with blue eyes and fair hair. At her christening on the 29^th of May at Buckingham Place, our Queen was christened Elizabeth Alexandra Mary. 4 years later Elizabeth was blessed with her first sibling, Princess Margret Rose. She worked hard at school and showed commitment to playing the piano. She enjoyed her life, playing and having fun however the world came to her with a shock as she approached her 10^th Birthday ………..

In January 1936 her beloved grandfather, King George the V died. Elizabeth was nine and Margret six. She’d never lost someone close to her before. After her grandfather’s death, her uncle David took over as king, a few months later. David wanted to marry a divorced woman (which he couldn’t do). He stepped down from the throne to marry the woman. Afterwards, Albert (Queen Elizabeth’s father) took over. It was only then she realised next she would be queen.

World War 2

When Elizabeth was 13, World War 2 broke out in 1939. However just because she was a princess, she didn’t opt out of any work! As soon as she was old enough, she joined ATS Auxiliary Territorial Service. Beforehand she urged her parents’ to join the army and do their bit! There’s even a picture of Elizabeth changing a tyre, that day has never been forgotten! She showed perseverance when working fast and she had to be accurate too.

Sadly, on the night of the 6^th of February 1952, king George VII, (Elizabeth’s father Albert who had changed his title to George) died in his sleep. The now new queen was in Kenya. She had no idea she was queen. She came home as queen Elizabeth II at the age of 25. The queen was crowned at Westminster Abby, on the second of June 1953. She was given the most monstrous presents. Now the country was depending on her …..

Elizabeth is an amazing person. She tried her best and has achieved almost anything. Everything the queen has done she’s been accurate and precise. When she dies she’ll have a legacy that lives forever! Elizabeth is a fantastic person and a great queen.

Daniel Radcliffe is inspirational English actor who plays Harry Potter in all eight films. He has been acting from the age of 11.

Birth and family

Daniel Jacob Radcliffe was born on the 23^rd of July 1989 in West London. He is the only child of his parents. His dad, Alan George Radcliffe, is a literacy agent. His mum, Marcia Jeannine Radcliffe, is a casting agent.

School

Daniel went to two independent schools from 1994-2001 and from 5-11 years old. They were for boys only and the names of them were Sussex House School and the City of London School. Daniel admitted he wasn’t very good at school he found work very hard, but he did achieve A grades in three advanced levels he sat in 2006 age 17. After the first Harry Potter film was out, he was educated through set tutors from 2001- 2006 aged 11-17. Also at the same time he did not go to college or university.

Daniel is a film actor, he plays Harry Potter. Daniel Radcliffe was 10 when he did his first filming debut on BBC one Charles Dickens. He played the role of David Copperfield.

Daniel had many people who helped him be a good actor. The main people who helped are his film producers and his tutors that tell him where to stand at the right at the right time. The producers’ name was David Heymen and the tutor’s name was David Copperfield.

Daniel went all the way over to Australia to let the country know that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 was being released on DVD. Emma Watson (Hemione Granger) and Rupert Grint (Ron weaseley) and other actors were there as well.

To be an actor you have to be clever. You also have to be brave. Daniel Radcliffe is both of those words. On his first audition for Harry Potter he was just right for the part.

Daniel is a very good actor. He was so good that he has been picked to act in a new film called the Woman in Black. He said that he was really looking forward to acting in yet another film. Over the last 10 years, he has been using great habits of mind like… thinking flexibly, courage and perseverance.

Mo Farah is an inspirational Somalian who now lives in England. At the moment, Mo Farah is one of the world’s fastest runners, competing world wide in 5,000 and 10,000 metre runs. He also runs 1,500 and 3,000 metres nationally!

Mo Farah was born on the 23^rd of March 1983 and is now 29 years old. He moved from Somalia to England when he was 8. On the other hand, his stepdad grew up in England. The reason his parents are together, is because his stepdad went on holiday to Somalia and stayed in a house not far from Farah’s.

When Farah arrived in England, he couldn’t speak very much English, so he didn’t attend school for a year, because his dad was teaching him simple English. After spending some time in Syon School, in Feltham, Farah decided to go to Isleworth Sport School, just out of London. At that time his favourite sport was football and he wanted to play right wing for Arsenal.

Recently Farah has been running in the Istanbul World Championships, where he won 2 out of 4 of his races. When he was a lot younger he won the National Junior Championships at 13 years old! Surprisingly, this was the only time he won this particular race.

Mo Farah is amazing, but he is nearing the end of his running career now. The whole country will be behind him at the Olympics. Even if he doesn’t win gold, he has still set a world best for the 5,000 and 10,000 metres.

Taylor grew up on a Christmas tree farm in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, a US State located in the North-eastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. She currently lives with her parents, Scott and Andrea, her younger brother Austin and her younger sister, Claire, in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Her grandmother Majorie Finlay is an opera singer, while her great-grandfather, Sir Archie Dean Swift, was President and later Chairman of the board of the Central-Penn Bank in Philadelphia from 1930 until his retirement in 1959.

Taylor Alison Swift is a very special young adult with an amazing talent. Taylor is on a quest to show people that the world is not all about money. She is mainly known for her passionate love for both singing and song-writing, which has stunned people all over the world. I think Taylor is a great role model for learning because even though she is wealthy and could easily afford things we couldn’t, she uses her fortune to help children and adults all over the world that are in need of better care.

In 4^th grade (year3) Swift won a national poet contest with a three-page long poem called ‘Monster in My Closet’. At the age of 10, Swift began to perform around her home town, singing at karaoke contests, festivals and fairs, and also started writing songs.

As a child Taylor was a victim of bullying and began writing songs to express her feelings. Not many people knew about Taylor being bullied as she was a shy child and preferred to keep things that made her unhappy to herself. When Taylor was 12 years old she started to play her first string guitar and started occasionally flying to Nashville to co-write songs with local song-writers. In 2004 Taylor moved to Nashville and started to live her life as an international singer/songwriter.

At the age of 15 she rejected a record deal with RCA Records because they wanted to keep her permanently on an artist development deal, but Taylor had bigger dreams. By time she was 16, Taylor had released her first debut single ‘Tim McGraw.’ Later in 2007 she performed her debut single at the Academy of the Country music awards. Even after all this the fun didn’t stop! In the summer of 2008 she released a chart stopping song ‘Beautiful Eyes’, before then being nominated for a Grammy Award for ‘Best New Artist’. Unfortunately she lost to Amy Winehouse.

Taylor’s voice is a huge success around the globe, touching the hearts of millions of people. As well as having this amazing gift Taylor has other things that she should be proud of. Taylor has donated thousands of pounds to charities over the years including The Red Cross and Saint Jude’s. In the past Taylor has also held fundraising concerts where all the money raised goes to charity. A few years ago Taylor held a Bushfire Benefit concert where all the money raised went towards helping families suffering from Bush Fires in the outback in Australia.

On September 21^st 2007 Taylor helped launch a campaign to protect children from online predators, as well as donating her prom dress to donatemydress.org. This raised $1200 for charity. She has also helped launch another campaign to stop Child Abuse.

Lately Taylor has toured all over the world helping children from the make a wish foundation and other children’s charities. Interviewers have been told that Taylor intends to stay with her job she has and has no intentions of changing.

Michael Jackson was a creative, thoughtful and loving person. He sent out a message with music, dance and words. He is now remembered as a world phenomenon.

Michael Joseph Jackson was born into a family of seven in Gary, Indiana on the 29^th of August 1958. He had a special relationship with his brothers and they all had a passion for music. Slowly his family began to see his amazing musical talent, so Michael and his brothers formed a band called “The Jackson 5”. Over time he and his brothers became more mature and renamed the band “The Jacksons”, although this time the success didn’t last as long. Michael decided to move on and began his solo career.

During the 1980’s Michael won multiple awards and became a dominant figure in the music industry. Also, he was famous for his other jobs: Composing, singing, song writing, dancing, choreographing, acting, being a well know business man and a philanthropist (someone who wants or makes peace). In his time he won many awards but the award he was most proud of was his Guinness World Record for the biggest devotion to charity than any other pop star. His greatest charity work was the 300 million dollars he raised from his “Heal the World” single.

Sadly in 2009, while preparing for his comeback tour, “This Is It”, he passed away. He inspired many people to follow their dreams and persist in everything they do.

Michael Jackson died in Los Angles, California on June 25^th 2009 at fifty years of age.

Walter Disney was born in Chicago on the 5^th of December 1901 and died at the age of 65 in 1966 in California. He inspired children with his outstanding drawings. Here is the biography of Walter Disney.

Family and childhood

Walt Disney’s parents were Elias Disney and Flora Call Disney. Walt Disney’s childhood was like any other kid’s childhood When Walt Disney was 7 he sold his first sketches to his neighbours. In 1925 Walt Disney got married to Lillian Marie Bounds. They had two children Diane Marie Disney and Sharon Mae Disney.

Education

Walt Disney attended the Benton Grammar School in Kansas City, from 1911-1917. Then he joined Mckinley High School in Chicago. At the age of 17 Walt Disney attempted to join the military but he was rejected because of his age, but then he joined the Red Cross. He never graduated High School and never attended College.

Drawings and Cartoons

Lots of people know Walt Disney from his creation of Mickey Mouse and the other Disney cartoons. Also he is well known for Disney Land in Florida and Paris. Plus he is well known for his movies.

Conclusion