Nelson Mandela

World Leader for Human Rights

From the Series Gateway Biographies

  • Interest Level: Grade 4 - Grade 8
  • Reading Level: Grade 5

On December 5, 2013, former South African President Nelson Mandela passed away at the age of 95. People around the world mourned the death of this human rights activist. Thousands of South Africans waited hours to walk past his casket to pay their respects, and world leaders and celebrities attended his funeral, including Pope Francis, several US presidents, and Bono.

Mandela was born in 1918 in South Africa. While in law school, he joined the African National Congress. The ANC spoke out against South Africa’s apartheid laws, which allowed separate treatment of people based on skin color. He began his activism in the 1940s and was arrested many times before he received a life sentence in 1964. After spending more than 25 years in jail, Mandela was released in 1990 and soon after partnered with South African President F. W. de Klerk to help end apartheid. They won the Nobel Peace Prize together in 1993. The next year, Mandela became the first African president of South Africa. After his term as president, he continued his work as a human rights advocate until he retired in 2004. After a long illness, he died in 2013. He will be remembered for his leadership for years to come.

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978-1-4677-5198-8
$35.99
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Interest Level Grade 4 - Grade 8
Reading Level Grade 5
Genre Social Studies
Category Diverse Books: Race & Ethnicity, Diverse Books: Social Justice, Diversity
Copyright 2015
Publisher Lerner Publishing Group
Imprint Lerner Publications ™
Language English
Number of Pages 48
Publication Date 2014-08-01
Reading Counts! Level 5.6
Text Type Narrative Nonfiction
BISACS JNF007110, JNF007020, JNF007070
Dewey 968.06'5092
Graphics Full-color illustrations
Dimensions 7 x 9
Lexile 860
Guided Reading Level T
ATOS Reading Level 5.8
Accelerated Reader® Quiz 166369
Accelerated Reader® Points 1.0
Features Bibliography/further reading, Index, Reviewed, Sidebars, Source notes, Table of contents, Teaching Guides, and Timeline

Author: Matt Doeden

Matt Doeden began his career as a sports writer. Since then, he's spent more than a decade writing and editing children's nonfiction. Matt lives in Minnesota with his family.

Lerner eSource™ offers free digital teaching and learning resources, including Common Core State Standards (CCSS) teaching guides. These guides, created by classroom teachers, offer short lessons and writing exercises that give students specific instruction and practice using Common Core skills and strategies. Lerner eSource also provides additional resources including online activities, downloadable/printable graphic organizers, and additional educational materials that would also support Common Core instruction. Download, share, pin, print, and save as many of these free resources as you like!

Gateway Biographies

Discover the human side of newsworthy, historical, and pop culture figures, and learn about people leading key social movements or handling crises. Each biography in this easy-reading series is peppered with quotations and stories, accounts of successes and failures, and descriptions of… View available downloads →

Reviews

Booklist

“Doeden offers a balanced view, noting both criticisms against Mandela… and the legacy of a better country he left after his death. An informative and inspirational read for biography, character education, and world history studies.” —Booklist