Pioneer aviatrix Beryl Markham was born in 1902.

Born in Leicester, England, Beryl Markham moved with her parents to the British colony of Kenya at age three. Markham spent her adventurous childhood on a horse farm and, as a young woman, began a successful career as a horse trainer. One of her horses won the most prestigious racing prizes in Kenya when Markham was only 24. Markham's adventurous spirit led her to learn to fly, and she became the first woman in Kenya to receive a commercial pilot’s license. After having been licensed for less than a year, Markham undertook a daring solo flight from Nairobi to London, a 23-day flight plagued by engine trouble and bad weather. Once back in England, Markham decided she wanted to make a record-breaking flight, so she attempted to be the first to fly from London to New York. Charles Lindbergh had already done the America to Europe flight, but the east-to-west leg was different, because it meant flying into the prevailing winds. Markham left London on September 4th, 1936, at 8:00 PM. A frozen fuel line nearly caused her to crash into the Atlantic once, and that same frozen fuel line later forced her to crash into a bog in Nova Scotia. Although she did not make it all the way to New York, she was the first to make a solo flight east-to-west across the Atlantic. She was hailed as a hero for her pioneering flight, both in New York and back in England.

 

Science NetLinks
Often called the "sport of kings," horse racing has captivated fans for centuries. One reason is the grace and agility of the horses themselves—when they're running at top speed, they look as if they're flying down the track. In the Science Update Horse Bones (6–12), students hear about how horses may help engineers improve human flight in air and space.

Whether on a record-breaking flight or a routine one, popping ears can be a strong annoyance. The Science Update Popping Ears (6–12) discusses the cause of the uncomfortable popping on planes.

ReadWriteThink
Beryl Markham received much attention for the memoirs she co-wrote with her husband. In Memories Matter: The Giver and Descriptive Writing Memoirs (6–8), students combine reading with descriptive writing. Students read The Giver by Lois Lowry, as well as short biographies, autobiographies and memoirs in order to understand the differences between them. Students then gather information through interviews and write their own memoirs. Embedded in this project are skills such as compiling, composing, defining, describing, illustrating, rewriting and validating.

In Introducing Each Other: Interviews, Memoirs, Photos and Internet Research (6–8), students read, write, speak, listen and research as they interview a partner and write an article, write a personal memoir, take partner photographs and use the Internet to find pictures and information illustrating their partners' interests. Results are shared in the form of a poster and a classroom presentation.

Graphic Life Map (6–8) features a prewriting activity for personal memoir or autobiographical writing.