David Rensin

Sometimes, extraordinary tales are also true. Louis Zamperini was a living, breathing example of resilience and determination to never give up. Beyond survival, Zamperini’s life demonstrates imperfection and acceptance, handling circumstances beyond our control, finding purpose, admitting fault and taking responsibility. In addition to US and World History, this historical figure brings meaning and depth to writing autobiographies, character education, leadership, service, and so much more.

The publisher’s website offers educator resources for teachers and librarians (https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062368331/dont-give-up-dont-give-in), but the links seem to take you on a wild goose chase so finding anything useful was nearly impossible. I found the greatest variety of links to lesson plans and instructional ideas on Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=lesson%20plans%20Louis%20Zamperini&rs=typed&0=lesson|typed&1=plans|typed&2=Louis|typed&3=Zamperini|typed).

Some unexpected finds included quotes on goodreads.com (https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/41449346-don-t-give-up-don-t-give-in-lessons-from-an-extraordinary-life), 4 Lessons in Manliness (https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/41449346-don-t-give-up-don-t-give-in-lessons-from-an-extraordinary-life), digital storytelling (https://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/Louis-Zamperini-Life-Story), a leadership blog (https://prepforum.wordpress.com/2015/01/05/4-lessons-from-the-life-of-louis-zamperini/), and one of many documentaries, The Great Zamperini is a CBS Sports special produced during the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Japan (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEGL-wyz1yk).… (mehr)