Biography Project

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Biography Project

Reading/Writing Grade 8

Requirements

Biography Assignment Sheet

Phase 1: Reading

Read a biography Answer these questions for book report: Phase1bioquestions.pdf

These directions: (BiographyAssignmentSheetsre.pdf)

Phase 2 and 3 questions: bioresearchquestions.pdf Question Sheet

Phase 2: Research

1. Choose a positive person that you would like to study.

2. Select a biography about the person, either from the approved reading list or by gaining approval from your teacher.

3. Keep a log as you read, noting important details about your author, interesting incidents, and at least five quotations. Pay special attention to how the time period or culture influenced your person. Keep a list of page numbers of the biographer's use of author's tools (craft).

4. Develop a timeline of key events in your person's life, using the Timeline tool at

http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/timeline/ .

1. After reading your person's biography, continue to research your person using the Internet and the recommended Web resources.

2. Evaluate your sources using the Critical Evaluation of a Website form: evalhigh.pdf from Kathy Schrok's Discover site: http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/evalhigh.html

3. Take notes and turn them in!

4. Turn in a bibliography of sources used. Include at least one Internet source, one print source, and the biography you read. See the MLA style sheet for proper format. (http://citationmachine.net/index.php?callstyle=1&all= )

Recommended Web Resources:

• Biography.com http://www.biography.com/

Interested in Michael Jordan? Mohammed Ali? Albert Einstein? Go to Biography.com and type in the name of someone that has always interested you.

• Native American Biography

http://www.indigenouspeople.net/leaders.htm

http://www.kidinfo.com/American_History/Native_Americans.html

Scroll Down

http://www.npg.si.edu/col/native/index.htm

• Leaders and Success: www.investors.com/editori#B5A0C

Investor's Business Daily once ran a daily column to examine why one person---an athlete, an inventor, a businessperson, or social leader---becomes successful.

• Inventor of the Week: http://web.mit.edu/invent/i-main.html

MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) profiles a different inventor, from the past or present. Browse the Archives to search for information on an inventor or invention of your choice.

• The History of US (Webisodes): http://www.pbs.org/wnet/historyofus/menu.html

America represents freedom, and many have given the ultimate sacrifice, to die for that freedom. This history tells the stories of all of us, as we struggle to make this country “A more perfect union.”

Distinguished Women of Past and Present

http://www.distinguishedwomen.com

American Collection: American Writing Gateway

http://www.ncteamercancollection.org/americanwritinggateway.htm

Biography.com

http://www.biography.com

Brain-Juice.com

http://www.brain-juice.com

Lives, the Biography Resource

http://amillionlives.com

Phase 3: Activities and Assignments

Mentor Mixer

Date:

• Find (or create) a costume or prop that will help you portray your person.

• During the Mentor Mixer, you may use one note card, but do not plan to read the card! Include information on the card that will help you recall interesting information about the author and some quotations. Be innovative, rather than focusing on birth and death dates.

Group Panel Presentation

Date:

• In a group of four or five students, write a script to present each of your people to the class in a panel presentation.

• Create questions to be used in your panel discussion.

• One person should be designated as the host, with the other authors appearing as guests. You can make it a “themed” show if you like or the questions can be wide ranging.

• Each person should be introduced with major contributions mentioned.

• Use as many quotations as possible, but try to keep the dialogue sounding natural.

• You may decide to allow questions from the audience. If so, prepare these questions in advance, so your responses can be planned too.

• Design a handout or visual display about your author using graphics and an eye-catching, easy-to-read layout (see Biography Project Suggestions).

• Your group will have 8–10 minutes to present your authors, so plan your panel presentation carefully!

Rubric: http://www.nald.ca/CLR/Btg/ed/evaluation/groupwork.htm

Writing Assignments

1. Create a biopoem about your person (see How to Write a Biopoem handout). biopoem.pdf

2. Write a brief biographical sketch about your person to add to the class collection at the Student Biography Project website ( https://eagles-write.wikispaces.com/ ).

You will need permission, a password, and student code name.

Include information about the author’s life, works, and influences, along with a list of your sources. Refer to this author site for samples (http://www.ncteamericancollection.org/litmap/amcollectlitmap.html ).

Adapted from Author Biography Project

ReadWriteThink materials may be reproduced for educational purposes.

Phase 4: Autobiography

Autobiographical Sketch

Using your biographer’s organizational style and author’s craft (or choose another organizational style and explain why you changed in a short paragraph), create a biographical sketch of yourself about one event and its affect on your life. See questions on biography questions sheet to guide you. Include photos and illustrations. Write your own biopoem, with additional photos and illustrations.

Presentation

Create a presentation of your information. It may be a script, skit, powerpoint, iMovie, poster, etc.

Link to Book Cube: http://readwritethink.org/materials/bio_cube/