Biography
What is a biography?
• A biography is a nonfiction
writing that focus on the lives of
human beings, usually famous
people.
• A description of someone's life,
usually published in the form of
a book or essay, or in some
other form, such as a film.
• Scientists and Inventors:
For example: Thomas A. Edison,
Alexander Graham Bell, Wright
Brothers, Joseph Henry among
others..
•
•
•
•
•
•
Abraham Lincoln
Ronald W. Reagan
Franklin D. Roosevelt
John F. Kennedy
Richard M. Nixon
Barack H. Obama
Artists, Musicians, Actors,
Authors and other important
people from the arts.
•
•
•
•
•
Mozart
Beatles
Claude Monet
Marilyn Monroe
Leonardo da Vinci
Sports Personalities
•
•
•
•
Babe Ruth
Jackie Robinson
Mickey Mantle
Roberto Clemente
Explorers and Adventures
•
•
•
•
Christopher Columbus
Amelia Earhart
Ponce de Leon
Neil Armstrong
Humanitarians
•
•
•
•
•
Mother Teresa
Saint Nicholas
Jane Addams
Florence Nightingale
Albert Schweitzer
People who overcome
tremendous odds
• Helen Keller
• John Huss
Villains
• Adolf Hitler
• Benito Mussolini
• Osama bin Laden
Other interesting people
• Molly Bangs
Autobiographies
• Books people write about their lives
Picture Book Biographies
• These books are mainly for young readers
Simplified Biographies
• Are designed for newly independent
readers and appear as picture books
or chapter books with some
illustrations.
Complete Biographies
• The purpose is to span the entire life of the
subject.
Partial Biographies
• Have a more focused purpose than complete
biographies, they only cover a segment of the subjects
life.
Collective Biographies
• Contains a number of short biographical pieces about subjects
who have common traits
Judging Biographies for
young readers
• All biographies must be authentic and accurate.
• The biographer should not make personal
opinions or judgments about the person he/she
is writing about.
• The subject of the biography should not be
glorified nor idolatrized.
• Biographies should be well written and engage
the reader in order to bring the subjects to life
while reading his/her biography.
Examples of Biography Books
Using Biographies in the classroom
•
•
•
•
•
Autobiography worksheets.
Role plays
Write letters to famous people
Costume Day
Have students write a short biography about an
important person they know.
References
• Jacobs, James S. Tunnel, Michael O. Children’s
Literature, Briefly. 4th ed. Pearson Prentice
Hall. 2008.
• http://www.mrsmacadam.com/LangArt/Writing
Lessons/AutoBiogWorksheet3rdGrade.pdf
• www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/biography