Name: _________________________________________
6B- _____
Date: _________________________________
Reading: Biography Booklist  Directions
DUE Date for Book #1: ________________________________________
DUE Date for Book #2: ________________________________________
DUE Date for Book #3: ________________________________________
DUE Date for Final Character Traits Paragraph: mid-to-late November; specific
date to be determined... Specific directions to follow…
Task: During the next 6 weeks, please read at least 3 books from the Biography
Booklist; see SchoolWires > Reading > Biography Booklist to access the list. Then,
sometime around mid-November, you’ll choose one subject (famous person) from
one of the books you’ve read, and you’ll write one character trait paragraph about
him or her, just as we’re about to do for Schooled.
*Please read books from the list until the final due date. Yes, more than
three is OK. In other words, please don’t read off the list until we finish
this unit.
Note-Taking: As you read each book, look for impressive sentences or facts that
reveal a strong character trait for your main subject. Keep a record of these
sentences or facts either by writing them on Post-It notes or by writing them on the
Biography Notes Packet (SchoolWires).
A character trait is an adjective / descriptive word that describes the personality of
a character, or subject:
Exs: brave, assertive, insecure, wise, determined, power-hungry, shrewd
manipulative, aggressive, jealous, protective, cautious, shy, timid, tireless,
outgoing, self-centered, moral, immoral, imaginative, innovative, inspired,
creative, visionary, enterprising, fearless, witty, dedicated, talented, etc.
Remember: Character traits do not…
 name nouns (leader, follower, bully, joker, etc.);
 describe a character’s looks (tall, short, messy, neat, handsome, etc.);
 describe a temporary mood (shocked, disappointed, pleased, etc.);
 rely on general adjectives (nice, smart, mean, good, bad, amazing,
impressive, memorable, unique, famous, etc.)
Quotes:
 A quote, or quotation (noun), is a sentence(s) that are copied, word-forword, from other sources, most often to make a point.
 To quote (verb) is to copy, word-for-word, from another source.
(over)
To find good quotes that reveal a subject’s personality, consider the following:
1. what the subject says, does, thinks, and feels (DAFT)
2. other people’s reactions (others’ DAFT) to your subject
3. the basic facts and physical looks of your subject, though these tend not to
be the strongest forms of characterization
*See Methods of Characterization notes.
Notes: To finish a book, you need to make an average of at least one note per 20
pages. (Ex: 200 pages = at least 10 notes; round upward.)
Each note should state three things:
1. the quote, copied word-for-word from the page
2. the character trait(s) that best fit this quote
3. the page number on which you found the quote
STUFF THAT GETS BOLDFACED, UNDERLINED, AND CAPITALIZED:

YOU MAY USE ELLIPSES (…) IF YOU WISH TO SHORTEN LENGTHY QUOTES,
BUT YOU MUST WRITE THE DEFINITIVE, ESSENTIAL, REVEALING PART OF
YOUR QUOTE ON YOUR POST-IT SO THAT IT CLEARLY SUPPORTS YOUR
TRAIT.

LOOK FOR DEEPLY REVEALING QUOTES THAT GET BEYOND FIRST
IMPRESSIONS, MOODS, PASSING MOMENTS, UNIMPORTANT EVENTS.

LOOK FOR QUOTES THAT SHOW A CHARACTER TRAIT, NOT QUOTES THAT
SIMPLY NAME A CHARACTER TRAIT WITHOUT SHOWING IT.

STRONG QUOTES OFTEN SOUND POETIC AND ALWAYS CONTAIN DEEP,
MEANINGFUL IDEAS THAT ARE WRITTEN IN SPECIAL TERMS THAT ARE
WORTH PRESERVING IN THEIR ORIGINAL WORDING.

YOU MAY, OF COURSE, QUOTE DIALOGUE (TALKING THAT ALREADY
APPEARS IN QUOTATION MARKS). YOU MAY ALSO QUOTE NARRATION
(THE AUTHOR’S WRITING THAT DOESN’T APPEAR IN QUOTATION MARKS.)
Show me your notes on or before the book deadlines.
If you use Post-It notes, save them: After you’ve shown your notes to me, peel them
out of the books and store them in a safe place. You’ll need them for the writing
assignment. Or, if you wish, you may copy your notes onto the Biography Notes
handout. (See SchoolWires > Reading > Character Booklist.)