Biography Report
February is Black History Month. To celebrate, our class will be
doing a research project on an important African American of
their choosing. Students will research their project. They will
then decorate a real cereal box with illustrations and
information related to their important historical figure. They
will also present the information to the class.
CEREAL BOX
FRONT OF BOX: Use a piece of white or light colored paper to
cover the front of your cereal box. (You will probably want to
create the cover before gluing it on your box.) Include the name
of your important person and a picture of him/her (draw a
picture or print one out). The front of the box should also
contain a slogan. This could be something you make up or
something that has already been used to describe this person.
For example, for Wilma Rudolph, you might say “Fastest Woman
Alive”. Use a cereal box as your model; this should be something
that catches your attention.
RIGHT SIDE: Basic Facts: List the basic facts about your
important person. For example, full name, birth date, family,
school, etc.
Awards/Recognitions/Famous Quotes: Please write any significant
recognitions, achievements or famous quotations. For example, if
you wrote about Martin Luther King Jr. you could mention his
famous “I Have a Dream Speech” and how he received the Nobel
Peace Prize in 1964.
LEFT SIDE: Write a summary of your important person’s life.
Remember to include only important facts about why this person
is famous. You have already included basic facts, so please do
not repeat them here. For example, President Obama grew up in
Hawaii with his mother. He lived around the world, but after
college he settled in Chicago. He started a family and became a
Senator for Illinois. He became the first African American
President in 2008.
BACK OF BOX: Print out or draw a picture about your important
person. Write your own caption underneath the picture. Include
three fun facts about your important person that you have not
included in your basic facts or important facts. Lastly, design
a game that is based on your person. It can be a puzzle, a word
search, a word scramble, a maze, a crossword puzzle, a hidden
pictures illustration, or any other fun activity that might be
found on the back of a cereal box. Make sure it includes
information about your important person.
TOP OF BOX: What references did you use while conducting your
research? Include the title and author, you can use the template
or create the top of the box yourself as long as you include all
of the things listed above.
PRIZE (optional): Cereal boxes often include a prize. Your prize
must be something your person used or was significant in their
life. You can even include a picture of the prize on the front
of your box to let the reader know what is inside the box. For
example, if you were researching Wilma Rudolph, a gold medal,
baton, or leg brace could be a used as a prize. This prize will
only add points to your final score. If you choose not to do
this optional assignment, no points will be taken away.
PRESENTATION:
SPEECH: Students will present their cereal box to the class in
the form of a speech. They will be expected to show their cereal
box to the class but should have their speech written on
notecards. This speech should incorporate the information
written on the cereal box but should be put in their own words,
and not just repeated from the research. The speech should be no
longer than two minutes. The speech does not need to be
memorized but should be well rehearsed at home.
(Optional): Students are encouraged to dress up as their
character on the day of their speech. For example, if the
student is researching Wilma Rudolph, he/she can dress in
running pants and gym shoes. They can even wear a “gold medal”
around their neck. Dressing up will only add points to your
final score. If you choose not to do this optional assignment,
no points will be taken away.
DUE DATES:
Choosing Person: Friday, January 31st
What I Wonder/Learned Sheet: Wednesday, February 5th
Research Outline: Due Tuesday, February 11th
Cereal Box: Due Friday, February 21st
Speeches: The week of February 24th- 28th
RUBRIC FOR BIOGRAPHY REPORT
Front Cover
Basic Facts
Recognitions
Important
Facts
E
Includes
a title,
picture
and
slogan
that
shows
creativit
y and
pride in
your
work.
Includes
5 or more
basic
facts.
Includes
meaningfu
l quotes
and
recogniti
ons that
show the
importanc
e of this
figure.
M
Includes
title,
picture
and
slogan.
P
Includes
2 of the
3
requirem
ents
with
little
to no
creativi
ty.
N
Student
s
include
1
require
ment
with
little
to no
creativ
ity.
N
Does not
attempt
a front
cover.
Includes
4 basic
facts.
Include
3 basic
facts.
Includes
quotes
and
recogniti
ons that
were
given to
the
person.
Includes
a quote
and
recognit
ion that
has
little
to do
with the
person.
Does not
include
basic
facts.
Does not
include
basic
facts.
Includes
a wellwritten
summary
that
includes
facts
that show
the
Includes
a summary
that
includes
facts
that show
the
importanc
e of
Includes
a
summary
that
includes
facts
about
the
person’s
Include
s 1- 2
basic
facts.
Include
s a
basic
quote
or
recogni
tion
that
has
little
to do
with
the
person.
Include
s a
summary
that
include
s facts
that
are not
importa
Does not
include
a
summary
of
importan
t facts.
References
Fun Facts
Game
Illustration/C
aption
Prize
(optional)
importanc
e of
their
life.
Includes
2
credible
sources
in
detail.
their
life.
life.
nt.
Includes
2 sources
in
detail.
Include
s 1
source.
Does not
include
referenc
es.
Includes
5 or more
fun
facts.
Includes
a
creative
game that
is
organized
and easy
to play.
Includes
a neatly
drawn/or
printed
picture
of the
person
and a
caption
describin
g the
illustrat
ion.
Creative
piece
that
would
have been
significa
nt to the
person
researche
d.
Includes
3-4 fun
facts.
Includes
2
sources
with
limited
informat
ion.
Includes
2 fun
facts.
Include
d 1 fun
fact.
Includes
a game
that is
organized
and easy
to play.
Includes
a game
that can
be
played.
Includes
a picture
of the
person
and a
brief
caption
describin
g the
illustrat
ion.
Includes
a
picture
of the
person
with no
caption.
Include
s a
game
that
has
little
or no
use.
Include
s a
sketch
of the
person
with no
caption
.
Does not
include
fun
facts.
Does not
include
a game.
Included
a
creative
toy.
Does not
include
an
illustra
tion or
caption.
RUBRIC FOR BIOGRAPHY SPEECH
Facts
E
Presents
clear,
relevant
facts from
the
research.
Presenting
Informatio
n
Presents
the facts
in the
his/her
own words
Delivery
Speaks
clearly
with good
pace and
volume.
Costume
(optional)
Creative
costume
that would
have been
M
Presents
mostly
relevant
facts
from the
research
.
Presents
most of
the
facts in
his/her
own
words
Mostly
speaks
clearly
with
good
pace and
volume.
P
Presents
some
relevant
facts
from the
research
.
Presents
some of
the
facts
using
words
from
his/her
research
Rushes
or
mumbles
some
words
and/or
volume
is too
soft.
N
Presents
little to
no
relevant
facts from
the
research.
Presents
the
research
only, with
little to
no use of
his/her
own words.
N
Presents
no
facts.
Very hard
to
understand
.
Does not
say
speech
Does not
present
their
research
.
significan
t to the
person
researched
.