PART I: BRAINSTORM
Biography means "writing about life." The key to writing a good biography is
picking a good subject who has lead an interesting life. While it may be tempting
to write about your favorite celebrity, you are strongly encouraged to select
someone who has lived an important life and made a lasting contribution to the
world.
Step 1: Look at the attached list of possible subjects for your biography, and
choose from that list.
Step 2: Choose three people from your list who seem like the best candidates for a
biography.
Step 3: Run a quick search on the Internet to see how much information you can
easily find about your three candidates.
For people in the news and historical figures, visit Yahoo.com.
For celebrities and people of note, visit Biography.com.
For general searches, visit Infoplease.com.
Step 4: Answer the following questions for each of your three candidates (yes or
no).
Is the person's life worth writing about?
Do you feel strongly about the person?
Has the person made a difference in the world?
Does the person fascinate you?
Does the person's life make a good story?
Step 5: Which person's life stands out as the best story? That's your subject!
PART II: RESEARCH
Now that you've selected a subject, the real fun begins! Biographical research is
like detective work. Your assignment: Uncover fun facts about your subject!
Step 1: Visit the library to gather information about your subject. No detail is
too small, no story too great! Take good notes! Investigate! You should browse:
The Internet
Newspaper articles
Magazine articles and interviews
Biographies
History books
Step 2: Track down basic facts about your subject, such as:
Date of birth/death
Place of origin
Parents/siblings
Educational background
Profession
Marriage/children
Favorite books, music, art
Hobbies
Step 3: Find out which events shaped your subject's life, such as:
Greatest accomplishments
Worst failure
Biggest obstacles overcome
Lasting contribution to the world
Step 4: Find out which people influenced your subject's life:
Most influential teacher
Worst enemies
Best friend(s)
Heroes and role models
Favorite family member
Step 5: Gather three quotations by and three quotations about your subject. Be
accurate!
PART III: WRITE
Now that you've gathered enough facts and quotes, it's time to write!
Step 1: To help organize your biography, draw a time line of important events in
your subject's life. Keep this handy when you begin to write. Include things like:
Birth
Education
Marriage/children
Achievements
Failures
Death
What is the most interesting thing you learned about your subject? That's where
your story should begin. Work in the rest of the details as the story unfolds.
Follow this basic outline for storytelling:
Paragraph 1 - Introduction – Make your introduction interesting so the
reader wants to continue reading. Include a quote from or about your subject.
Paragraph 2 – Birth
Paragraph 3 – Education
Paragraph 4 – Marriage/children
Paragraph 5 – Achievements
Paragraph 6 – Failures
Paragraph 7 – Death
Paragraph 8 – Conclusion – Write a paragraph giving your opinion about the
subject. Include another quote from or about your subject.
Step 2: Write a first draft of your biography.
Be honest. Tell the truth about your subject, good and bad.
Be accurate. Check facts by cross-referencing in other sources.
Be clear. Always keep your readers in mind.
Step 3: Read your biography out loud. Answer the following questions:
What new information have I learned about my subject?
Is my story always clear? If not, where does it break down?
What more would I like to know about my subject?
Do the transitions between paragraphs make sense? Does the story flow from
paragraph to paragraph without confusing the reader?
Step 4: Based on your answers, revise your biography.
Check spelling and grammar.
Check quotations for accuracy.
Double check all facts.
Part IV: Visual and Presentation
Now it's time to make a visual so you can present your biography to the class.
Congratulations on finishing your biography!
Biography Subjects
Choose the subject of your biography from this list:
George Bush
William Shakespeare
Queen Elizabeth
Albert Einstein
Frida Kahlo
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Sam Houston
Susan B. Anthony
Harriett Tubman
Pablo Picasso
George Washington
Abraham Lincoln
William B. Travis
Davy Crockett
James Bowie
Stephen F. Austin
Billy Graham
Sacagawea
Jackie Robinson
Babe Ruth
Roald Dahl
Judy Blume
J.K. Rowling
J.R.R. Tolkien
Marie Curie
Clara Barton
Vincent Van Gogh
Wolfgang Mozart
Ludwig Von Beethoven
Johann Sebastian Bach
Ronald Reagan
Benjamin Franklin
Mark Twain
John F. Kennedy
If you want to write a biography on someone not included in this list, please get
approval from Mrs. Shearon first.