Biography Project
File Folder Report Directions
Your Name________________________________________________
Famous Person ____________________________________________
File Folder Report:
• Front Cover: Attach the paper doll of your famous person, along with
your person’s full name in large neat lettering and dates of birth and
death (if known).
• Inside Left Cover: Attach your timeline & “Important Poem”
• Inside Right: Staple all pages of the written report with your sources at
the end.
• Back Cover: Glue any photos or quotes you may have found.
• File Folder Tab: Write the famous person’s name and your name.
Background Information on the Person
You will need to read and locate information from two sources:
2. Text sources 
3. Internet sources
Famous Person Paper Doll
Begin by drafting a copy of your famous person paper doll. Use the
template to create the body and then create an outfit for your person.
Decorate the background of the folder cover if you wish.
Glue the outfit onto the paper doll. The paper doll will then be glued onto
the folder cover.
Timeline
Use the Kidspiration computer program to create a timeline with at least 5
important events in your person’s life.
Written Report
Use Microsoft Word or write your final copy in your best printing about your
famous person. The information must be in a logical order and include:
• Where was this person born? In what year?
• Where did this person grow up?
• What does/did this person do for a living?
• Why is this person famous? What did/does this person do to become famous?
• How has this person made an impact on others' lives?
• Quotes and interesting information about the person
• Fill out the bibliography information sheet showing the sources used and attach
it as the last page of your report.
Important Book Poem
Use this as a model and write a poem entitled “The Important Thing” using
your famous person as the subject of the poem.
Example:
The important thing about________ is that he __________________. (what he is famous for)
He _____________________ . (list one thing he did)
He _____________________ . (list another thing he did)
He _____________________. (list a third thing he did)
But the most important thing about is that he was ____________ . (what he is famous for)
Here is an example poem:
The important thing about William Shakespeare is that he was an English
playwright.
He wrote plays for Queen Elizabeth I.
His 38 plays were performed in The Globe Theatre.
He also wrote poems called sonnets. They were always about love.
But, the most important thing about William Shakespeare is that he
actually became more famous after he died!
Oral Report
You will dress up (as much as you can) as your person and pretend you
are the person. You will tell all about your life. You will need to rehearse at
home. Following the oral reports, we will celebrate with a “Celebrity
Gathering.” Remember you will be scored for:
 Content - important details included
 Organization - a clear beginning, middle, and end
 Language - appropriate and interesting words and language
 Delivery – good eye contact, volume and body posture
Student Name _______________________________
Report Due: __________________________
Biography Notes ~
Famous Person
___________________________________
Date of Birth__________________________
Place of Birth_________________________
Date of Death________________________
Place of Death _______________________
Family______________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
__________________________________
Major Accomplishments - Why the person is
famous
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
___________
____________________________________________
___________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
Interesting Information & Other Facts
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
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____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
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Famous Quotes by this Person
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
_________________________________
Student Name _______________________________
Sources Used
Texts:
____________________________________________
___________
____________________________________________
___________
INTERNET WEB SITE:
____________________________________________
___________
Internet Address:
____________________________________________
___________
INTERNET WEB SITE:
____________________________________________
___________
Internet Address:
____________________________________________
___________
INTERNET WEB SITE:
____________________________________________
___________
Internet Address:
____________________________________________
___________
INTERNET WEB SITE:
____________________________________________
___________
Internet Address:
____________________________________________
___________
Important Poem
The important thing
about_____________________ is that
he/she_________________________________
_______________________________________
___________________.
(what he/she is famous for)
He/she_________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_____________________________.
(list one thing he/she did)
He/she_________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_____________________________.
(list another thing he/she did)
He/she_________________________________
_______________________________________
____________________
_______________________________________
_________.
(list a third thing he/she did)
But the important thing about
_______________________ is that he/she
_____________________________________
_______________________________________
__________
_______________________________________
__________
_______________________________________
_________.
(what he/she is famous for)
Biography Report Component Criteria
Report Cover and Illustration
Colored paper doll illustration, includes person’s name, birth & death dates, your name
Timeline
Timeline of at least 5 events in the person’s life
Report Ideas & Content
Includes:
• Where and when the person was born & died
• Where the person grew up, childhood life
• Adult life and why the person is famous
• How this person made an impact on others' lives
• Quotes and interesting information about the person
Sentence Fluency
Spelling,Capitalization, Punctuation, Using Paragraphs
Bibliography – Citing Sources
Read and locate information from three sources:
• Biography selected in the LMC
• Encyclopedia (on-line or print)
• Internet source(s)
Important Person Poem
Write a 5-line poem including important events in the person’s life
Extra Credit
Photos of the person
Biography Research Project Rubric
Name: ________________________
Date : ___________________
Person researched: ___________________________________________
Points
1
2
3
4
Needed more
information,
Presentation
Not prepared
could have
Exceptional
Well prepared information and
added more
____
costume!
detail to costume
Clearly
organized and
Unorganized, few
Organization
details;
of Folder
Messy, very little
effort put forth
Somewhat
organized; some
good details;
Messy, some
effort put forth
well laid out;
very good
choice of
details,
creative;
Project
definitely shows
effort
Use of
Less than 3
resources to
interesting facts;
provide
information that is
additional
not significant to
information
the person's life
3-4 interesting
facts; facts that
are significant to
the person's life
Clearly
focused;
excellent choice
of details,
extremely
creative.
Project shows
student took
pride in work
5 interesting
Five or more
facts; facts that
well-chosen
are significant
facts that
and more "hard contain "hard to
to find"
____
find"
____
information
Total---->
____
Teacher Comments:
Name: ________________________
Timeline for Biography Project
Criteria
Points
4
3
2
1
Documentation
of Events
At least six (6)
significant
events are
present. This
includes date
and description.
At least five (5)
significant
events are
present. This
includes date
and description.
At least three (3)
significant events
are present. This
includes date and
description.
Less than three
(3) significant
events are
present. This
includes date and
description.
____
Accuracy
All dates
indicated on
timeline are
correct and are
sequenced in
the proper order.
At least 1 of the
dates or
sequences is
not in the proper
order.
At least 2 of the
dates or
sequences are
not in the proper
order.
At least 3 of the
dates or
sequences are
not in the proper
order.
____
Total---->
Teacher Comments:
____
Dear Parents,
Today, as a way to enhance our reading of non-fiction texts, we began a
biography project. The students selected a person of choice that they would like
to learn about. Using text and on-line resources, the students will be gathering
information and learning about this famous individual. This information will be
used for a mini-research project. This project involves researching a famous
person and presenting a very short biography on that individual. Throughout
this process, the students will be creating “paper dolls”, building timelines
electronically, and taking a shot at biographical poetry.
Each student has selected a person to learn about. The students are being
asked to present the material as that person, which means dressing like that
character. The costumes can range from the detailed to the simple, as they
need not be elaborate; they only need to provide us with a suggestion of who
the student is. All people chosen can be outfitted from home closet selection.
Please send the costumes in a plastic grocery bag. This is a fun activity in
which the students can fully use the information they have already acquired and
build on it. The presentations will take place Friday, February 6th, and our
very own Celebrity Gathering will follow.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me at school or email me anytime.
Thank you for your cooperation!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Kuciewski