Unit 4
Theme: Celebrities
Genre: Biography

A biography is an account of a person’s life. It includes information
such as date of birth (and death, where appropriate), education and
career, special and important events, and outstanding
accomplishments.
Details of Writing Task

Rubrics: You are going to take part in a writing competition
organised by the English Club in your school. You are asked to write
a biography to introduce a celebrity. Gather information about the
selected celebrity from the Internet and/or the library, but make sure
that you write your biography in your own words. Give your
biography an attractive title. It will be posted on the website of the
English Club.
Features
Context:
A writing competition organised by the English
Club in your school
Writer: Secondary school students
Audience: The organising committee of the competition
Target Language: i) Simple past tense
ii) Time expressions (to retell the events in chronological
order)
1
Pre-writing Activities
1. Structure of the Biography
When writing a biography of a celebrity, the following elements (see the list of
structural elements in a biography), where appropriate, should be included:
List of structural elements in a biography:
a) A title that summarises the
biography
b) Date and place of birth
c) Family background
d) Education
e)
f)
g)
h)
Career
Marriage
Death
Achievements
i) Contributions
1A: Below is a biography of Michael Jackson. Read the passage and fill in the
boxes with the elements of the biography from the list above. You need not
include all the elements suggested. The first box has been done for you.
The King of Pop – Michael Jackson (MJ)
Photos (To be downloaded by teachers)
The King of Pop – Michael Jackson (MJ)
A title that summarises
the biography
Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 in Indiana, the
United States. He was born in an African American working
class family. He had three sisters and five brothers. Michael had
a bad relationship with his father as he was often physically and
emotionally abused by him.
Michael proved his talent in 1964, at the age of 6, when he
began performing vocals and dances with his brother Marlon.
They joined the band Jackson Brothers, which was later called
Jackson 5. In 1966, Jackson 5 won a major local talent show.
In the 1990s, Jackson had two brief marriages. His first wife
was Elvis Presley’s daughter Lisa Marie Presley, and he had
two children with his second wife. However, both marriages
ended up in divorce. He was found dead on June 25, 2009
because of a drug-induced cardiac attack.
2
Since the 1980s, Michael’s albums consistently broke the sales
record. Throughout his career, he received numerous honours
and awards. His achievements featured multiple Gunniess
World Records, including the ‘Most Successful Entertainer of
All Time’ – 13 Grammy Awards, 22 American Music Awards,
17 number one singles, and estimated sales of 750 million
records worldwhile.
Known as the ‘King of Pop’, Michael had global influence
through his musical contributions. His distinctive sound and
vocal style inspired numerous pop, rock, R&B and hip hop
artists. He was also widely credited with transforming the
music videos from a promotional tool into an art form. In
addition, he popularised a number of physically complicated
dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk.
Besides, he was a philanthropist. He donated money to and
raised millions of dollars for 39 charities. He is the founder of
The Heal the World Foundation. The foundation, named after
one of his popular songs ‘Heal the World’, helps to improve the
condition of all mankind.
1B: Read the biography of Michael Jackson in 1A and answer the questions
below. The bolded words provided are the key structural elements of a
biography.
Questions
Answers
Title
1. What is the title of this biography?
Date and place of birth
2. When was Michael Jackson born?
3. Where was he born?
Family background
4. How many brothers and sisters did
he have?
5. How was his relationship with his
father?
3
Career
6. When did he first join a band?
7. In which year did he first win in a
contest?
Michael’s marriage and death
8. Who was his first wife?
9. How many children did he have with
his second wife?
10. When did he die?
11. What was the cause of his death?
Michael’s achievements
12. How many Michael’s records were
sold?
Michael’s musical contributions
13. What kinds of artists were inspired
by Michael?
14. What did he do to music videos?
15. What did he popularize?
Michael’s charitable contributions
16. How many charities did he support?
17. What is the name of the organization
founded by him?
1C: Sentence sequencing & time expressions
Read the following background statements about President Barack Obama. Put
them in what you think is the best order. Then underline the time expressions
which are used to retell the events in chronological order.
1. Then, he entered Harvard Law School in late 1988.
2. In 1992, he married Michelle Obama.
3.
4.
5.
6.
After winning the election, Obama became U.S. President in Jan, 2009.
President Barack Obama was born on 4th August, 1961.
He became the U.S. Senate between 2005 and 2008.
He attended Columbia University in New York City in 1981, studying
International Politics.
Ans: _  __ 


_
4
1D: Answer the following questions according to the background statements
about President Obama in 1C.
Questions
Answers
Date of birth
When was Barack Obama born?
Education
Which universities did he go to?
Family background
Who is his wife?
When did he get married?
Early career
What did he do between 2005 and 2008?
Recent career
When did he become the President of the
U.S.?
2. Language Features
2A: When we write a biography, we have to pay attention to certain language
features. From the above biographies you can find out what they are. Fill in the
blanks by using the examples provided.

The ______________________ tense is often used in a
biography. For example:
2B is a more
detailed exercise
about simple
past tense.
- Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 in Indiana,
the United States. He was born in an African American
working class family. He had three sisters and five
brothers.
 When writing a biography, it is important to make
________________________ to indicate the time and
chorological sequence of the events. For example:
- In the 1990s, Jackson had two brief marriages;
- Since the 1980s, Michael’s albums consistently broke
the sales record.
use
of
2C provides you with a
supplementary exercise
about time expressions.
5
2B: Below is the biography of Yao Ming. Fill in the blanks with the simple past
tense using the verbs from the box below. Some verbs can be used more than
once.
play
begin
give
donate
host
grow
crack
be
become
join
buy
Yao Ming ____ born on September 12, 1980 in Shanghai. His parents _____
former professional basketball players who _____ for China’s National team. As a
child, he _____ more interested in books and history than sports.
At the age of nine, he _____ intensive basketball training at the Youth Sports
School. At the age of 17, he _____ for the Shanghai Sharks. Three years later, he
_______ a representative of the Chinese Olympic Team. When he was 22, he
________ the Houston Rockets of the NBA. He ________the league's top ten scorers
list with 25.0 points per game average in 2006-2007.
Apart from being well-known for his talents in playing basketball, Yao is also
noted for his active participation in charity events, including the NBA’s Basketball
Without Borders program. In 2003, Yao ______ a telethon to raise money to help stop
the spread of SARS. In September 2007, he held an auction to raise money for
underprivileged children in China. After the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, Yao _______
$2 million and created a foundation named the Yao Ming Foundation to help rebuild
schools destroyed in the earthquake.
In July 2009, Yao _________ his former club team the Shanghai Sharks, which
was hit hard by financial troubles. Yao said, ‘I ______ up in the city and ______ a
professional player of this team, so I hope I can do something to help.’ This shows
that he never forgets that it was his old team that _____ him the opportunity of a
lifetime to play in the NBA.
6
2C: Write down as many time expressions as you can which are found in the
biographies of Michael Jackson (1A), President Obama (1C) and Yao Ming (2B)
in the space provided. One has been done for you.
~ Time Expressions ~
At the age of nine
Writing Task
You are going to take part in a writing competition organised by the
English Club in your school. You are asked to write a biography to
introduce a celebrity. Plan your writing before you start. The
following writing tips might offer some help:
7
 Writing Tips 
In your biography, you should:




Choose a person you are interested in.
Find the basic information of the person’s life either on the Internet or from the reference
books.
Use the following questions may help you get started:
- Where was this person born? In what year? (Date and place of birth)
- Where did this person grow up? Did he / she have any family members? (Family
background)
- What does/did this person do for a living? (Career)
- Why is this person famous? What does/did this person do to become famous?
(Achievements and contributions)
Select the information wisely (usually, there is too much information on the Internet and
in the books about the celebrity). You can think about:






What else you would like to know about the person, and
What are the most interesting parts of the chosen person’s life that you want to write
about. You might ask yourselves the following questions:
- What makes this person so special and interesting?
- How can this person be best described? What examples from this person’s life
illustrate his/her qualities?
- What events, if any, have marked or changed this person’s life?
- Did this person overcome obstacles? How?
- Did this person win any awards?
- In what way/s does/did this person influence others?
Be objective and accurate with your information.
Try to tell a good story and keep the readers interested.
Make sure that no phrases and sentences written are directly copied from the webpage or
books you have read.
Use the simple past tense and suitable time expressions when writing the biography.
8
A Biography of a Celebrity

Personal information of the celebrity
Place and date of birth:
Family background:
Education/Training:
Adult life (where appropriate – e.g. marriage):
Date and cause of death (where appropriate):

Achievements of the celebrity
Career:
Reasons why he/she is famous:
Awards won, if any:
9

Contributions / Influence of the celebrity
Within his/her career, if any:
Outside his/her career, if any:
Notes for Teachers:

Teachers can ask students to surf the
Internet or go to the library to search
for the information of the celebrity
they are interested in.

To avoid plagiarism, teachers can
spend some time teaching students
how to paraphrase sentences they
have found from the Internet or
books.
10
Post-writing Evaluation
 Evaluation Form 
 Content and Structure
Excellent

Pretty Average
Needs

Good
Improvement


Excellent

Pretty Average
Needs

Good
Improvement


1. There is an attractive title.
2. The personal information of
the celebrity is clear and
adequate.
3. The career of the celebrity is
clearly described.
4. The achievements and/or
contributions of the celebrity are
included.
5.
The
information
is
well
sequenced.
 Language Use
1. The simple past tense is used
correctly.
2. Time expressions are used
correctly.
3. Grammar is mostly correct.
4. Words are of a wide range
and generally accurate and
appropriate.
5. Punctuation and spelling are
correct.
11
 Genre
Excellent

Pretty Average
Needs

Good
Improvement


The general tone and style of the
biography show that the writer is
aware of the purpose, context
and audience of the genre.
Notes for Teachers:

Teachers can adapt the
evaluation form freely for
students’ self-evaluation,
peer evaluation or teacher
evaluation.
12
Suggested Answers
1A: Below is a biography of Michael Jackson. Read the passage and fills in the
boxes with the elements of the biography. You may or may not include the
elements suggested above.
The King of Pop – Michael Jackson (MJ)
Photos
The King of Pop – Michael Jackson (MJ)
Title summarising the biography
Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 in Indiana, the
United States. He was born in an African American working
class family. He had three sisters and five brothers. Michael had
a bad relationship with his father as he was often physically and
emotionally abused by him.
Date and Place of Birth
Family background
Michael proved his talent in 1964, at the age of 6, when he
began performing vocals and dances with his brother Marlon.
They joined the band Jackson Brothers, which was later called
Jackson 5. In 1966, Jackson 5 won a major local talent show.
In the 1990s, Jackson had two brief marriages. His first wife
was Elvis Presley’s daughter Lisa Marie Presley, and he had
two children with his second wife. However, both marriages
ended up in divorce. He was found dead on June 25, 2009
because of a drug-induced cardiac attack.
Since the 1980s, Michael’s albums consistently broke the sales
record. Throughout his career, he received numerous honours
and awards. His achievements featured multiple Gunniess
World Records, including the ‘Most Successful Entertainer of
All Time’ – 13 Grammy Awards, 22 American Music Awards,
17 number one singles, and estimated sales of 750 million
records worldwhile.
Career
Marriage
Death
Achievements
13
Known as the ‘King of Pop’, Michael had global influence
through his musical contributions. His distinctive sound and
vocal style inspired numerous pop, rock, R&B and hip hop
artists. He was also widely credited with transforming the music
videos from a promotional tool into an art form. In addition, he
popularised a number of physically complicated dance
techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk.
Besides, he was a philanthropist. He donated money to and
raised millions of dollars for 39 charities. He is the founder of
The Heal the World Foundation. The foundation, named after
Musical
Contributions
Charitable
Contributions
one of his popular songs ‘Heal the World’, helps to improve the
condition of all mankind.
1B: Read the biography of Michael Jackson in Part 1A and answer the questions
below. The bolded words provided are the key elements of a biography.
Questions
Answers
Title
1. What is the title of this biography?
1. The King of Pop – Michael Jackson
(MJ)
Date and place of birth
2. When was Michael Jackson born?
3. Where was he born?
2. Michael Jackson was born on August
29, 1958.
3. He was born in Indiana, the United
States.
4. He had three sisters and five
Family background
4. How many brothers and sisters did
brothers.
he have?
5. Michael had a bad relationship with
5. How was his relationship with his
his father as he was often physically
father?
and emotionally abused by him.
6. The name of the first band was
Career
6. What was the name of his first band?
Jackson Brothers, which was later
7. In which year did he first win in a
called Jackson 5.
contest?
7. He first won the contest in 1966.
8. His first wife was Elvis Presley's
Michael’s marriage and death
8. Who was his first wife?
daughter Lisa Marie Presley.
9. How many children did he have with 9. He had two children with his second
his second wife?
wife.
10. When did he die?
10. He was found dead on June 25,
14
11. What was the cause of his death?
2009.
11. He
was
dead
because
drug-induced cardiac attack.
of
12. Around 750 million records were
Michael’s achievements
12. How many Michael’s records were
sold worldwide.
sold?
13. Numerous pop, rock, R&B and hip
Michael’s musical contributions
13. What kinds of artists were inspired
hop artists were inspired by Michael.
by Michael?
14. He transformed the music videos
14. What did he do to music videos?
from a promotional tool into an art
15. What did he popularize?
form.
15. He popularised a number of
physically
complicated
dance
techniques, such as the robot and the
moonwalk.
16. He supported 39 charities.
Michael’s charitable contributions
16. How many charities did he support? 17. The Heal the World Foundation was
17. What is the name of the organization
founded by him.
founded by him?
1C: Sentence sequencing & time expressions
Read the following background statements about President Barack Obama. Put
them in what you think is the best order. Then underline the time expressions
which are used to retell the events in chronological order.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Then, he entered Harvard Law School in late 1988.
In 1992, he married Michelle Obama.
After winning the election, Obama became U.S. President in Jan, 2009.
President Barack Obama was born on 4th August, 1961.
He became the U.S. Senate between 2005 and 2008.
6.
He attended Columbia University in New York City in 1981, studying
International Politics.
Ans: 4  6_ 
1 2  5  3
15
1D: Answer the following questions according to the background statements
about President Obama on Part 1C.
Questions
Answers
Date of birth
When was Barack Obama born?
He was born on 4th August, 1961.
Education
Which universities did he go to?
He went to Columbia University in 1981
and Harvard Law School in late 1988.
Family background
Who is his wife?
When did he get married?
His wife was Michelle Obama and he
got married in 1992.
Early career
What did he do between 2005 and 2008.
He was the U.S. Senate.
He became the President in Jan, 2009.
Recent career
When did he become the President of the
U.S.?
2A: When we write a biography, we have to pay attention to certain language
features. Fill in the blanks to find out what they are.

The simple past tense is often used in a biography. For example:
- Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 in Indiana, the United States. He
was born in an African American working class family. He had three sisters and
five brothers…
 When writing a biography, it’s important to make use of time expressions to
indicate the time and chorological sequence of the events. For example:
- In the 1990s, Jackson had two brief marriages;
- Since the 1980s, Michael’s albums consistently broke the sales record.
2B: Below is the biography of Yao Ming. Fill in the blanks with the simple past
tense using the verbs from the box below. Some verbs can be used more than
once.
play
begin
give
donate
host
grow
crack
be
become
join
buy
16
Yao Ming was born on September 12, 1980 in Shanghai. His parents were former
professional basketball players who played for China’s National team. As a child, he
was more interested in books and history than sports.
At the age of nine, he began intensive basketball training at the Youth Sports
School. At the age of 17, he played for the Shanghai Sharks. Three years later, he
became a representative of the Chinese Olympic Team. When he was 22, he joined the
Houston Rockets of the NBA. He cracked the league's top ten scorers list with 25.0
points per game average in 2006-2007.
Apart from being well-known for his talents in playing basketball, Yao is also
noted for his active participation in charity events, including the NBA’s Basketball
Without Borders program. In 2003, Yao hosted a telethon to raise money to help stop
the spread of SARS. In September 2007, he held an auction to raise money for
underprivileged children in China. After the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, Yao donated
$2 million and created a foundation named the Yao Ming Foundation to help rebuild
schools destroyed in the earthquake.
In July 2009, Yao bought his former club team the Shanghai Sharks, which was
hit hard by financial troubles. Yao said, ‘I grew up in the city and became a
professional player of this team, so I hope I can do something to help.’ This shows
that he never forgets that it was his old team that gave him the opportunity of a
lifetime to play in the NBA.
2C: Write down as many time expressions as you can which are found in the
biographies of Michael Jackson, President Obama or Yao Ming in the space
provided
~ Time Expressions ~
At the age of nine
In July 2009
Then
After
Between 2005 and 2008
On August, 29, 1958…
Since the 1980s…
17