Name: ____________________________
Beach Park
Sketches 1
Objective:
In this lesson, you will learn how to write biographical sketches using appropriate narrative
strategies and sequencing techniques.
A biography is a true story about a person's life. It includes factual information about that
person and is written by another author. You have probably written biographies without
realizing it. If you have ever written a report about a person that told about what that person
did in his or her lifetime, you wrote a biography.
To write a biography, you must do some research on your subject. You will need as many details
as you can find. You can look in books, magazines, and newspapers for information. The Internet
and other computer sources may also be helpful. You might conduct an interview with that
person if he or she is still living, or you might interview friends and acquaintances of the person.
All that extra research will help you write a meaningful and interesting biography.
To get started, you may want to choose a subject who is close to you (a friend at school, a family
member, or someone else that you know). However, you may also choose others such as one of
your ancestors, a famous historical figure, an actor, or an athlete. Select someone who is
interesting to you.
After you have selected the subject of your biography, begin investigating to learn as much as
you can about the person. If your subject is close to you, interview him or her and ask questions
to find out interesting details. You may also interview others who know that person. If possible,
research books, magazines, newspapers, and the Internet for materials.
Grandparents are a good choice for a biography, because they grew up in a different time period
than you did, and it is interesting to find out what times were like when they were your age.
Organization
After you have gathered your information, decide how you are going to organize the biography.
You may want to use chronological order, which means the events will be written about in the
order in which they occurred. You might also look for an important event or period in your
subject's life and make this event or period the focus of your biography.
Begin the biographical sketch by capturing the reader's attention and making him or her want to
read more about your subject. Write about things that make the subject's life interesting.
Remember to state only the facts, because a biography is a true account of the person's life.
Types of Biographies
There are many alternate forms of biographies. One is called an oral history. This is an interview
of an older person in your family or community in which they tell what it was like when they
were growing up. Oral histories are often recorded so that any important information is
preserved and your subject can talk freely without waiting for you to take notes during the
interview.
Name: ____________________________
Beach Park
Sketches 1
Bio-Poem
A rather unique type of biography is called the bio-poem. This is just what the name implies, a
poem. Various aspects of a person's life are squeezed into lines of poetry. One such form calls
for using eleven lines:
1. First name of subject
2. Describing words
3. Who they are related to
4. 3 things they love to do
5. 3 things they feel
6. 3 things they give
7. 3 things they need
8. 3 things they fear
9. 3 things they would like to see
10. Where they live
11. Last name of subject
You can make up your own characteristics for each line in the poem. Just be creative!
Biographies are both entertaining and educational. It is always fun to learn more about
interesting people. Biographies can unlock the doors of the past or simply help us understand
people better.
Assignment #1 for Your Student Writing Portfolio:
Imagine you are interviewing your grandmother for a biographical sketch. List 10 questions
below that would provide interesting details for a sketch.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Name: ____________________________
Beach Park
Sketches 1
Assignment # 2 for Your Student Writing Portfolio:
Using the 11 line bio-poem form, write a bio-poem about one of your friends or a member of
your family.
Begin writing here: