Autobiography and Biography
Autobiography and Biography
$180 for 6 weeks
10 - 13 years old
Session 1: It's All About Me!
Students will recognize what an autobiography is and why they are important to read when conducting research on someone.
Students will compare/contrast biography and autobiography
Students will examine the differences and similarities between biography and autobiography using books about Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Students will read and discuss "Pioneer Girl: The The Annotated Autobiography" and "On the Way Home"
Students will understand how a person's perspective affects their writing.
Students will construct their autobiography from conception through writing.
Write you autobiography using the information you filled out in your autobiography worksheet.
Session 2: Think Like a Historian
Students will discover what a historian does and how their research helps people better understand history.
Students will read "Anne Frank" and discuss why Anne's father decided to publish his daughter's diary after the war.
Students will explain the difference between a diary and journal.
Students will examine historical diary and journal entries.
Keep a diary for each day this week. Write down how the weather was, how you felt that day and why, what you did. You do not have to share your diary with the class but you will need to show it to your teacher.
Session 3: Researching Skills: Timelines
Students will discover how to conduct research via the internet, an encyclopedia, dictionary, atlas and books.
Students will examine the timeline of Sojourner Truth and discuss her life.
Students will choose from a list a historical figure they want to write a biography about.
Interview a parent or grandparent about their life. Construct a time line of their life using the information you have learned and the timeline worksheet. Be prepared to share your timeline with the class in the next session.
Session 4: Researching Skills: Important and Interesting Information
Students will evaluate biographies about Florence Nightingale, Squanto and Marie Curie.
Students will examine the life of Pocahontas to determine which interesting and important information should be included in her biography.
Students will identify important events they need to include in their biography.
Research your historical figure's life and create a timeline for them using the worksheet provided.
Session 5: Putting It All Together
Students will present their timelines and any interesting information they learned about their historical figure to the class.
Students will identify the main idea, supporting details and concluding paragraph in several biographies.
Students will discover how to write an outline using who, what, when, where, why and how.
Students will construct an outline for their biography and identify any information they will need to further research for their paper.
Now that you have your outline ready it is time to write your biography. Write your biography in word format and upload it to Classcraft. Be ready to present your biography in class next time. You may create a poster to share images from your historical figures life with the class.
Session 6: I Did It!
Students will present their biographies via oral report to the class. You may present a poster to go along with your report.