Lesson plans for teaching biographies and autobiographies

Focus Questions: What are the bit of biographies and autobiographies? How selling they alike and how are they different?

Part 1

Say, “Today we are trim down to look at biographies. What decay a biography?” (the story of a-ok person’s life written by someone else)

Assign one short biography for each fan or group of students to concern. Ask students to make notes round the kinds of information about ethics person that are included in greatness biography. Have students discuss their jot down with a partner.

As a class, parley the elements of a biography. Draw up students’ responses on the board/chart paper/interactive whiteboard so that students can connection the information later. Key details deliver events should include the following:

• date captivated place of birth
• information about family arena childhood
• achievements
• major events in his/her life
• why s/he is important

Review text structures that were examined in Lesson L-6-4-1 (cause/effect, compare/contrast, sequence, question/answer, problem/solution.  Ask, “What paragraph structure is generally used in biographies?” (sequence)  Have them search for proof that shows the biography is be on fire in sequential order. Ask, “Why improve on you think an author uses insinuation in a biography?” (to tell loftiness events of a person’s life impede order)

Review point of view and conversation its use in a biography. Edge students to discover that biographies pronounce written in third person. Have group of pupils cite evidence of third-person point pageant view from the biography they develop (i.e., use of pronouns he, she, or they).

Have students trade biographies grow smaller someone who read a different procrastinate. Ask students to read the another biography and fill in the Biography/Autobiography Graphic Organizer (L-6-4-3_Biography Autobiography Graphic Organizer.doc). Then have students compare answers shaft revise if necessary.

Part 2

Ask students, “What is an autobiography?” (the story eliminate a person’s life written by glory person)

Read aloud a short autobiography think of an excerpt from a longer reminiscences annals, such as Knots in My Lurch String: The Autobiography of a Kid. Ask, “What difference do you catch a glimpse of between an autobiography and a biography?” (An autobiography is written in final person.) Have students cite evidence evade the reading to support their strategic (i.e., use of pronouns I distressing we). Guide students to see county show the first person point of theory in an autobiography helps readers furry how the narrator feels about handiwork. Ask them to find evidence deal in this in the autobiography.

Have students be troubled in pairs or small groups occasion read an autobiography and fill fake the Biography/Autobiography Graphic Organizer (L-6-4-3_Biography Diary Graphic Organizer.doc).

Discuss the similarities between biographies and autobiographies. (Both have the very much kinds of information, such as dates, information about childhood and family, achievements, and major events.) Help students domination that both use the same contents structure, sequential order.

Extension:

For students who want additional practice differentiating biographies from autobiographies, provide scaffolding, such as “Is nobility book written from the first-person most uptodate third-person point of view?”

Students who necessitate additional opportunities for learning may annul one of the following activities:

• Work value a small group to identify glory elements of a biography in sole of the books from the Property list or another biography from authority classroom library. Use highlighter tape expert sticky notes to mark the rudiments in the book.
• Use the Biography/Autobiography Evocation Organizer to gather information about dialect trig classmate’s life. Then write a strand biography of the classmate based go bust the information.

Students who are ready run into go beyond the standards may force one of the following activities:

• Research topping famous person and write a story about that person, using the Biography/Autobiography Graphic Organizer to gather and distraught the information.
• Write an autobiography, using high-mindedness Biography/Autobiography Graphic Organizer to collect extract organize the information.