Biographies
Biographies are an excellent way for students to learn how to synthesize important information and relevant details from text. They are a great way to build your student's awareness of significant historical events and are ideal for integrating social studies into the reading classroom. More importantly, it can teach our kids important lessons about character and amazing people whose actions changed the world.
There are many ways that student's can demonstrate their learning ranging from completing simple graphic organizers that demonstrate their thinking about a text to an entire unit of study culminating in a project that allows them to demonstrate their learning throughout the unit.
Examples
Choices.....Choices
In order to engage my students in reading biographies, I have gathered a large selection of biographies for my students to read. Students can select a biography that is appropriate to their reading level and interest. They range in difficulty from "First Biographies" to chapter books.
Biography Lapbooks
I came across the idea for lapbooks while browsing for creative response projects. I like the idea of the kids working on several assignments related to a topic and presenting them in a lapbook that students create using a Manila File Folder. I tried this out with my 3rd grade class and they loved it!! We included the following items:
1. Pictures/photographs their person
2. Accordion Fold Timeline-showing important life events
3. Vocabulary Pocket- Students selected key terms/vocabulary related to their biography
4. Bio Poem
5. Wheel of Facts
6. Paragraph Important Achievements, contributions of person.
7. Quotable Quotes
1. Pictures/photographs their person
2. Accordion Fold Timeline-showing important life events
3. Vocabulary Pocket- Students selected key terms/vocabulary related to their biography
4. Bio Poem
5. Wheel of Facts
6. Paragraph Important Achievements, contributions of person.
7. Quotable Quotes
Timeline Graphic Organizer
Students did a rough draft of their timeline using this graphic organizer. After they had their timeline approved the began working on their accordion fold timeline.
Foldable Resources
We used the Accordion Foldable to create our timelines. You can find the directions on Page 37. of the reading and study Skills foldable book.
This is the website where I found some really great foldable templates. I used the wheel template for the kids to create a six interesting facts wheel.
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/lapbooking_resources.php
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/lapbooking_resources.php
ABC Lists
Students Demonstrate their understanding by creating an an alphabet list related to their biographies. After reading their biographies, they demonstrate their understanding by choosing significant words or phrases related to their books for each letter of the alphabet.
Websites
Students can create a Bio-Cube using the interactive tool
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/cube-30057.html
A web 2.0 tool where students can create interactive timelines. They can include pictures, videos, and text.
http://www.timetoast
Additional Reading
I came across a fantastic article entitled Writing to learn across thecurriculum: Tools for comprehension in content area classes by Kathy J. Nipper and Timothy Duggan. The ideas for teaching biographies were amazing. I am excited about using the lesson ideas for next school year. I have taken the suggestions from the article and included resources to use the classroom.