Student Biographers

Presented by: Dale R. Alger, Library Media Specialist

School, or Affiliation:Roundup Central Elementary School, Roundup, MT 59072

Objective: To Teach students how to be a biographer. This will include what types of questions to have the biographee answer, and the kinds of problems which biographers run into when on assignment.

Introduction:

Discuss with the students what kinds of information are needed to have a complete biography.

A. Name or names.
B. Place and date of birth.
C. Family.
D. Places lived.
E. Hobbies.
F. Occupations.
G. Significant incidents in his/her life.
H. What made him/her famous.

Group activity:

Ask the students the above listed questions about their classroom teacher. Ask them to include only information which they know to be correct or information which they think is correct. At this point, include any and all answers, whether you know they are right or wrong. If two students can't agree on a correct piece of information, include both. (Example: Mr. Smith was born in 1954, 1963 or 1977.) This part of the biography should be from the students perspective.

Compile all of the information given by the students into a logical form. The biographies which I did in this manner ended up to be about one page in length.

Step 2: Choose a small committee of students to interview the teacher. This committee should ask the same questions which were asked above. Make sure the teacher knows that he/she may feel free to answer only the questions he/she is comfortable answering.

The committee will compile this information into a similar form as the first biography.

Step 3: Divide class into groups of two. Have the students complete a short biography about each other.

Step 4: With the permission of all involved the biographies would be included in a book which can be constructed by the class.

The books should be available for checkout from your school Media Center.

Results: The students and teacher's have enjoyed the unit on biographies. The teachers which were not included, because of the grade level which they teach, really felt left out of the fun. The students checked out more biographies after this project was completed.

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