How to write a biography
Video biography examples!
Video Biographies
Social Studies - Grades 4-12
Students will complete research on a historical figure and create a video biography of that person.
App: Frames™
Authentic Task
Many students are familiar with Ken Burns’ groundbreaking documentaries.
Biography video maker
While many students dread writing biographies, ask them to transform their writing into a compelling digital documentary about a person’s life to motivate them to practice this type of informational/expository writing.
Engage
Introduce your students to biographies by reading a few of them first.
Jerry Spinelli’s Knots in My Yo-Yo String: The Autobiography of a Kid or Daniel Dyer’s Jack London: A Biography provide insight into an author’s background and help students learn how personal experiences affect a writer’s voice.
Discuss the factors that make a good biography.
A great biography is also a great story, and while a biography needs to include facts, a simple listing of them may not
