how to write a biography introduction ks2

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Features of a biography KS2 – 8 of the best worksheets and resources for writing and comprehension

Whether they're recounting the lives of famous people or simply describing a family member, these activities, ideas and model texts will help your Key Stage 2 pupils get to grips with biographical writing…

1 | KS2 biographical recounts worksheets

This Key Stage 2 text types resource pack will help children to learn how to write informative biographical recounts.

They will write a biography about an influential person – either someone that they know or someone who is in the public eye – and there are two model texts included to inspire them (one on a relative and one on a famous figure).

This resource also includes a biography writing sheet, biography research sheet, writing plan, writing frame and themed writing paper.

Check it all out here.

2 | Features of a biography

For a good grounding in what a biography is and what it should include, the BBC bitesize page has handy, digestible pointers, plus videos, a quiz and more.

Check it out here.

3 | Puffin’s brilliant biographies resource

Based on its Extraordinary Lives series this resource pack from Puffin helps pupils understand the different features of biography writing, and lets them create the biography of an extraordinary person of their choice using the template in the pack.

The pack includes material for four or more Literacy, Citizenship and PSHE lessons, all of which are adaptable for pupils in KS2 and KS3.

Find it here.

4 | Barack Obama biography activity pack

This resource uses a topic-based approach to biographies based on President Obama.

Activities include a comprehension exercise, making a photo gallery, researching flags and facts about countries cited in Obama’s biography and writing a biography. Plus there are lots of extension ideas and activities included.

Find it all here.

5 | Muhammad Ali biography worksheet

Where was Muhammad Ali born? What was he known as before he changed his name? When did he retire?

Students are tasked to with using library books, magazines and/or online sources to fill in this report form about perhaps the greatest boxer of all time.

Download and print it here.

6 | Biography Wagoll model texts

As ever, if you’re looking for a selection of editable model texts for pretty much any literacy topic, Literacy Wagoll is a great place to go.

In the biographies section you’ll find everyone from Usain Bolt and David Beckham to Mary Berry, Jacqueline Wilson, Henry VIII, Roald Dahl and Santa Claus.

Check them all out here here.

7 | Florence Nightingale biography sequencing activity

This simple printable resource includes a number of sentences about Florence Nightingale for you to cut out and task students with putting back in the correct order.

Get this PDF to print out here.

8 | A biography of palaeontologist Mary Anning

Mary Anning was born on 21 May 1799 in the seaside town of Lyme Regis in Dorset, on the south coast of England. Mary received little education, was not trained as a scientist, but grew up to be a palaeontologist whose findings helped change the way scientists thought about the world.

This Year 6 Science biography helps children explain why she was so important to our understanding of fossils and acts as a handy model text for biographical writing.

Download it here.

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How to Write an Introduction to a Biography

Many nonfiction books begin with an introduction where the author writes about her motivation for addressing the topic of the book. Introductions can be humorous, intellectual, brief or thought-provoking. Whatever type of introduction you want to write, make sure you give it the same amount of attention as you did any other chapter. Biographies are one type of book that benefit greatly from a well-written introduction. Learning how to write an introduction to a biography is easy, although making it effective takes practice and perhaps many revisions.

Read the introductions of several of your favorite biographies, making notes about what subjects the author covers. What style of introduction do you relate to? What information do you feel is important to address? Every author will answer these questions differently.

Brainstorm all the topics that you want to include when you write the introduction. Think about why you are writing this particular biography and what impact the subject has had on your life or the lives of others.

Write a first draft of your introduction, avoiding editing. Just let the words flow. By censoring and second-guessing yourself at this stage, you may be causing a problem that many people refer to as writer's block.

Read over your introduction, noting areas that you want to revise. Correct spelling and grammatical mistakes.

Ask a trusted friend or fellow writer to serve as a helpful critic, or beta reader, on one of your early drafts. The job of a beta reader is to read a draft and offer constructive criticism. A fresh pair of eyes can often catch mistakes that you may have missed or make helpful recommendations.

Continue the editing and revision process until you feel confident with your end product.

• Use anecdotes to make your introduction interesting and to capture the attention of the audience.

Kimberly A. Smith has been a freelance writer for two years. She graduated from the University of California at Davis and the California Culinary Academy, then pursued a career baking wedding cakes. During her time at CCA, she received certification in nutrition and food safety. She currently attends the University of Oregon School of Law.

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Home > Resources > KS2 RESOURCE PACK: Writing Extraordinary Biographies

Resource Pack: Writing Extraordinary Biographies

Key stage and subjects, what’s the story.

Have you discovered Puffin’s brilliant biographies for kids aged seven and up?

The Extraordinary Lives series includes: Malala, Michelle Obama, Stephen Hawking, Anne Frank , Katherine Johnson and Neil Armstrong. These beautifully illustrated books include timelines, fascinating facts and inspirational quotes from their stars. The series celebrates how ordinary people can lead extraordinary lives because of their own choices, actions, beliefs and passions and will inspire your class that they too can be extraordinary.

This resource pack includes:

You’ll get material for four or more Literacy, Citizenship and PSHE lessons, adaptable for pupils in KS2 and KS3.

Once pupils understand the different features of biography writing  they’ll be able to create the biography of an extraordinary person of their choice using the template in the pack

Get the Resource Pack: Writing Extraordinary Biographies

Related books, the extraordinary life of anne frank, the extraordinary life of katherine johnson, the extraordinary life of malala yousafzai, the extraordinary life of michelle obama, the extraordinary life of neil armstrong, the extraordinary life of stephen hawking, who makes puffin schools, tag on the top needs the closed class if you start as expanded, leave data-collapsed="false" attribute, its used in the css --> puffin schools has been created by the children’s publisher puffin to help bring together all the inspiring content we create for schools into one place. fa-angle-down--> what ages are the books on puffin schools for, tag on the top needs the closed class if you start as expanded, leave data-collapsed="false" attribute, its used in the css --> the books on this website will range from those for eyfs through to primary and up to lower secondary school. you can discover our full range of books at puffin.co.uk fa-angle-down--> what is puffin, tag on the top needs the closed class if you start as expanded, leave data-collapsed="false" attribute, its used in the css --> puffin is an imprint of penguin random house, the world’s number-one publisher representing a vibrant community of publishing houses marked by unparalleled success. through our world of stories, puffin aims to open up the world to every child. our mission is to inspire children to feel they can be and do anything, and to create readers for life. puffin started out as a non-fiction publisher, with its first title appearing in 1940. as the most iconic and well-known children’s book brand in the uk today, we are always on the lookout for innovative ways to tell the world’s favourite stories and for brilliant new debut talent and brands that connect with today’s young readers, from newborn up to twelve years old. we publish a diverse and wide range of fiction, non-fiction, picture books and children’s classics. our list includes some of the world’s favourite authors, illustrators and licensed brands, such as eric carle, helen oxenbury, nadia shireen, the snowman, doctor who, roald dahl, tom fletcher, jeff kinney, rick riordan, robin stevens, and jacqueline wilson to name but a few. fa-angle-down--> what’s the connection between ladybird, puffin and penguin, tag on the top needs the closed class if you start as expanded, leave data-collapsed="false" attribute, its used in the css --> ladybird, puffin and penguin are imprints of penguin random house uk. across their extensive list, we believe there is a story for every child, everywhere. you can find information about books for all ages at penguin.co.uk fa-angle-down--> where can i buy puffin books from, tag on the top needs the closed class if you start as expanded, leave data-collapsed="false" attribute, its used in the css --> all the books featured on this website can be purchased in the usual way: as well as being available on the high street and online, you can find lots of brilliant offers via school-specific suppliers and wholesale retailers. fa-angle-down--> how do i get in contact with a member of the puffin schools team, tag on the top needs the closed class if you start as expanded, leave data-collapsed="false" attribute, its used in the css --> whether you’ve got a brilliant idea for a lesson, a photograph of something incredible you’ve done at your school or just have a question, please email  [email protected] and a member of the team will get back to you as soon as possible . fa-angle-down--> what’s happened to puffin virtually live, tag on the top needs the closed class if you start as expanded, leave data-collapsed="false" attribute, its used in the css --> the story-makers show  was known as puffin virtually live  up until march 2019. the content and ambition of the show remains the same: to give every pupil the opportunity to engage with authors and illustrators in their own classroom using the power of the internet. we’ve re-named puffin virtually live  so that it’s easier for new teachers to discover it as part of puffin schools and to acknowledge that the show now premieres on show day, rather than being streamed live. fa-angle-down--> what’s happened to my puffin virtually live account, tag on the top needs the closed class if you start as expanded, leave data-collapsed="false" attribute, its used in the css --> your account for puffin virtually live has been deactivated as it is no longer a feature of the puffin schools website. if you were registered for the newsletter, you will now receive the puffin schools newsletter, which is filled with all the latest information about accompanying resources and upcoming shows. if you do not wish to receive it any longer then please unsubscribe. fa-angle-down--> which video platform is the story-makers show hosted on.

writing a biography introduction ks2

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Biography Writing (KS2)

Subject: English

Age range: 7-11

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Last updated

19 August 2019

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This series of lessons teaches children how to plan, structure, write and edit biographies.

Can be used and adapted to Years 4-6

Included is the PowerPoint, example biography and lesson plans.

Hope it is useful.

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Features of a biography KS2 – 8 of the best worksheets and resources for writing and comprehension

Whether they're recounting the lives of famous people or simply describing a family member, these activities, ideas and model texts will help your Key Stage 2 pupils get to grips with biographical writing…

1 | KS2 biographical recounts worksheets

This Key Stage 2 text types resource pack will help children to learn how to write informative biographical recounts.

They will write a biography about an influential person – either someone that they know or someone who is in the public eye – and there are two model texts included to inspire them (one on a relative and one on a famous figure).

This resource also includes a biography writing sheet, biography research sheet, writing plan, writing frame and themed writing paper.

Check it all out here.

2 | Features of a biography

For a good grounding in what a biography is and what it should include, the BBC bitesize page has handy, digestible pointers, plus videos, a quiz and more.

Check it out here.

3 | Puffin’s brilliant biographies resource

Based on its Extraordinary Lives series this resource pack from Puffin helps pupils understand the different features of biography writing, and lets them create the biography of an extraordinary person of their choice using the template in the pack.

The pack includes material for four or more Literacy, Citizenship and PSHE lessons, all of which are adaptable for pupils in KS2 and KS3.

Find it here.

4 | Barack Obama biography activity pack

This resource uses a topic-based approach to biographies based on President Obama.

Activities include a comprehension exercise, making a photo gallery, researching flags and facts about countries cited in Obama’s biography and writing a biography. Plus there are lots of extension ideas and activities included.

Find it all here.

5 | Muhammad Ali biography worksheet

Where was Muhammad Ali born? What was he known as before he changed his name? When did he retire?

Students are tasked to with using library books, magazines and/or online sources to fill in this report form about perhaps the greatest boxer of all time.

Download and print it here.

6 | Biography Wagoll model texts

As ever, if you’re looking for a selection of editable model texts for pretty much any literacy topic, Literacy Wagoll is a great place to go.

In the biographies section you’ll find everyone from Usain Bolt and David Beckham to Mary Berry, Jacqueline Wilson, Henry VIII, Roald Dahl and Santa Claus.

Check them all out here here.

7 | Florence Nightingale biography sequencing activity

This simple printable resource includes a number of sentences about Florence Nightingale for you to cut out and task students with putting back in the correct order.

Get this PDF to print out here.

8 | A biography of palaeontologist Mary Anning

Mary Anning was born on 21 May 1799 in the seaside town of Lyme Regis in Dorset, on the south coast of England. Mary received little education, was not trained as a scientist, but grew up to be a palaeontologist whose findings helped change the way scientists thought about the world.

This Year 6 Science biography helps children explain why she was so important to our understanding of fossils and acts as a handy model text for biographical writing.

Download it here.

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Visit Puffin.co.uk

• Search Field
• Picture Books Packs
• Colouring Sheets
• KS1 English
• Bumper Book Packs
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• Virtual Visits
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Home > Resources > KS2 RESOURCE PACK: Writing Extraordinary Biographies

Resource Pack: Writing Extraordinary Biographies

Key stage and subjects, what’s the story.

Have you discovered Puffin’s brilliant biographies for kids aged seven and up?

The Extraordinary Lives series includes: Malala, Michelle Obama, Stephen Hawking, Anne Frank , Katherine Johnson and Neil Armstrong. These beautifully illustrated books include timelines, fascinating facts and inspirational quotes from their stars. The series celebrates how ordinary people can lead extraordinary lives because of their own choices, actions, beliefs and passions and will inspire your class that they too can be extraordinary.

This resource pack includes:

You’ll get material for four or more Literacy, Citizenship and PSHE lessons, adaptable for pupils in KS2 and KS3.

Once pupils understand the different features of biography writing  they’ll be able to create the biography of an extraordinary person of their choice using the template in the pack

Get the Resource Pack: Writing Extraordinary Biographies

Related books, the extraordinary life of anne frank, the extraordinary life of katherine johnson, the extraordinary life of malala yousafzai, the extraordinary life of michelle obama, the extraordinary life of neil armstrong, the extraordinary life of stephen hawking, who makes puffin schools, tag on the top needs the closed class if you start as expanded, leave data-collapsed="false" attribute, its used in the css --> puffin schools has been created by the children’s publisher puffin to help bring together all the inspiring content we create for schools into one place. fa-angle-down--> what ages are the books on puffin schools for, tag on the top needs the closed class if you start as expanded, leave data-collapsed="false" attribute, its used in the css --> the books on this website will range from those for eyfs through to primary and up to lower secondary school. you can discover our full range of books at puffin.co.uk fa-angle-down--> what is puffin, tag on the top needs the closed class if you start as expanded, leave data-collapsed="false" attribute, its used in the css --> puffin is an imprint of penguin random house, the world’s number-one publisher representing a vibrant community of publishing houses marked by unparalleled success. through our world of stories, puffin aims to open up the world to every child. our mission is to inspire children to feel they can be and do anything, and to create readers for life. puffin started out as a non-fiction publisher, with its first title appearing in 1940. as the most iconic and well-known children’s book brand in the uk today, we are always on the lookout for innovative ways to tell the world’s favourite stories and for brilliant new debut talent and brands that connect with today’s young readers, from newborn up to twelve years old. we publish a diverse and wide range of fiction, non-fiction, picture books and children’s classics. our list includes some of the world’s favourite authors, illustrators and licensed brands, such as eric carle, helen oxenbury, nadia shireen, the snowman, doctor who, roald dahl, tom fletcher, jeff kinney, rick riordan, robin stevens, and jacqueline wilson to name but a few. fa-angle-down--> what’s the connection between ladybird, puffin and penguin, tag on the top needs the closed class if you start as expanded, leave data-collapsed="false" attribute, its used in the css --> ladybird, puffin and penguin are imprints of penguin random house uk. across their extensive list, we believe there is a story for every child, everywhere. you can find information about books for all ages at penguin.co.uk fa-angle-down--> where can i buy puffin books from, tag on the top needs the closed class if you start as expanded, leave data-collapsed="false" attribute, its used in the css --> all the books featured on this website can be purchased in the usual way: as well as being available on the high street and online, you can find lots of brilliant offers via school-specific suppliers and wholesale retailers. fa-angle-down--> how do i get in contact with a member of the puffin schools team, tag on the top needs the closed class if you start as expanded, leave data-collapsed="false" attribute, its used in the css --> whether you’ve got a brilliant idea for a lesson, a photograph of something incredible you’ve done at your school or just have a question, please email  [email protected] and a member of the team will get back to you as soon as possible . fa-angle-down--> what’s happened to puffin virtually live, tag on the top needs the closed class if you start as expanded, leave data-collapsed="false" attribute, its used in the css --> the story-makers show  was known as puffin virtually live  up until march 2019. the content and ambition of the show remains the same: to give every pupil the opportunity to engage with authors and illustrators in their own classroom using the power of the internet. we’ve re-named puffin virtually live  so that it’s easier for new teachers to discover it as part of puffin schools and to acknowledge that the show now premieres on show day, rather than being streamed live. fa-angle-down--> what’s happened to my puffin virtually live account, tag on the top needs the closed class if you start as expanded, leave data-collapsed="false" attribute, its used in the css --> your account for puffin virtually live has been deactivated as it is no longer a feature of the puffin schools website. if you were registered for the newsletter, you will now receive the puffin schools newsletter, which is filled with all the latest information about accompanying resources and upcoming shows. if you do not wish to receive it any longer then please unsubscribe. fa-angle-down--> which video platform is the story-makers show hosted on.

How to Write a Biography

Biographies are big business. Whether in book form or Hollywood biopics, the lives of the famous and sometimes not-so-famous fascinate us.

While it’s true that most biographies are about people who are in the public eye, sometimes the subject is less well-known. Mostly though, famous or not, the person who is written about has led a life that is in some way incredible.

While your students will most likely have a basic understanding of a biography, it’s worth taking a little time before they put pen to paper to tease out a crystal clear definition of a biography.

What Is a Biography?

Simply put, a biography is an account of someone’s life written by someone else . While there is a genre known as a fictional biography, for the most part, biographies are, by definition, nonfiction.

Generally speaking, biographies provide an account of the subject’s life from the earliest days of their childhood right up to the present day or their death if the subject is deceased.

The job of a biography is more than just to outline the bare facts of a person’s life.

Rather than just listing the basic details of their upbringing, hobbies, education, work, relationships, and death, a well-written biography should also paint a picture of the subject’s personality, and as well as their experience of life.

A COMPLETE UNIT ON TEACHING BIOGRAPHY WRITING IN 2022

Teach your students to write AMAZING BIOGRAPHIES & AUTOBIOGRAPHIES using proven RESEARCH SKILLS and WRITING STRATEGIES covering.

• Understanding the purpose of both forms of biography.
• Exploring the language and perspective of both.
• Prompts and Challenges to engage students in writing a biography.
• Dedicated lessons for both forms of biography.
• Biographical Projects can expand students’ understanding of reading and writing a biography.
• A COMPLETE 82-PAGE UNIT – NO PREPARATION REQUIRED.

What Are the Main Features of a Biography?

Before students begin writing a biography, they’ll need to have a firm grasp of the main features of the genre. A good way to determine how well they understand these essential elements of the genre is by asking them to compile a checklist.

At a minimum, their checklists should contain the items below. Be sure to help them fill in any gaps before moving on to the writing process.

The purpose of a biography is to provide an account of someone’s life.

Biography structure.

ORIENTATION (BEGINNING) Open your biography with a strong hook to grab the reader’s attention

SEQUENCING: In most cases, biographies are written in chronological order unless you are a very competent writer consciously trying to break from this trend.

COVER: childhood, upbringing, education, influences, accomplishments, relationships, etc. – everything that helps the reader to understand the person.

CONCLUSION: Wrap your biography up with some details about what the subject is doing now if they are still alive. If they have passed away, make mention of what impact they have made and what their legacy is or will be.

BIOGRAPHY FEATURES

LANGUAGE Use descriptive and figurative language that will paint images inside your audience’s minds as they read. Use time connectives to link events.

PERSPECTIVE Biographies are written from the third person’s perspective.

DETAILS: Give specific details about people, places, events, times, dates, etc. Reflect on how events shaped the subject. You might want to include some relevant photographs with captions. A timeline may also be of use depending upon your subject and what you are trying to convey to your audience.

TENSE Written in the past tense (though ending may shift to the present/future tense)

THE PROCESS OF WRITING A BIOGRAPHY

Like any form of writing, you will find it simple if you have a plan and follow it through. These steps will ensure you cover the essential bases of writing a biography essay.

Firstly, select a subject that inspires you. Someone whose life story resonates with you and whose contribution to society intrigues you. The next step is to conduct thorough research. Engage in extensive reading, explore various sources, watch documentaries, and glean all available information to provide a comprehensive account of the person’s life.

Creating an outline is essential to organize your thoughts and information. The outline should include the person’s early life, education, career, achievements, and any other significant events or contributions. It serves as a map for the writing process, ensuring that all vital information is included.

Your biography should have an engaging introduction that captivates the reader’s attention and provides background information on the person you’re writing about. It should include a thesis statement that summarizes the main points of the biography.

Writing a biography in chronological order is crucial . You should begin with the person’s early life and move through their career and achievements. This approach provides clarity on how the person’s life unfolded and how they accomplished their goals.

A biography should be written in a narrative style , capturing the essence of the person’s life through vivid descriptions, anecdotes, and quotes. Avoid dry, factual writing and focus on creating a compelling narrative that engages the reader.

Adding personal insights and opinions can enhance the biography’s overall impact, providing a unique perspective on the person’s achievements, legacy, and impact on society.

Editing and proofreading are vital elements of the writing process. Thoroughly reviewing your biography ensures that the writing is clear, concise, and free of errors. You can even request feedback from someone else to ensure that it is engaging and well-written.

Finally, including a bibliography at the end of your biography is essential. It gives credit to the sources that were used during research, such as books, articles, interviews, and websites.

Tips for Writing a Brilliant Biography

Biography writing tip #1: choose your subject wisely.

There are several points for students to reflect on when deciding on a subject for their biography. Let’s take a look at the most essential points to consider when deciding on the subject for a biography:

Interest: To produce a biography will require sustained writing from the student. That’s why students must choose their subject well. After all, a biography is an account of someone’s entire life to date. Students must ensure they choose a subject that will sustain their interest throughout the research, writing, and editing processes.

Merit: Closely related to the previous point, students must consider whether the subject merits the reader’s interest. Aside from pure labors of love, writing should be undertaken with the reader in mind. While producing a biography demands sustained writing from the author, it also demands sustained reading from the reader.

Therefore, students should ask themselves if their chosen subject has had a life worthy of the reader’s interest and the time they’d need to invest in reading their biography.

Information: Is there enough information available on the subject to fuel the writing of an entire biography? While it might be a tempting idea to write about a great-great-grandfather’s experience in the war. There would be enough interest there to sustain the author’s and the reader’s interest, but do you have enough access to information about their early childhood to do the subject justice in the form of a biography?

Biography Writing Tip #2: R esearch ! Research! Research!

While the chances are good that the student already knows quite a bit about the subject they’ve chosen. Chances are 100% that they’ll still need to undertake considerable research to write their biography.

As with many types of writing , research is an essential part of the planning process that shouldn’t be overlooked. If a student wishes to give as complete an account of their subject’s life as possible, they’ll need to put in the time at the research stage.

An effective way to approach the research process is to:

1. Compile a chronological timeline of the central facts, dates, and events of the subject’s life

2. Compile detailed descriptions of the following personal traits:

•      Physical looks
•      Character traits
•      Values and beliefs

3. Compile some research questions based on different topics to provide a focus for the research:

• Childhood : Where and when were they born? Who were their parents? Who were the other family members? What education did they receive?
• Obstacles: What challenges did they have to overcome? How did these challenges shape them as individuals?
• Legacy: What impact did this person have on the world and/or the people around them?
• Dialogue & Quotes: Dialogue and quotations by and about the subject are a great way to bring color and life to a biography. Students should keep an eagle eye out for the gems that hide amid their sources.

As the student gets deeper into their research, new questions will arise that can further fuel the research process and help to shape the direction the biography will ultimately go in.

Likewise, during the research, themes will often begin to suggest themselves. Exploring these themes is essential to bring depth to biography, but we’ll discuss this later in this article.

Research Skills:

Researching for biography writing is an excellent way for students to hone their research skills in general. Developing good research skills is essential for future academic success. Students will have opportunities to learn how to:

• Gather relevant information
• Evaluate different information sources
• Select suitable information
• Organize information into a text.

Students will have access to print and online information sources, and, in some cases, they may also have access to people who knew or know the subject (e.g. biography of a family member).

These days, much of the research will likely take place online. It’s crucial, therefore, to provide your students with guidance on how to use the internet safely and evaluate online sources for reliability. This is the era of ‘ fake news ’ and misinformation after all!

COMPLETE TEACHING UNIT ON INTERNET RESEARCH SKILLS USING GOOGLE SEARCH

Teach your students ESSENTIAL SKILLS OF THE INFORMATION ERA to become expert DIGITAL RESEARCHERS.

⭐How to correctly ask questions to search engines on all devices.

⭐ How to filter and refine your results to find exactly what you want every time.

⭐ Essential Research and critical thinking skills for students.

⭐ Plagiarism, Citing and acknowledging other people’s work.

⭐ How to query, synthesize and record your findings logically.

BIOGRAPHY WRITING Tip #3: Find Your Themes In Biography Writing

Though predominantly a nonfiction genre, the story still plays a significant role in good biography writing. The skills of characterization and plot structuring are transferable here. And, just like in fiction, exploring themes in a biographical work helps connect the personal to the universal. Of course, these shouldn’t be forced; this will make the work seem contrived, and the reader may lose faith in the truthfulness of the account. A biographer needs to gain and maintain the trust of the reader.

Fortunately, themes shouldn’t need to be forced. A life well-lived is full of meaning, and the themes the student writer is looking for will emerge effortlessly from the actions and events of the subject’s life. It’s just a case of learning how to spot them.

One way to identify the themes in a life is to look for recurring events or situations in a person’s life. These should be apparent from the research completed previously. The students should seek to identify these patterns that emerge in the subject’s life. For example, perhaps they’ve had to overcome various obstacles throughout different periods of their life. In that case, the theme of overcoming adversity is present and has been identified.

Usually, a biography has several themes running throughout, so be sure your students work to identify more than one theme in their subject’s life.

BIOGRAPHY WRITING Tip: #4 Put Something of Yourself into the Writing

While the defining feature of a biography is that it gives an account of a person’s life, students must understand that this is not all a biography does. Relating the facts and details of a subject’s life is not enough. The student biographer should not be afraid to share their thoughts and feelings with the reader throughout their account of their subject’s life.

The student can weave some of their personality into the fabric of the text by providing commentary and opinion as they relate the events of the person’s life and the wider social context at the time. Unlike the detached and objective approach we’d expect to find in a history textbook, in a biography, student-writers should communicate their enthusiasm for their subject in their writing.

This makes for a more intimate experience for the reader, as they get a sense of getting to know the author and the subject they are writing about.

Teaching Resources

Use our resources and tools to improve your student’s writing skills through proven teaching strategies.

BIOGRAPHY WRITING TEACHING IDEAS AND LESSONS

We have put together a sequence of biography-related lessons or teaching ideas that you can follow as you please. They are straightforward enough for most students to follow without further instruction.

BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 1:

This session aims to give students a broader understanding of what makes a good biography.

Once your students have compiled a comprehensive checklist of the main features of a biography, allow them to use it to assess some biographies from your school library or on the internet using the feature checklist.

When students have assessed a selection of biographies, take some time as a class to discuss them. You can base the discussion around the following prompts:

• Which biographies covered all the criteria from their checklist?
• Which biographies didn’t?
• Which biography was the most readable in terms of structure?
• Which biography do you think was the least well structured? How would you improve this?

Looking at how other writers have interpreted the form will help students internalize the necessary criteria before attempting to produce a biography. Once students have a clear understanding of the main features of the biography, they’re ready to begin work on writing a biography.

When the time does come to put pen to paper, be sure they’re armed with the following top tips to help ensure they’re as well prepared as possible.

BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 2:

This session aims to guide students through the process of selecting the perfect biography subject.

Instruct students to draw up a shortlist of three potential subjects for the biography they’ll write.

Using the three criteria mentioned in the writing guide (Interest, Merit, and Information), students award each potential subject a mark out of 5 for each of the criteria. In this manner, students can select the most suitable subject for their biography.

BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 3:

This session aims to get students into the researching phase and then prioritise events and organise them chronologically.

Students begin by making a timeline of their subject’s life, starting with their birth and ending with their death or the present day. If the student has yet to make a final decision on the subject of their biography, a family member will often serve well for this exercise as a practice exercise.

Students should research and gather the key events of the person’s life, covering each period of their life from when they were a baby, through childhood and adolescence, right up to adulthood and old age. They should then organize these onto a timeline. Students can include photographs with captions if they have them.

They can present these to the class when they have finished their timelines.

BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 4:

Instruct students to look over their timeline, notes, and other research. Challenge them to identify three patterns that repeat throughout the subject’s life and sort all the related events and incidents into specific categories.

Students should then label each category with a single word. This is the thematic concept or the broad general underlying idea. After that, students should write a sentence or two expressing what the subject’s life ‘says’ about that concept.

This is known as the thematic statement . With the thematic concepts and thematic statements identified, the student now has some substantial ideas to explore that will help bring more profound meaning and wider resonance to their biography.

BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 5:

Instruct students to write a short objective account of an event in their own life. They can write about anyone from their past. It needn’t be more than a couple of paragraphs, but the writing should be strictly factual, focusing only on the objective details of what happened.

Once they have completed this, it’s time to rewrite the paragraph, but they should include some opinion and personal commentary this time.

The student here aims to inject some color and personality into their writing, to transform a detached, factual account into a warm, engaging story.

WRITING CHECKLIST & RUBRIC BUNDLE

To Conclude

By this stage, your students should have an excellent technical overview of a biography’s essential elements.

They should be able to choose their subject in light of how interesting and worthy they are, as well as give consideration to the availability of information out there. They should be able to research effectively and identify emerging themes in their research notes. And finally, they should be able to bring some of their personality and uniqueness into their retelling of the life of another.

Remember that writing a biography is not only a great way to develop a student’s writing skills; it can be used in almost all curriculum areas. For example, to find out more about a historical figure in History, to investigate scientific contributions to Science, or to celebrate a hero from everyday life.

Biography is an excellent genre for students to develop their writing skills and to find inspiration in the lives of others in the world around them.

HOW TO WRITE A BIOGRAPHY TUTORIAL VIDEO

OTHER GREAT ARTICLES RELATED TO BIOGRAPHY WRITING

How to write an Autobiography

How to Write a Historical Recount Text

15 Awesome Recount & Personal Narrative Topics

Personal Narrative Writing Guide

The content for this page has been written by Shane Mac Donnchaidh.  A former principal of an international school and English university lecturer with 15 years of teaching and administration experience. Shane’s latest Book, The Complete Guide to Nonfiction Writing , can be found here.  Editing and support for this article have been provided by the literacyideas team.

Explore our Teaching Unit on BIOGRAPHY WRITING

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How to Write an Introduction to a Biography

Many nonfiction books begin with an introduction where the author writes about her motivation for addressing the topic of the book. Introductions can be humorous, intellectual, brief or thought-provoking. Whatever type of introduction you want to write, make sure you give it the same amount of attention as you did any other chapter. Biographies are one type of book that benefit greatly from a well-written introduction. Learning how to write an introduction to a biography is easy, although making it effective takes practice and perhaps many revisions.

Read the introductions of several of your favorite biographies, making notes about what subjects the author covers. What style of introduction do you relate to? What information do you feel is important to address? Every author will answer these questions differently.

Brainstorm all the topics that you want to include when you write the introduction. Think about why you are writing this particular biography and what impact the subject has had on your life or the lives of others.

Write a first draft of your introduction, avoiding editing. Just let the words flow. By censoring and second-guessing yourself at this stage, you may be causing a problem that many people refer to as writer's block.

Read over your introduction, noting areas that you want to revise. Correct spelling and grammatical mistakes.

Ask a trusted friend or fellow writer to serve as a helpful critic, or beta reader, on one of your early drafts. The job of a beta reader is to read a draft and offer constructive criticism. A fresh pair of eyes can often catch mistakes that you may have missed or make helpful recommendations.

Continue the editing and revision process until you feel confident with your end product.

• Use anecdotes to make your introduction interesting and to capture the attention of the audience.

Kimberly A. Smith has been a freelance writer for two years. She graduated from the University of California at Davis and the California Culinary Academy, then pursued a career baking wedding cakes. During her time at CCA, she received certification in nutrition and food safety. She currently attends the University of Oregon School of Law.

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KS2 Ordering a Biography Model Text

Ks1 and ks2 autobiography writing prompt resource.

Differentiated six ways, this Biography model text ordering activity allows children to practise grouping sentences and information into paragraphs using relevant sub-headings. Once it has been ordered, it can be used as a prompt to support the children when writing their own biographies. Aimed at Years 3-6.

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What's included in the pack?

This pack includes:

• Ordering a Biography model text in six levels.

National Curriculum Objectives

English Year 3 & Year 4: Plan their writing by discussing writing similar to that which they are planning to write in order to understand and learn from its structure, vocabulary and grammar

English Year 3 & Year 4: Draft and write by organising paragraphs around a theme

English Year 5 & Year 6: Plan their writing by identifying the audience for and purpose of the writing, selecting the appropriate form and using other similar writing as models for their own

Differentiation:

Beginner Activity to order a biography. Simple sentences in seven paragraphs, some with sub-headings. Aimed at Year 3 Developing.

Easy Activity to order a biography. Simple sentences in seven paragraphs with more details than Beginner, some with sub-headings. Aimed at Year 3 Secure/Year 4 Emerging.

Tricky Activity to order a biography. Sentences with more information in seven paragraphs with four separate sub-headings. Aimed at Year 4 Developing.

Expert Activity to order a biography. Sentences with more information than Tricky, in eight paragraphs with four separate sub-headings. Aimed at Year 4 Secure/Year 5 Emerging.

Brainbox Activity to order a biography. Sentences with more information and extended sentences than Expert, in eight paragraphs with four separate sub-headings. Aimed at Year 5 Secure/Year 6 Emerging.

Genius Activity to order a biography. Sentences with more information and more extended sentences than Brainbox, in nine paragraphs with five separate sub-headings. Aimed at Year 6 Secure.

How to Play:

Here are two suggestions for playing this sorting game:

• Spread the cards out on the table – children sort the cards into the correct order (in a group/pair/individually).
• Share the cards out equally in a group. Going around the circle, each child takes a turn to place a card in the correct order.

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What is a biography?

A biography is a non-fiction text about a person’s life. It is written in the third person and in chronological order.

Here you'll find English teaching resources to help key stage 1 and key stage 2 children understand the features of a biography and those of autobiographical accounts. They include templates, example biographies and worksheets alongside reading comprehensions based on biographical texts about famous people.

Download our model texts, worksheets and PowerPoints to develop children’s biography writing skills and support them in researching the lives of famous individuals. 

Search results

KS2. Exploring biographies. Part of. English. Language. Year 5. Learning focus. To understand the features of biographies and to try writing a short biography of your own. This lesson...

This series of lessons teaches children how to plan, structure, write and edit biographies. Can be used and adapted to Years 4-6. Included is the PowerPoint, example biography and lesson plans. Hope it is useful. Visit 2 Stars and a Wish for ideas on how to use songs and poetry to teach reading. https://www.2starsandawish.com/

What does this word mat Teach about writing a biography KS2? Our fantastic Features of a Biography Word Mat is perfect for your KS2 English lessons on writing a biography KS2. Show more. Related Searches. biography display features of a biography biography features biography biography examples autobiography. Ratings & Reviews. Curriculum Links.

To identify features of a biography. 19m video. Lesson . 2. To investigate unstressed vowels in polysyllabic words. 21m video. Lesson . 3. To revise the past, present and future progressive tense. ... To write a biography (Part 1) 30m video. Lesson . 9. To write a biography (Part 2) 18m video. Lesson . 10. To edit a biography. 21m video. Home ...

Updated: 12/21/2021. What Is a Biography? A biography is an account of a person's life written by someone else. It should not be confused with an autobiography, which is a person's own account...

Features of a biography KS2 - 8 of the best worksheets and resources for writing and comprehension. Whether they're recounting the lives of famous people or simply describing a family member, these activities, ideas and model texts will help your Key Stage 2 pupils get to grips with biographical writing… by Teachwire. DOWNLOAD A FREE RESOURCE!

Key Stage 2. Subjects. English. Important Scientists - Biographical writing. Download Share Lesson. Lesson overview: To plan a biography. View in classroom Curriculum Download (PDF) Core Content. In this lesson, we will write a complex sentence with a relative clause about Charles Darwin.

Resource Pack: Writing Extraordinary Biographies. Download. What's the story? Have you discovered Puffin's brilliant biographies for kids aged seven and up? The Extraordinary Lives series includes: Malala, Michelle Obama, Stephen Hawking, Anne Frank , Katherine Johnson and Neil Armstrong.

Start off with great first sentence. It's a good idea to begin with a really interesting statement, a little-known fact, or really intriguing event. References: http://www.puffinschools.co.uk/resources/ks2-resource-pack-writing-extraordinary-biographies/

Last updated: Aug 30, 2021 • 4 min read. Biographies are how we learn information about another human being's life. Whether you want to start writing a biography about a famous person, historical figure, or an influential family member, it's important to know all the elements that make a biography worth both writing and reading.

Core Content. In this lesson, we will start off looking at parentheses: brackets, dashes and commas and their function within a sentence. We will explore the features of a biography: layout, punctuation, purpose, language, sentence structure, etc. Grid View. Presentation. Video. Unsigned Video. Signed Video. Transcript.

What does this word mat Teach about writing a biography KS2? Use this lovely biography word mat to as a template to encourage independence in your class when writing a biography. Show more. Related Searches. biography bibliography features of a biography biography writing biography structure biography template. Ratings & Reviews. Curriculum Links.

Exploring the language and perspective of both. Prompts and Challenges to engage students in writing a biography. Dedicated lessons for both forms of biography. Biographical Projects can expand students' understanding of reading and writing a biography. A COMPLETE 82-PAGE UNIT - NO PREPARATION REQUIRED. DOWNLOAD NOW.

This Mini Biography Writing Frame Worksheet is a great resource to use as an introductory activity before children move on to writing a longer biography. With clear headings and a structure to follow, this worksheet will help children build up some confidence with biography writing. Develop your class's biography writing skills further with ...

Using the biography of Tom Daley as an example, this learning pack on information texts for KS2 is a great way to engage your English class! Designed by teachers to meet learning outcomes, this bumper pack includes a range of reading materials, including poetry, fiction and non-fiction information texts. Show more. Related Searches.

Teach your students about some of history's most inspiring people with our collection of long and short biography text examples for children whilst learning how to go about writing a biography (KS2) for themselves. Show more. biography example biography examples biography biography ks2 autobiography examples autobiography. Ratings & Reviews.

Write a first draft of your introduction, avoiding editing. Just let the words flow. By censoring and second-guessing yourself at this stage, you may be causing a problem that many people refer to as writer's block. Read over your introduction, noting areas that you want to revise. Correct spelling and grammatical mistakes.

How to Write a Biography: for kids! Mary Cedio. 555 subscribers. Subscribe. 1.4K. Share. 237K views 3 years ago. This video is for children or teachers who are working with kids to help them...

KS2 Ordering a Biography Model Text. KS1 and KS2 Autobiography Writing Prompt Resource. Differentiated six ways, this Biography model text ordering activity allows children to practise grouping sentences and information into paragraphs using relevant sub-headings.

A biography is a non-fiction text about a person's life. It is written in the third person and in chronological order. Here you'll find English teaching resources to help key stage 1 and key stage 2 children understand the features of a biography and those of autobiographical accounts.

Support your Year 3-6 students to write a biography! Provide your students with a little bit of inspiration and guidance when writing a biography with these biography themed sentence starters and suggested phrases to get them started. These sentence starters and connectives will help scaffold the writing of biographies from your students that ...

This handy Features of a Biography Checklist is great for your kids to learn how to write compelling biographies. It lists the main textual and grammatical features which can be ticked off by your kids as they write. These features include historical recounts, as well as the use of the past tense and third-person pronouns.

To coincide with KS2 children's learning on different types of literature, these biography and autobiography resources can be used in class to write an abstract about one of the characters in the book you are currently reading with your class. Twinkl's range of biography and autobiography resources feature WAGOLLs, fact files and biographies of ...

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How to Write a Biography

Biographies are big business. Whether in book form or Hollywood biopics, the lives of the famous and sometimes not-so-famous fascinate us.

While it’s true that most biographies are about people who are in the public eye, sometimes the subject is less well-known. Mostly though, famous or not, the person who is written about has led a life that is in some way incredible.

While your students will most likely have a basic understanding of a biography, it’s worth taking a little time before they put pen to paper to tease out a crystal clear definition of a biography.

What Is a Biography?

Simply put, a biography is an account of someone’s life written by someone else . While there is a genre known as a fictional biography, for the most part, biographies are, by definition, nonfiction.

Generally speaking, biographies provide an account of the subject’s life from the earliest days of their childhood right up to the present day or their death if the subject is deceased.

The job of a biography is more than just to outline the bare facts of a person’s life.

Rather than just listing the basic details of their upbringing, hobbies, education, work, relationships, and death, a well-written biography should also paint a picture of the subject’s personality, and as well as their experience of life.

A COMPLETE UNIT ON TEACHING BIOGRAPHY WRITING IN 2022

Teach your students to write AMAZING BIOGRAPHIES & AUTOBIOGRAPHIES using proven RESEARCH SKILLS and WRITING STRATEGIES covering.

• Understanding the purpose of both forms of biography.
• Exploring the language and perspective of both.
• Prompts and Challenges to engage students in writing a biography.
• Dedicated lessons for both forms of biography.
• Biographical Projects can expand students’ understanding of reading and writing a biography.
• A COMPLETE 82-PAGE UNIT – NO PREPARATION REQUIRED.

What Are the Main Features of a Biography?

Before students begin writing a biography, they’ll need to have a firm grasp of the main features of the genre. A good way to determine how well they understand these essential elements of the genre is by asking them to compile a checklist.

At a minimum, their checklists should contain the items below. Be sure to help them fill in any gaps before moving on to the writing process.

The purpose of a biography is to provide an account of someone’s life.

Biography structure.

ORIENTATION (BEGINNING) Open your biography with a strong hook to grab the reader’s attention

SEQUENCING: In most cases, biographies are written in chronological order unless you are a very competent writer consciously trying to break from this trend.

COVER: childhood, upbringing, education, influences, accomplishments, relationships, etc. – everything that helps the reader to understand the person.

CONCLUSION: Wrap your biography up with some details about what the subject is doing now if they are still alive. If they have passed away, make mention of what impact they have made and what their legacy is or will be.

BIOGRAPHY FEATURES

LANGUAGE Use descriptive and figurative language that will paint images inside your audience’s minds as they read. Use time connectives to link events.

PERSPECTIVE Biographies are written from the third person’s perspective.

DETAILS: Give specific details about people, places, events, times, dates, etc. Reflect on how events shaped the subject. You might want to include some relevant photographs with captions. A timeline may also be of use depending upon your subject and what you are trying to convey to your audience.

TENSE Written in the past tense (though ending may shift to the present/future tense)

THE PROCESS OF WRITING A BIOGRAPHY

Like any form of writing, you will find it simple if you have a plan and follow it through. These steps will ensure you cover the essential bases of writing a biography essay.

Firstly, select a subject that inspires you. Someone whose life story resonates with you and whose contribution to society intrigues you. The next step is to conduct thorough research. Engage in extensive reading, explore various sources, watch documentaries, and glean all available information to provide a comprehensive account of the person’s life.

Creating an outline is essential to organize your thoughts and information. The outline should include the person’s early life, education, career, achievements, and any other significant events or contributions. It serves as a map for the writing process, ensuring that all vital information is included.

Your biography should have an engaging introduction that captivates the reader’s attention and provides background information on the person you’re writing about. It should include a thesis statement that summarizes the main points of the biography.

Writing a biography in chronological order is crucial . You should begin with the person’s early life and move through their career and achievements. This approach provides clarity on how the person’s life unfolded and how they accomplished their goals.

A biography should be written in a narrative style , capturing the essence of the person’s life through vivid descriptions, anecdotes, and quotes. Avoid dry, factual writing and focus on creating a compelling narrative that engages the reader.

Adding personal insights and opinions can enhance the biography’s overall impact, providing a unique perspective on the person’s achievements, legacy, and impact on society.

Editing and proofreading are vital elements of the writing process. Thoroughly reviewing your biography ensures that the writing is clear, concise, and free of errors. You can even request feedback from someone else to ensure that it is engaging and well-written.

Finally, including a bibliography at the end of your biography is essential. It gives credit to the sources that were used during research, such as books, articles, interviews, and websites.

Tips for Writing a Brilliant Biography

Biography writing tip #1: choose your subject wisely.

There are several points for students to reflect on when deciding on a subject for their biography. Let’s take a look at the most essential points to consider when deciding on the subject for a biography:

Interest: To produce a biography will require sustained writing from the student. That’s why students must choose their subject well. After all, a biography is an account of someone’s entire life to date. Students must ensure they choose a subject that will sustain their interest throughout the research, writing, and editing processes.

Merit: Closely related to the previous point, students must consider whether the subject merits the reader’s interest. Aside from pure labors of love, writing should be undertaken with the reader in mind. While producing a biography demands sustained writing from the author, it also demands sustained reading from the reader.

Therefore, students should ask themselves if their chosen subject has had a life worthy of the reader’s interest and the time they’d need to invest in reading their biography.

Information: Is there enough information available on the subject to fuel the writing of an entire biography? While it might be a tempting idea to write about a great-great-grandfather’s experience in the war. There would be enough interest there to sustain the author’s and the reader’s interest, but do you have enough access to information about their early childhood to do the subject justice in the form of a biography?

Biography Writing Tip #2: R esearch ! Research! Research!

While the chances are good that the student already knows quite a bit about the subject they’ve chosen. Chances are 100% that they’ll still need to undertake considerable research to write their biography.

As with many types of writing , research is an essential part of the planning process that shouldn’t be overlooked. If a student wishes to give as complete an account of their subject’s life as possible, they’ll need to put in the time at the research stage.

An effective way to approach the research process is to:

1. Compile a chronological timeline of the central facts, dates, and events of the subject’s life

2. Compile detailed descriptions of the following personal traits:

•      Physical looks
•      Character traits
•      Values and beliefs

3. Compile some research questions based on different topics to provide a focus for the research:

• Childhood : Where and when were they born? Who were their parents? Who were the other family members? What education did they receive?
• Obstacles: What challenges did they have to overcome? How did these challenges shape them as individuals?
• Legacy: What impact did this person have on the world and/or the people around them?
• Dialogue & Quotes: Dialogue and quotations by and about the subject are a great way to bring color and life to a biography. Students should keep an eagle eye out for the gems that hide amid their sources.

As the student gets deeper into their research, new questions will arise that can further fuel the research process and help to shape the direction the biography will ultimately go in.

Likewise, during the research, themes will often begin to suggest themselves. Exploring these themes is essential to bring depth to biography, but we’ll discuss this later in this article.

Research Skills:

Researching for biography writing is an excellent way for students to hone their research skills in general. Developing good research skills is essential for future academic success. Students will have opportunities to learn how to:

• Gather relevant information
• Evaluate different information sources
• Select suitable information
• Organize information into a text.

Students will have access to print and online information sources, and, in some cases, they may also have access to people who knew or know the subject (e.g. biography of a family member).

These days, much of the research will likely take place online. It’s crucial, therefore, to provide your students with guidance on how to use the internet safely and evaluate online sources for reliability. This is the era of ‘ fake news ’ and misinformation after all!

COMPLETE TEACHING UNIT ON INTERNET RESEARCH SKILLS USING GOOGLE SEARCH

Teach your students ESSENTIAL SKILLS OF THE INFORMATION ERA to become expert DIGITAL RESEARCHERS.

⭐How to correctly ask questions to search engines on all devices.

⭐ How to filter and refine your results to find exactly what you want every time.

⭐ Essential Research and critical thinking skills for students.

⭐ Plagiarism, Citing and acknowledging other people’s work.

⭐ How to query, synthesize and record your findings logically.

BIOGRAPHY WRITING Tip #3: Find Your Themes In Biography Writing

Though predominantly a nonfiction genre, the story still plays a significant role in good biography writing. The skills of characterization and plot structuring are transferable here. And, just like in fiction, exploring themes in a biographical work helps connect the personal to the universal. Of course, these shouldn’t be forced; this will make the work seem contrived, and the reader may lose faith in the truthfulness of the account. A biographer needs to gain and maintain the trust of the reader.

Fortunately, themes shouldn’t need to be forced. A life well-lived is full of meaning, and the themes the student writer is looking for will emerge effortlessly from the actions and events of the subject’s life. It’s just a case of learning how to spot them.

One way to identify the themes in a life is to look for recurring events or situations in a person’s life. These should be apparent from the research completed previously. The students should seek to identify these patterns that emerge in the subject’s life. For example, perhaps they’ve had to overcome various obstacles throughout different periods of their life. In that case, the theme of overcoming adversity is present and has been identified.

Usually, a biography has several themes running throughout, so be sure your students work to identify more than one theme in their subject’s life.

BIOGRAPHY WRITING Tip: #4 Put Something of Yourself into the Writing

While the defining feature of a biography is that it gives an account of a person’s life, students must understand that this is not all a biography does. Relating the facts and details of a subject’s life is not enough. The student biographer should not be afraid to share their thoughts and feelings with the reader throughout their account of their subject’s life.

The student can weave some of their personality into the fabric of the text by providing commentary and opinion as they relate the events of the person’s life and the wider social context at the time. Unlike the detached and objective approach we’d expect to find in a history textbook, in a biography, student-writers should communicate their enthusiasm for their subject in their writing.

This makes for a more intimate experience for the reader, as they get a sense of getting to know the author and the subject they are writing about.

Teaching Resources

Use our resources and tools to improve your student’s writing skills through proven teaching strategies.

BIOGRAPHY WRITING TEACHING IDEAS AND LESSONS

We have put together a sequence of biography-related lessons or teaching ideas that you can follow as you please. They are straightforward enough for most students to follow without further instruction.

BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 1:

This session aims to give students a broader understanding of what makes a good biography.

Once your students have compiled a comprehensive checklist of the main features of a biography, allow them to use it to assess some biographies from your school library or on the internet using the feature checklist.

When students have assessed a selection of biographies, take some time as a class to discuss them. You can base the discussion around the following prompts:

• Which biographies covered all the criteria from their checklist?
• Which biographies didn’t?
• Which biography was the most readable in terms of structure?
• Which biography do you think was the least well structured? How would you improve this?

Looking at how other writers have interpreted the form will help students internalize the necessary criteria before attempting to produce a biography. Once students have a clear understanding of the main features of the biography, they’re ready to begin work on writing a biography.

When the time does come to put pen to paper, be sure they’re armed with the following top tips to help ensure they’re as well prepared as possible.

BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 2:

This session aims to guide students through the process of selecting the perfect biography subject.

Instruct students to draw up a shortlist of three potential subjects for the biography they’ll write.

Using the three criteria mentioned in the writing guide (Interest, Merit, and Information), students award each potential subject a mark out of 5 for each of the criteria. In this manner, students can select the most suitable subject for their biography.

BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 3:

This session aims to get students into the researching phase and then prioritise events and organise them chronologically.

Students begin by making a timeline of their subject’s life, starting with their birth and ending with their death or the present day. If the student has yet to make a final decision on the subject of their biography, a family member will often serve well for this exercise as a practice exercise.

Students should research and gather the key events of the person’s life, covering each period of their life from when they were a baby, through childhood and adolescence, right up to adulthood and old age. They should then organize these onto a timeline. Students can include photographs with captions if they have them.

They can present these to the class when they have finished their timelines.

BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 4:

Instruct students to look over their timeline, notes, and other research. Challenge them to identify three patterns that repeat throughout the subject’s life and sort all the related events and incidents into specific categories.

Students should then label each category with a single word. This is the thematic concept or the broad general underlying idea. After that, students should write a sentence or two expressing what the subject’s life ‘says’ about that concept.

This is known as the thematic statement . With the thematic concepts and thematic statements identified, the student now has some substantial ideas to explore that will help bring more profound meaning and wider resonance to their biography.

BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 5:

Instruct students to write a short objective account of an event in their own life. They can write about anyone from their past. It needn’t be more than a couple of paragraphs, but the writing should be strictly factual, focusing only on the objective details of what happened.

Once they have completed this, it’s time to rewrite the paragraph, but they should include some opinion and personal commentary this time.

The student here aims to inject some color and personality into their writing, to transform a detached, factual account into a warm, engaging story.

WRITING CHECKLIST & RUBRIC BUNDLE

To Conclude

By this stage, your students should have an excellent technical overview of a biography’s essential elements.

They should be able to choose their subject in light of how interesting and worthy they are, as well as give consideration to the availability of information out there. They should be able to research effectively and identify emerging themes in their research notes. And finally, they should be able to bring some of their personality and uniqueness into their retelling of the life of another.

Remember that writing a biography is not only a great way to develop a student’s writing skills; it can be used in almost all curriculum areas. For example, to find out more about a historical figure in History, to investigate scientific contributions to Science, or to celebrate a hero from everyday life.

Biography is an excellent genre for students to develop their writing skills and to find inspiration in the lives of others in the world around them.

HOW TO WRITE A BIOGRAPHY TUTORIAL VIDEO

OTHER GREAT ARTICLES RELATED TO BIOGRAPHY WRITING

How to write an Autobiography

How to Write a Historical Recount Text

15 Awesome Recount & Personal Narrative Topics

Personal Narrative Writing Guide

The content for this page has been written by Shane Mac Donnchaidh.  A former principal of an international school and English university lecturer with 15 years of teaching and administration experience. Shane’s latest Book, The Complete Guide to Nonfiction Writing , can be found here.  Editing and support for this article have been provided by the literacyideas team.

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Biographies. 5 complete pp lessons. KS2

Subject: English

Age range: 7-11

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Last updated

21 September 2022

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How to write a biography. Upper KS2. Set of five complete lessons with all worksheets and pupil resources. Includes a Biography checklist, sample biographies about Queen Victoria and Nelson Mandela, a blank biography spider-gram, blank planning templates (scaffolded) and a fact sheet about Mary Anning. The series of lessons include opportunities for pupils to give peer feedback and analyse two sample biographies. I have used these with Y5 and Y6 and have also extended the unit to include famous people which the children asked for or who we were covering in topic work eg Louis Pasteur, famous explorers/sports achievers. Learning objectives. Lesson 1 • To explain what a ‘biography’ is in my own words. • To name people who have had a biography written about them. • To list the features of a biography. • To identify the features in a short biography of a famous person. Lesson 2 • To explain what a ‘biography’ is in my own words. • To recall the features of a biography. • To plan then write a biography about someone in my family and use the checklist to include the main features. • To give helpful feedback to my partner. Lesson 3 • To read a biography about Nelson Mandela. • To use the Biography Checklist and identify whether the main features have been included in the biography about Nelson Mandela. • To identify areas where the biography could be improved. Lesson 4 • To choose a famous person for a biography. • To plan your ideas on a writing frame and listen to the feedback about the features from your partner. • To write an interesting biography which includes all of the main features. Lesson 5 • To use the factsheet about Mary Anning, taking out information which would be interesting in a biography. • To write an interesting biography about Mary Anning which includes all of the main features of a biography.

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How to Write a Biography KS2

• Choose a person to write a biography about : This person should be someone you are interested in and have some knowledge about.
• Research : Gather information about the person you have chosen. Look for biographies, articles, and other sources of information. Take notes on the important events in their life, their achievements, and their personality.
• Organize the information : Sort through the information you have gathered and organize it into a timeline of the person’s life.
• Write an Introduction : Begin your biography with an introduction that tells who the person is, why they are important and interesting, and what you will be focusing on in your biography.
• Write the Body : The body of your biography should follow the chronological order of the person’s life, and should include the most important events, achievements and characteristics.
• Include quotes from interviews or from person, if you have any or couldn’t use, look for secondary sources.
• Write a Conclusion : Sum up the person’s life and achievements, and reflect on what you have learned about them.
• Revise and Edit : Re-read your biography and make any necessary corrections, such as grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

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