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17 Writing Biographical Stories

Page
127
from
All Write

Writing Biographical Stories Opening Page

Start-Up Activity

Biographical writing serves as a logical next step after students have written personal narratives. It gives students an opportunity to write about other people—those they know well, or those they would like to learn about. Read and discuss page 127, focusing on the value of writing biographical stories. Then have students write down two or three people they would like to write about. Ask for volunteers to share their ideas.

Think About It

“So I get my ideas from things that have happened to me, things that I find interesting, things that happen to other people.”

—Christopher Paul Curtis

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State Standards Covered in This Chapter

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.3

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.8

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.3

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.8

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.3

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.8

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.5

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.5

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.5

Page 128 from All Write

Sample Biographical Story

The next two pages include a sample biographical story. The writer of this story tells about a special person in his life, his grandfather. Ask for a volunteer to read the first part of the story on page 128. Have listeners focus on each brief story that the writer includes about the subject.

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Page 129 from All Write

Sample Biographical Story (Continued)

Ask for a volunteer to read the rest of the story on this page. Then discuss the text, using the side notes as a guide. Also ask the following questions.

  • What details indicate how the writer feels about his grandfather? Name three. (Answers will vary.)
  • What “little stories” do you like best? Why? (Answers will vary.)
  • Does the writer include a lot of dialogue, specific details, and personal reflections? (dialogue, no; specific details, yes; personal reflections, a little at end)

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Page 130 from All Write

Writing Guidelines: Biographies

Review the first page of guidelines for writing biographical stories, which deals with choosing a topic and gathering details. As an activity, have students create a similar chart to the one on this page. Students can also review Thoughtful Learning's online writing topics page for more topic ideas. Some topics will require that students conduct an interview to gather information. (See page 152.)

 

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Page 131 from All Write

Writing Guidelines (Continued)

Page 131 focuses on writing, revising, and editing a biographical story. Review this page with students when they are ready to develop their topics into biographies. Consider modeling how to establish a focus for a biographical story. (Also see page 132.) Use the minilessons as supplements to your instruction. 

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Page 132 from All Write

Special Planning and Writing Tips

Tie the tips on this page to the information provided about prewriting and writing on pages 130 and 131. Use these special tips as a revising guide when students are ready to assess and improve their first drafts.

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Page 133 from All Write

Interviewed-Based Sample Biographical Writing

Ask for a volunteer to read the sample aloud. Then discuss the model, using the side notes as a basic guide. Also ask these questions about the writing.

  • What do you think intergenerational means? (Definition: “Interaction between members of different generations.”)
  • What is the most important thing you learned about Sylvia Conroe? Name two. (Answers will vary.)
  • What else would you like to learn about her? (Answers will vary.)
  • What connections can you make to Sylvia’s story? (Answers will vary.)

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