biography template for 2nd grade

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The BEST Elementary Biography Project

Looking for a fun, new research and writing project for your elementary kiddos? This living wax museum is a great way to tie together reading, writing, social studies and speaking and listening skills all in one fun project. I have done this project with second through fourth graders and they have all loved it.

Start this project off by having your students select what famous figure they want to research, or by assigning them a famous figure. My ABSOLUTE favorite books for us to conduct our research are the “Who Was” Series by Jim Gigliotti. They are perfect for on-level/higher second graders, and are most appropriate for third and fourth grade students.

Typically, I will introduce the project, show the students my example, and then briefly introduce all of the famous figures that they can pick from. I then let them go one by one and pick which person they want to research.

For my second graders, I always have one group (my lower level readers) that work together to collect our research all on the same person, but then I release them to each write their own reports.

We spend about one week reading our books and researching our influential figure. While they work, they take notes on important aspects of that person’s life. There are also a ton of great books on Epic ! that students can use for additional research and ideas.

After our notes are compiled, students begin writing their drafts for their research reports. I have students write 6 total paragraphs about their famous figures. We do an introduction, a paragraph about their early life, a paragraph about why they are famous, fun facts, a paragraph about a character trait that best describes them and why, and then a closing.

We spend about 1-1 & 1/2 weeks working on our writing. We write about a paragraph or 2 per day, then take our writing through the revising/editing/publishing process. I then give students a good 2-3 days to spend a TON of time publishing their work to the best of their capability, using their best handwriting and best pictures that they can.

Wax Museum: Speaking & Listening

We end this project by inviting parents and other classes to come watch us present our reports. This is a fun time where the students get to dress up like their famous person, bring in props and practice speaking in front of an audience. We always get amazing feedback from the parents and from other classroom teachers. This component is totally optional, but completely worth it!

I always send home a student letter at the beginning of the project so that parents have ample time to help students gather materials for their costumes and to help them get a good understanding of who their influential figure is.

Distance Learning / Digital Learning :

Is your school closed for an extended period of time due to this crazy virus? This project is a GREAT way for students to continue learning at home. Simply send the PDF to parents to print at home (or print at school if you still have access), and send students to Epic or your local online library to find biographies on the person of their choice. Then, add a digital component by having students upload their videos to Google Classroom, SeeSaw or the digital platform of your choice. This is a great way to provide a few weeks of reading/writing plans to parents, while incorporating choice in student learning still.

Recommended Resources :

Snag everything you need for the biography research and writing reports in this Biography Writing Resource .

Click here for a compilation of all of my favorite “Who Was” characters to research for this project. These books are the perfect level for 2nd-4th graders, and are really affordable (between $2-4 each by following my Amazon affiliate link.)

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Biography Research for Kids {Facts, Templates & Printables}

Published: September 6, 2022

Contributor: Jeannette Tuionetoa

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to make a purchase via my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclosure for more info.

The telling of a person’s life could be one of the most personal literature pieces your children will read while in school. Learn how to teach biography research for kids in an easy way so they can write their very own biography report. 

Biography Research for Kids

To obtain correct information about a particular person (famous person or historical figure), it is important to gather as much information as possible. To ensure the information you find is accurate, the sources you use should be reliable and should be cross-checked with other information.

Biography Facts for Kids

Before tackling biography research for kids, it is important they know what a biography is and what it is not. Here are a few important things to know about biography in literature lessons.

A biography is a story about a particular person’s life, whether it be a famous person, athlete, historical figure, or a specific person.

Biographies of people are written in third person , meaning it is about someone else. In contrast, an autobiography is a person themselves telling their life story.

The Purpose of a Biography

Many times biographies of people are used as historical accounts of an era. Biographies tell basic facts about people, their education, work, and relationships. Yet, they also are personal accounts and portrayals of experiences through events of the time in their life story.

What are the key features of a biography?

There are key features of a biography that make this literary artwork a retelling of a life story. Here are a few key features of biography to get a child’s mind in the flow of gathering information for a biography research project, author study, or important events for biography research.

• date and place of birth and/or death
• where the public figure lived or location of residence
• educational background
• professional experience (i.e. work, artwork, skills, hobbies)
• area of expertise (What was/is this person famous for?)
• major achievements in life (Which of the areas of expertise was he/she best known for?)
• expound on the information, find interesting facts, and include your thoughts.

How to Write a Biography

There are specific ways to keep focused when writing a biography. Explore these steps to help your students write and understand biographies.

Step One: Choose Who to Write About

There are loads of famous, historical, or note-worthy people your young readers can explore for their biography research project .

Parents can task a specific genre study of biographies or specific categories for students to research, or students can choose their own. Here are some interesting biography research topics students will enjoy learning about:

Interesting Biography Figures

• Sports figure
• Someone from American history
• Someone from a specific historical period like ancient civilizations/ ancient times
• Black History Month figure
• Native American figure
• Presidents of the United States (biographies of presidents)
• World War I or World War II figures
• American Revolution figure
• Renaissance figure
• Middle Ages figure
• 20th-century heroes

Historical Figures and Public Figures

• Amelia Earhart
• Elizabeth Carter
• Frida Kahlo
• Harriet Tubman
• Ruby Bridge
• Misty Copeland
• Ellen Ochoa
• Martin Luther King Jr.
• William Shakespeare
• Life Of George Washington
• Frederick Douglass
• Julius Caesar
• Jackie Robinson
• James Boswell
• Wright Brothers

Step Two: Do Your Research

Gathering information for research through primary and secondary sources is crucial. Compiling good research data is important and valuable for building knowledge and clear a path for learning.

Gathering reliable research helps students understand topics, understand issues, increase awareness, and exercise the mind.

Using Primary Sources

When students use primary resources, they gather reliable knowledge that answers research questions, enables critical thinking, and develop well, thought out interpretations from facts.

Primary resources are images, artifacts, and documents that are firsthand testimony and proven evidence on a topic.

Some more examples of primary sources:

• Manuscripts
• Video recordings

Using Secondary Sources

Secondary sources, on the other hand, describe, comment on, evaluate, discuss, or process what would be in a primary source.

Some examples of secondary sources are:

• Biographical texts
• Literature reviews
• Commentaries
• History books
• Bibliographies
• Dictionaries/encyclopedias

Step Three: Create an Outline

The next step in writing a research-rich biography is creating an outline to organize the information and content gathered.

Outlines, although many students might not think they are useful, aid in their writing process. They provide the writers with a structure to follow, making sure no important information is missed.

You can use the Biography Notebooking Journal to make this an easy process! The templates can be used to do a thorough biographical research project . 

Biography Research Outline

A research paper is enhanced with an outline by organizing thoughts, understanding a clear flow is needed for information, and then again, ensuring nothing is forgotten.

Here is a very basic research outline:

INTRODUCTION

• Develop an engaging introduction sentence that captures the reader’s attention.
• Site a quote or anecdote from the person’s life.
• Describe the basic identity of the person with the very basic key elements mentioned above (i.e. name, date of birth/death, location).
• Include a unique observation that you have gathered from the person or why you chose to write about him/her.
• Stick to the theme of your research paper and provide the content you have gathered in your research.
• Describe the information you have gathered in sections or chronologically.
• Discuss your person’s accomplishments and their impact on society or those around them. Maybe also mention, if applicable, how a major event changed their life or the life of others.
• Ensure the pieces of information gathered are connected or interlinked or flow well together.
• Mention the person’s legacy or why they will remain important to remember or acknowledge.
• Add a lesser-known fact about the person, something you found interesting or noteworthy.
• Conclude with a comment or your input of the impact the person will make or will leave on the world or society.

Write a First Draft

Making an outline is crucial for getting an overview of what a research biography paper will be. Look like. If done correctly, it will easily flow into a first draft.

The outline develops what you need as a first draft, and transition words will help the writer make the paragraphs and sections flow into each other smoothly. The below resources will help with both.

How to Write a Paragraph for Kids – Teach your children how to write well, thought-out paragraphs as a foundational writing skill in your homeschool. This post explores ten different steps for writing a paragraph and listing the essential parts of a good paragraph.

Transition Words – Your children will find these writing tools helpful for words and phrases they can use to show smooth storytelling transitions.

Edit and Revise

In the editing and revision page of a research biography unit paper, the writer can enhance effective headings and subheadings for their paragraphs. This is the time to:

• Information aligns with your main point or purpose of the research paper.
• Eliminate parts of the paper that do not add value.
• Tighten up the wording (i.e. if your sentences are understandable or make sense)
• Check for spelling and grammatical errors.
• Get someone to read your paper or write it, then do another read-over the next day – for a fresh perspective.

Write Your Final Paper

It is time. Type or write out the final paper. Make a cover page if needed, evaluate if your sources are cited correctly, and develop your bibliography page, if required.

Citing Your Sources

It is important to cite sources for research biographies and any other assignments students have in school. Determine what citation style is needed and teach children how to cite correctly. This resource will benefit students straight through high school, college, and any written work they may create.

Research and Citation Resources by Owl Purdue – This tool is a perfect resource for conducting research, using the research, determining citation style, and citing written works correctly.

Biographical Websites

To jump-start the minds of young girls and boys when they begin researching biographies, the websites below will assist set the stage for their journey into learning about biographies of people, their hard work, and more.

 Biographies of People in History

Biography – This is one of the most popular internet sites capturing the most interesting stories about massive amounts of people in our world. You will find compelling points of view and true stories about people from our world.

Info Please – This site is a search engine for biographies by category. There are all types of categories to choose from like Arts and Entertainment, Politics and Government, Famous Americans by Race and Ethnicity, and so much more.

Time 100 Most Influential People – Time magazine has brought their Time Most Influential People online. Check out Time’s 100 Most Influential People for 2020 to help students search for biographical information, including pioneers, artists, leaders, titans, icons, and more.

Scientists Biographies

Famous Scientists – Check out this alphabetical list of hundreds of famous scientists who have impacted our world’s history. Even search scientists by categories like Astronomers, Chemists, Biologists, and more.

World of Scientific Biography – Science World presents a whole section on biographies for scientists in various branches of the science field. The biographical data is separated by gender, minority status, historical periods, nationality, and prize winners.

People and Discoveries by PBS – Learn all about people and their discoveries in this databank which includes about 120 entries about 20th century scientists and their life stories.

Artists Biographies

Van Gogh’s Gallery of Artist Biographies – Although this site is about Vincent Van Gogh, it also offers biographical information on other artists like Michelangelo, Gauguin, Caravaggio, and Claude Monet.

If your child enjoys learning about artists, you can find all types of tips for an artist study, like how long a student should be on one artist study, famous artists to study per grade level, and so much more.

Biographies of Poets

All About Poets – You don’t have to be an expert on poetry to help students learn about poets and their artwork. Check out Poets.org to search more than 3,000 biographies on poets of both contemporary and classical styles.

Athlete Biographies

ESPN’s Top Athletes of the Century – Use your child’s love of sports to enhance their learning experience in their English classes. Students will enjoy the biographies of great athletes of the 20th century.

Biographies of Presidents

POTUS History and Data – It is important for students to learn about the Presidents of the United States (POTUS). This site has loads of information to help with a biography research assignment. The POTUS site includes presidential facts, quizzes, and even Presidential firsts. You can even use this unit for an overview of the U.S. Presidents timeline . These  president fact sheets are also super helpful.

Biographies of Nobel Prize Recipients

Nobel Prize Awards – The Nobel Prize is an international award by the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden. This site is a great way of learning about all the Nobel prize winners and what they were nominated for.

Biographies of Famous People

Who2 Biographies – This biographical resource holds 4,775 biographies of famous people, characters, and even creatures. Search these by categories that include born today, by occupation, cause of death, and more.

Smithsonian’s Spotlight Biography – Searching Smithsonian Education is a fun way to learn about famous and notable American artists, athletes, soldiers, scientists, inventors, social reformers, and others.

To Summarize, a Biography Should Include:

Biographies can be very interesting topics and a fun way to marry various subjects in your homeschool like history, writing, reading, English, research, and more.

Biographical research for kids includes:

• Narrowing down a person to research.
• Putting research skills into practice to gather all the information needed.
• Writing a detailed outline.
• Writing an introduction, body, and conclusion.
• Selecting a good image for the person chosen.

Every person is created for a purpose. Focusing on biography research for kids allows students to take interest in the lives of others. Begin encouraging your student to take an interest and learn about others this school year.

Jeannette Tuionetoa

Jeannette is a wife, mother and homeschooling mom. She has been mightily, saved by grace and is grateful for God’s sovereignty throughout her life’s journey. She has a Bachelor in English Education and her MBA. Jeannette is bi-lingual and currently lives in the Tongan Islands of the South Pacific. She posts daily freebies for homeschoolers!

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Making biographies fun (with two freebies).

It’s never too early to start teaching biographies to students. Many intermediate teachers will teach strong biography units, but integrating them in primary is excellent, too! I’m gathering up some ideas for making biographies fun in your class!

Start by teaching the genre.

Always start each genre with an introductory lesson. To help with making biographies fun, I suggest a biography anchor chart that you can laminate and keep in your classroom throughout the unit or throughout the entire year. Below, you will see a sample anchor chart for biographies. AND I’m linking the letters and clipart for you for  FREE ! That way, you can replicate a similar anchor chart for your students.

(Link:  Biography Header Freebie )

2. Integrate reading into students independent and partner reading time.

Utilize all the time you can with biographies. Plug them into daily centers and even book bins for students to read during downtime. If you’re giving primary students biography books to read independently or with a partner, make sure to provide them with easy readers. Biographies are tough for students to understand because sometimes they don’t have any background knowledge. So, prevent them from having more difficulty reading their biographies by giving them easy readers to get through independently. Check out these affiliate links to books I suggest from Amazon that are ideal for making biographies fun.

Making Biographies Fun with My Favorite Picks

• Jesse Owens
• Misty Copeland
• Barack Obama
• Alexander Hamilton
• Thomas Edison

12 Leveled Biography Set

3. Have a weekly (free) challenge for review.

I blogged about this fun weekly challenge several months ago. I love it! So, what you’ll do is at the beginning of every week, you will give students a social studies or science clue. Throughout the week, as they read passages in folders and books at their reading centers, they will try to find out what the mystery clues are. It’s a great concept for making biographies fun for primary students. Check out my examples below. Also, click through to  my old blog post  to watch my video of me discussing this fun freebie.

(Link:  Mystery Freebie Blog Post )

4. Tie in technology and reading.

Whenever it comes to science and social studies, Pebble Go and Brain Pop Jr. are necessities for my lessons. If you have been keeping up with my blog, you’ll notice I mention these two wonderful websites quite often. Below, I’ll show you their biography features! Sign up today to get access to all these videos and online content.

(Source:  PebbleGo Biographies ) In the picture above, you can see the categories of biographies! There is a lot to pick from. And within each, there are even more subcategories. Pebble Go offers so many options for making biographies fun. Go check them out.

In the picture below, you can see how I’ve selected women (image of Harriet Tubman), then even more specific Civil Rights Leaders. So this is a selection of all of their biographies on women that were Civil Rights Leaders!

(Source:  PebbleGo Biographies )

(Source:  BrainPop Jr. Biographies ) You can see a selection of Brain Pop Jr.’s biographies in the picture above. And that is just some of them. There are way more! Their biographies come with animated movies, which my kiddos always responded well to. Check out the Amelia Earhart selection below. It shows the video and the follow-up activities for her!

(Source:  BrainPop Jr. Biographies )

5. Use readings as homework, so parents can also discuss the importance.

One option you have is to send passages home once a week for homework. These passages can be read with parents so that parents can discuss with their children their own relation or background knowledge of the person. This will help students see that they’re learning about these influential people at school and they are known outside of the classroom, too! It’s fun for them to see that their parents can tell them about what they’re learning during reading and social studies time. Also, you can choose to have one set passage for the entire class throughout the week, or you can send home a few for parents and children to pick. Then, students can write about the one they chose and what they learned.

Biography and Science Bundles

(Resources in Pic:  Biography Bundle  and  Science Bundle )

6. Let the kids be teachers!

Find clipart online or on TPT of the influential people that you are researching. Then, split your classroom into as many groups as the persons you’re discussing. Give each group of students markers, chart paper, a picture of the person, and a few books on that person. Then, allow them to research that person with their group and create a chart for each person. Afterward, when they are finished creating their chart, allow them to practice their Speaking and Listening skills by presenting their work to the class.

Freebie Idea

Another idea would be to grab the freebie from #1 and allowing your class to work in groups to present on the genre itself!

FREE BIOGRAPHIES HEADER!

For more, download the biography header! When you sign up, you’ll be delivered this freebie directly to your email inbox.

7. Stock up on biographies from TPT!

In my store, you will find over 30  biographies ! I have biographies for 30 influential people. In each of these biography sets, you can get a passage, cut and paste timeline, fact writing research page, writing sheet. Plus, a flip book that includes a passage, comprehension questions, true and false sort, and a writing page.

• Mother Teresa Biography Pack  (or in the Biography Bundle )
• Henry Ford Biography Pack  (or in the Biography Bundle )
• Susan B. Anthony Biography Pack  (or in the Biography Bundle )

Biography Bundle

Want more social studies blog posts to read?

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• 11 Books for Your Community Unit
• Teaching Diverse Holidays Year-Round
• Women’s History Month Activities
• Read more about: Freebies , Reading Blog Posts , Social Studies Blog Posts , Uncategorized

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Thrifty in Third Grade

By Cassie Smith - Engaging Elementary Resources

Teaching Students to Write Biography Reports

Biographies are many students’ first glimpse at history. It is one of my favorite units to teach every year. It is a great opportunity for students to read, research, use technology, and write!

If you’re teaching students to write biography reports this year, then check out how I like to break it down!

Breaking Down Writing a Biography Report (Grades 2-5)

Writing these types of reports is part of the Common Core writing standards for Grades 2-5 as well as many other states’ standards. There are several steps to take as you teach your students to write a biography report.

The first step ALWAYS: Introduce Biographies

Before I even begin to teach my students how to write a biography, I like to read several from our school library.

For second and third grade students :

• Have several biographies in the classroom and give students time to explore the books. Then discuss: What did you notice about all these books? How are they the same? How are they different?
• Discuss genre and introduce biographies.
• Then, I would read them biographies about many different people.

For fourth and fifth grade students :

• Make a class anchor chart discussing what you already know about biographies. Look for gaps in understanding, and make sure students know the main characteristics of a biography.
• Then, read several different biographies about the same person with a focus on the different information each biography shared, as well as what information was the same. Did all of the biographies have the characteristics we listed on our anchor chart?

It is important to make note of the characteristics that biographies have so that when students write their own, they already have an understanding of how they are written!

Once students have been exposed to biographies, you can begin to teach about writing them.

Discuss Text Structure of Biographies

Depending on the grade you teach, you may not necessarily call it “text structure,” however it is important for students to understand that most biographies are written in a chronological/sequential way.

Since we are writing about someone’s life, it wouldn’t make sense for the report to be out of order.

While we go over this, I like to create a timeline with my students.

If you are using my biography writing units, I recommend:

• Using the mentor text to create a timeline of the subject’s life. You can do this on the board or on chart paper.
• Use the research text to create a timeline of the subject’s life (this is the person the students will write about, and a text is included in the units). For older students, you may choose to have them fill out the timeline on their own.

How to Write an Engaging Introduction for the Biography Report

At the beginning of the report, students should write an engaging introduction that includes one (or both) of two main components.

The introduction should include one (or both) of these components:

• Introduce the subject with their full name and birth information or
• Briefly preview what they are most famous for

Practice writing a variety of introductions and have students choose the one they like the best. ( TIP: Model some poorly written introductions as well , and discuss why those are not a good fit!)

Crafting the Body Paragraphs of the Biography Report

When teaching your students to write biography reports, it is important to explain to them what the body paragraphs should include.

The body paragraphs should include the major events in the person’s life.

Read over the body paragraphs from your mentor text and discuss what was included and what was not included. What was included in the timeline you created? What did you leave out?

You can make a T chart with your students and discuss what are major events in your own life, and what are not.

Writing a Conclusion for the Biography Report

Most conclusions in a biography end with the person’s death.

While this can be noted, it’s important for students to understand that they shouldn’t just end their report with “and then they died in 1894”. It is more important for them to end their report with the legacy of the person.

To help students understand what a person’s legacy means:

• Review and write legacies of other famous individuals from biographies you have read to your class.
• Ask them what their person is most known for (and review their introduction).
• Ask them how this person has impacted other people.

If you are looking for resources for teaching your students to write a biography report, check out my writing units.

These units also include a Google Slides option so you can teach the whole unit digitally!

Preview the grades 2-5 biography writing units here:.

Get resources for teaching your Grades 2-5 students to write a biography report here.

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Free Editable Biography Graphic Organizer Examples

A biography graphic organizer is an excellent tool for historians, educators, students, and professionals. Making a graphic organizer create someone's biography is hard and takes time, and using templates and examples is the most efficient way to create these graphic organizers. Here, we will talk about biography templates, how to write a biography with EdrawMax Online, and a few example topics.

1. What is Biography Graphic Organizer

A biography graphic organizer visually represents a person's biography from a third-person perspective. We use it to brainstorm and organize essential information about people, historical figures, characters in novels and movies. Most of the biographies we create or read are typically based on famous people. Still, you can create a biography of anyone with key information about their lives and major events. It helps you visualize details about someone’s early life, adult life, family life, and related exciting facts.

2. The Biography Graphic Organizer Examples

You can use biography graphic organizers to gather key information about any person, and you can arrange that information logically based on the major events and that person's life. It is easy to read and understand someone's biography; however, making a biography is entirely different. It takes a lot of time to write a memoir, and without a proper template, you will also have to put in extra effort to do the framework. There are many formats of biography templates, each with its uses and benefits. Check out our biography graphic organizer examples will help to pick a suitable template for your task.

Example 1: Biography Graphic Organizer

A biography graphic organizer depicts a person's biography by gathering their major life events and organizing them logically to represent their various life aspects. You can use various graphic organizers to create a biography, such as a pamphlet. There are three sides to this template, one with different information about a person's biography. Teachers use such templates to give assignments and tests to their students. The person's picture and intro go on the first page with the writer's name. We got the bibliography and blank space for the teacher's comments on the second page. The person's key facts and family details are on the last page of the pamphlet.

Example 2: Free Printable Biography Graphic Organizer

You can easily create someone's biography with a free printable biography graphic organizer. There is no standard format to make a biography, and that is why you can use various graphic organizers such as broachers or charts. This template follows a simple layout with the important person's name at the top. After that, there are empty boxes where you can enter the person's date of birth and death in question. There are three blank areas labeled as facts. Here you can write three major events or key points about the person. In the end, you can write about the lesson you learned from this biography

Example 3: Biography Graphic Organizer PDF

A biography graphic organizer PDF is best when you don't know how much information you will add to the biography. People use it to make worksheets to organize and gather all the information about the important person. These templates come with their benefits, such as no space limit. You can expand your worksheets with incoming data, unlike those graphic organizers where you get limited space to write details and information. The person's name goes at the center of the chart. At the top, we got some relevant information, such as their background and major accomplishments.

Example 4: Biography Graphic Organizer Middle School

A biography graphic organizer in middle school is an excellent tool for students to gather information of the important personalities they read about in their books or novels and create a biography. A Martin Luther King biography is typical for middle school students. This template comes with a picture of the important person, and key information goes to the boxes around the image. You start with writing the birth and death date of the person. Write their famous quotes and give a little intro to why that person is famous. You can add some character traits to make it perfect.

Example 5: Graphic Organizer for Biography

This is a standard graphic organizer for biography. It comes in a simple format with the writer's name at the top. After that, there is the person's name or the title of your biography. You start introducing that person by listing some information about that person early. There is also an option to add a picture on the right side. After the early life comes the major events of their family life. There is also bank space to write the accomplishments that made this person famous. You can end the biography by listing a few interesting facts about that person.

Example 6: Stalin Biography Report Graphic Organizer

This is a complete Stalin biography report graphic organizer template. If you are writing a Stalin biography, then use this template and modify the text, and you get a perfect memoir. The template follows the standard format of listing the writer's name above the topic title and person's name. There is blank space for you to write about that person's early and family life. In the accomplishments section, you write about the reason for that person being famous and their deeds. Close your biography with a list of interesting facts.

Example 7: Free Biography Graphic Organizer

A free biography graphic organizer is a standard tool students use to create biographies for their assignments. Most students use free templates such as this one to complete projects, and it helps them gather information about the famous person and organize it without wasting their time creating a framework from scratch. Any student can make a biography by writing the correct details and information in the right boxes. The name and title go at the top, and there is a blank space to write the date and destination of birth and death. Then, you got a huge area to write the accomplishments of the famous person.

Example 8: Biography Graphic Organizer 3rd Grade

A biography graphic organizer 3rd grade helps primary school students write biographies of famous people and characters from movies and novels in the correct format. Teachers use these templates to improve their students' reading and writing skills. The biography starts with the writer's and the famous person's name at the top. The students write a summary about that person's life like an intro, and there is also bank space to add that person's photograph. After that, students list some key facts, write some of their quotes and end the biography with some exciting events in that person's life.

Example 9: Biography Writing Graphic Organizer

You can structure information for brainstorming sessions and idea generation with a cluster word web. It also helps create outlines for various writings and pre-write your presentations or reports. The number of clusters in your diagram depends on your ideas and critical elements. You don't have to follow a specific format and limit the number of items you add to your diagram. In this example, the main idea is at the centre, with related details and themes in a logical structure.

3. How to Write a Biography

Follow these steps to learn how to write a biography.

Step 1 : Create a graphic organizer yourself or customize a template to gather and organize information about the important person.

Step 2 : You can gather key information by researching multiple resources and collecting data to conduct comprehensive and efficient research.

Step 3 : Collaborate with your peers to do your thesis and create a proper framework before writing the biography.

Step 4 : Create a timeline and add your ideas to the biography.

Step 5 : Add key information about that person's life, achievements, the reason for success and exciting facts.

4. Topics for Biography

The topic for biography depends on the name of the person you plan to write about. You can write about famous people and characters from movies and novels. If you can't find a suitable person, you can write about historical figures or people who made huge contributions to humanity. You can also base your title on people who discovered new lands and invented new technology. Here are some famous biography topics.

• Albert Einstein
• Alexander Fleming
• Alexander Graham Bell
• Alexander the Great
• Amelia Earhart
• Benjamin Franklin
• Charles Lindbergh
• Clarence Birdseye
• Eli Whitney
• Elie Wiesel
• George Washington Carver

5. Online Biography Maker

A biography graphic organizer is a fantastic tool that helps gather, organize and visually represent key information about famous and influential personalities. Teachers use these graphic organizers to give their students home assignments and test papers that help improve their writing and storytelling skills. EdrawMax is the best biography maker with creative customizing tools and features that makes your job much easier. It comes with a comprehensive template and symbol library that you can employ with a few clicks. It also gives you the option to export your diagram in any format you want.

6. Key Takeaways

A biography graphic organizer is commonly used to conduct research about famous and famous people and visualize the key information about their life. Historians and professionals use it to create autobiographies and generate timelines. You can learn everything you need to know from our biography examples. It makes it easy to understand someone's life achievement; however, it is hard to make a graphic biography organizer. EdrawMax Online is the best online biography maker. You can use its templates to make any online to save your time and effort. It supports various document formats and creative customization tools. Find more graphic organizer templates in the templates community.

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How to Write a Biography (Examples & Templates)

A biography is a written account of a person’s life that details their life in chronological order. Another person usually writes this detailed account, and it contains reports of their childhood, career, major life events, relationships, and social impact. It also details their relationships with their family, children, and life accomplishments.

The best way to find out more about a popular figure is through reading their biographies, so you need to make sure you get the correct information. Before writing a biography, you need to do a lot of research and interviews to represent a person’s life accurately.

Types of Biography

A biography is the story of someone’s life as written by another writer. Most biographies of popular figures are written years, or even decades, after their deaths. Authors write biographies of popular figures due to either a lack of information on the subject or personal interest.

A biography aims to share a person’s story or highlight a part of their life.

There are different types of biographies, depending on the story. Some biographies are written true to the story, while some are written as fictional works. Biographies can give you true understanding of a person on an internal as well as external level along with a lot of life lessons.

Autobiography

An autobiography is different from a biography because it is written by the subject of the story, themselves. The author writes in the first-person narrative, and it flows step-by-step like a story of their life. Autobiographies contain personal accounts of the subject’s life, along with their perspectives and opinions on events in their life.

How To Write a Biography

Pick a subject.

Picking a subject is the first step in writing a biography. You can pick an already famous person or a relatively unknown person with a great life story. If you already have a few in mind, you can start by asking yourself some questions such as;

• What has the subject accomplished that makes them a good subject?
• Have they had an impact on society?
• Is the subject a celebrity or a well-known personality?
• Will the biography appeal to a wide audience?

Get Permission

When you pick a subject, the next thing to do is to get permission from them or their family or rights owners. Although, with some historical figures, there may not be any need for permission. Getting permission from your subject makes it easier for you to get stories to put into your book. You can get the chance to obtain additional personal stories and anecdotes that will make your book more interesting by doing so as well.

Do The Research

Research is the most important part of a biography’s process as the entire content of the book is dependent on it. Irrespective of what you know about the subject, you need to carry out as much research as possible to get the story’s facts precisely.

Biography research comes from various sources, depending on the book’s subject. Firsthand reports from family, friends, or personal accounts from the subjects are primary sources. They are usually the most accurate and reliable, and they are crucial for a biography. Secondary sources come from other sources like magazines or documentaries.

Pick a Format

Biographies come in various formats, with each of them having their pros and cons. A typical biography will start at the beginning, usually with the birth and childhood of the subject. Yet, if the biography’s theme involves a different event in their life, the author may want to explore the flashback option or one with concurrent events from different times.

Usually, biographies have a theme or a general life lesson at the center. The author’s role is to tell the subject’s story leading up to the major event.

Which-ever format you choose should place the theme at the center, with the other events detailing the journey.

Create a Timeline Of The Story

Since a biography takes place in chronological order, there needs to be a timeline of the events in the right order. The timeline should contain the key events in the subject’s life, in the order the author plans on revealing them. A great way to declutter the story and keep it interesting is to use flashbacks . This way, the author can introduce past events and explain later events excluding the element of monotony.

Add In Your Thoughts

The good thing about biographies is that you don’t have to stick to the hard facts only. As the author, you can share your opinions and emotions in writing. The author has the freedom to do this by commenting on a significant action by the subject in a manner that describes why they feel the subject may have done what they did.

The author can also include commentary on events depicted in the biography – how it was influenced society or its impact on the lives around them. Recounting these events through a different perspective can make the biography more relatable and interesting to read.

FAQ’s

Why is a biography template important.

A biography template has an outline that makes the writing easier for the author. Biography templates usually contain a sample timeline, format, and questions that provide more information about the subject. With a great biography template, you can cut your writing time in half and spend less time coming up with an outline.

How are biographies better in comparison to autobiographies

Since a different person writes biographies, they tend to be more objective and somewhat accurate than autobiographies. An autobiography tells things from the author’s perspective, so their views and perspective cloud it. Thus, a biography will likely tell a more factual story.

These are the important steps you need to take to help you write a great biography. Now, to make things easier for you, we have a free customizable autobiography and biography template that you can use to start your first book. Get the template and start writing today

What are some of the most important elements to keep in consideration while writing a biography?

Any author looking to write a biography must consider the factors below. They aren’t the only important factors, but a biography isn’t complete without them. • Date and place of their birth • Academic background • Professional expertise • Death, if deceased • Facts and anecdotes about the person • Main accomplishments • Detailed accounts of their child and adult life

Biographies tell the untold stories of some incredibly relevant people in the world. But biographies are not always strictly accurate. So, every biographer needs to follow the necessary steps to provide a biography with all the requirements.

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