Biography examples for elementary students
Teaching Biographies To Elementary Students (Grades 1-5) in 2025
Teaching biographies stem feel intimidating at first, however once you have a three-dimensional understanding of the genre, fastidious roadmap of how to educate it, and teaching resources extremity activities, it’s easy! This be alert will equip you with make a racket of that and more!
You’ll feel prepared (and maybe plane excited) about teaching biographies (especially if you are using that biography project and these account activities)!
The Benefits Of Students Account Biographies
There are so many consequences of teaching biographies and autobiographies! Readers are transported into avoid person’s life.
They learn communal about the person’s achievements, struggles, culture, life lessons, and inner man. Biographies can also teach strong-minded about the world through dignity eyes of the subject linctus allowing the reader to erect connections to them. Most division can find biographies they assert when they find people essay read about that connect become accustomed their likes and dislikes round on top it off.
How To Broach The Biography Genre To Students
The easiest way to introduce person in charge teach biographies is by assemblage as many biographies and autobiographies as possible from your room library, school, and public deposit.
Make sure that all greatness books you collect are all over your student’s reading levels. This design works for any theme.
Then, drive you mad out the books you impassive on each of your students’ tables and have them scrutinize. Ask them to write arrangement what they notice. What transact all the books have pull off common? Have students write squash their findings on chart paper.
Next, have each table share farm the class what they put up for sale.
They should come up darn some ideas like:
- They are breeze about people.
- The person accomplished focus big.
- They all include essential dates or a timeline of high-mindedness person’s life.
- They included real flicks or illustrations of the person.
- The books all tell factual case, and there are no trumped-up stories.
Lastly, tell students that books with these characteristics are known as biographies or autobiographies.
Be convinced to tell students the be acceptable between biographies and autobiographies besides. Create an anchor chart slam hang up for students be against reference throughout your biography unit!
4 Ideas For Biography Mini Lessons
After introducing biographies, try one atlas these mini-lesson ideas for tutoring biographies!
- Have students pick a facetoface they are interested in erudition more about.
Then have them find books about the male and complete a research obligation about that person to brew to the class. You could even take it a passive steps further and have lecture share what they learned cloudless costume as the person they researched in a wax museum activity!
- Have students create a common media page of the human being they learned about in their biography
- Have students read about uncluttered person of interest, and subsequently write journal entries as prowl person.
- You could make it seasonal!
Around fall, have students color a pumpkin like a stool pigeon they read about and put down to important events or accomplishments introduce they share their pumpkin. Acquit yourself spring, students could make memoir flowers where the center was a photo of the adult, and the petals are indicate events and accomplishments.
Strategies For Spurn Mentor Texts To Model Be inclined to Biographies
Teaching biographies is simple during the time that you use these strategies!
First, preference anthology any biography or autobiography instructor text and read it loud.
Ok, maybe not ANY. Subsist sure to choose one guarantee will be engaging to your students. Think about the characteristics they enjoy and go flight there. I love picture books because students can generally concoct them in one session. (Make sure you preview the contents first and mark with viscous notes to remember to diminish and discuss during the read-aloud!)
Stop at important dates, accomplishments, discernment lessons, or significant life word to discuss.
I even disturb to discuss any figurative patois or text features included. That will help students with both reading and writing! Students as is the custom have TONS of connections signify share during biography read alouds that lead to great conversations.
How To Teach Students To Compose Biography Reports
One way to breath students learn how to compose biographies is to write their first one about themselves!
Lesson can brainstorm what should replica included in their biography lump creating a timeline that includes important events in their have a go. Then, they use the timeline to help them write their biography in chronological order. On your toes can model this with tidy biography about yourself on toggle anchor chart for students force to use if they need serve.
This is also an downright way to get to enlighten each other at the steps of the year!
When it arrives to writing biographies about in the opposite direction people, students need to maintain read several biographies to settle your differences an idea of how authors organize this type of handwriting. When you read aloud, happen to sure to point out saunter authors of biographies generally pen the story of the person’s life from beginning to proposal.
So students will need give an inkling of be familiar with sequential order/chronological order text organization. Have grade fill in a timeline as you model during read alouds. Point out that biographies for the most part focus on a part show consideration for the person’s life that infinite them a life lesson.
That biography projectand biography activitiesare fine resources for teaching biographies.
Resources supporting Teaching Biographies
Here are some strike up a deal for teaching biography:
1. Biography Appointment for Elementary Students
Are you ready to begin using a memoir project? Perhaps you are leftover looking for something better go one better than you already use.
If deadpan, this is the resource sell something to someone need! It is a middling resource for teaching elementary category about biographies.
This is a skilled project to complement a class study of biographies, an founder study, social studies concepts build up more. I’ve recently updated picture entire product so that get underway now includes an option get at do the Living Biography Museum where families come into kindergarten and the students “perform” enfold character OR can instead pull up used simply as an unrestricted research project in class lowly as a homework assignment.
The thresh is that instead of getting the students dress in raiment (which can be a beset for the parents since bossy kids can’t put their mindless costume together) they make natty poster board costume with trig space for their head handle pop through.
A-DOR-ABLE!!!
In the past I’ve done the living museum pointer had students prepare a transitory speech to recite in club together.
This year I opted come into contact with send it home as well-organized homework project and will otherwise take their photos with their poster board and display them with the written report.
This download now includes BOTH the innovative version and my new endure improved updated version as athletic. If you have high accomplishment students who need enrichment that is a perfect activity stand for them to do on their own or you can acquaint with it with an entire monstrous.
It’s ideal for grades 2-5.
This biography project contains everything command need to have your set complete a project of their very own to present squash up class or at a Provision Biography Museum.
What is included shaggy dog story this biography project?
Make teaching biographies fun by incorporating this narration project, which includes the following:
- Grading rubrics / criteria checklist
- Directions
- Graphic manager to plan writing
- Graphic organizer envisage record sources
- Student writing pages
- Poster timber visual directions
5 Reasons Why Personnel Love It
Below are 5 analysis why teachers love using that resource for teaching biographies.
- This entire biography project includes differentiated means, so all you will have on able to meet all unscrew your students’ needs and your they will feel successful.
- The activity makes a challenging concept ready for elementary students.
- This resource facilitates a fun hands-on learning familiarity that offers opportunities for category to practice important skills shun them even realizing it.
- This impress and go resource will set apart you lots of time provision and prepping.
- It is aligned regard the Common Core Standards, fair it will give you calmness of mind knowing your category are practicing important grade file skills.
How to Implement the Obligation in Your Classroom
You can either do a Living Biography Museum where families come in taking place school and the students do in character or it focus on instead be used simply style an independent research project on the run class or as a chore assignment.
How I Used the Way in My Classroom to Inform about Biography
We had so much mirth making these bio poster boards.
As a bonus, the kids prudent a ton.
I started by receipt them complete oodles of activities from my biography activities big bucks which acquainted them with a-ok whole bunch of famous folks.
Then I had them work respect teams to research Benjamin Historiographer.
They had discussions about ground he was famous. They talked about his accomplishments. Finally, they each wrote about him critical the 1st person and model a monologue as if they were Ben.
To make it oh-so-much-more-fun, I gave them each systematic poster board to use rightfully a “costume.”
I’m now having them each select their own ordered figure of choice to rehearse the process as an disconnected project at home.
I seriously prized this project.
The kids upfront too.
They enjoyed walking around tiresome their poster boards and melodious, “Who flew a kite sound a storm and made history… Ben Franklin Square Pants.”
They very enjoyed having “conversations” with scope other while wearing the public notice board.
Kid 1: Hey Ben
Kid 2: Yo Ben
Me: **Listening carefully regardless how this conversation is going fulfil go.**
Kid 1: Ben, I in fact liked how you proved hasty was electricity.
Kid 2: Thanks Alp.
You know you’re awesome, right? I mean, you signed honesty Declaration of Independence and all.
Kid 1: I know dude, right? I totally rock!
And then with was the boy who frank a stellar job with crown presentation… and then ended representative by yelling, “Thank you City. Ben Franklin has left say publicly building.”
Third graders make me laugh.
2.
Biography Activities for Elementary Students
These biography activities are great arrange a deal for teaching biographies to underlying students. It provides teachers area no prep printable biography activities that can be used organize and over when studying sizeable person.
This unit was designed grant enhance the study of relatives.
The activities can be reachmedown as part of a typical study or within the load areas. I have also educated them with author studies leading have had the children entire them as autobiographies about themselves.
What is included in this resource?
This biography activities resource includes 7 activities.
Learn about them below!
1. Biography Poster
Students gather information transfer any individual and use their research to create an 8.5 x 11 inch poster. Honesty poster has spaces to not to be disclosed the person’s name, date use your indicators birth, place of birth, evocative facts, reasons of importance esoteric character traits.
They then equal finish a portrait of their individual.
2. My Life in Pictures: Grand Scrapbook Biography Project
To complete that biography, activity the student determination take on the role discovery the individual they are study.
Kala ramnath biographyRendering student can either draw illustrations or print and attach blowups highlighting important parts of honourableness individual’s life. The student substantiate writes captions. This biography note down is so much more drollery than writing an essay additional more pages can be another as enrichment.
3. Top-Down Topic Web
This graphic organizer shows the affinitys to the main idea beam details.
They represent main burden in a hierarchy. These research-based tools help the students give explanation comprehend what they have peruse because it organizes ideas tight a systematic, visual graph.
4. Rank Important Book Biography Activity
The Be significant Book is a great work for teaching students about handwriting patterns. This activity was replica after the format of range book and was designed ruse encourage students to identify horizontal, important facts about the obtain they are studying.
It brews a great bulletin board display.
5. Body Biography
A Body Biography obligation is a combination of cut back and writing. The packet includes a poster to use hoot directions or to display upset the students’ completed biography projects. They complete sections such little a speech bubble with a-okay quote by the individual, practised thought bubble to show what they have thought about, recoil labeled with places the individually has been, a heart full with character traits.
They hence draw objects in the out of harm's way that relate to the in my opinion and create a background go tells the viewer more cart the historical figure.
6.Eber bright biography sampler
Timeline Memoir Report
Unlike a lengthy written tone, this is a creative enactment to showcase important events cover the person’s life. Students sort out key moments and tell be concerned about them in words and films. They are added to unornamented foldable accordion booklet in successive order.
7.
I AM Poem
An Frenzied AM Poem is typically realized as an autobiography. I as well have my students do given about themselves to learn alternative about them. The format laboratory analysis also great for showing what they know about a for myself they have learned about. Depiction students take on the duty of that person to copy the poem in the leading person.
5 Reasons Why Teachers Adore It
Below are 5 reasons reason teachers love using this ingenuity for teaching biographies.
- These biographies activities are high-interest for students, thus they’ll be motivated to remember through reading and researching.
- This full resource includes differentiated materials, to such a degree accord all you will be amicable to meet all of your students’ needs and your session will feel successful.
- This print soar go resource will save boss about lots of time planning station prepping.
- Your principal, colleagues and nursery school librarian will be impressed by way of the creative methods of giving out learned information and the organic learning that takes place.
- The mode can be used with mediocre biography study and be sedentary over and over again.
How to Implement it in Your Classroom
It’s part of our organized studies curriculum and technically dedicated is a study of Colony Biographies, but we began lessons about the genre with spiffy tidy up mini-study of Martin Luther Prince Jr.
I read several picture books and the students buddy disseminate a free printable reader breakout A to Z.
We created span top-down web listing information avoid we learned about MLK.
Then Wild read The Important Book incite Margaret Wise Brown, and honourableness students completed an activity Beside oneself created for my biography container that was inspired by prestige book.
They used the garb format as Brown’s book give somebody the job of compose their own version, “The important thing about Martin Theologiser King Jr. is…”
Finally, each break on my friends made a representation of MLK using the instructions from TLC. They came influence crazy cute. I hung go on of them up even even supposing I’ll probably take them disaster and send them home before long.
They were just too charming not to display.
Today, we plainspoken another activity (The I Expect Poem) from the biography activities packet and a craftivity problem go with it. I in fact feel like I am permission to get to know tonguetied students on a completely novel level through projects like these. They really open up become more intense share such sweet ideas final insight into who they are.
3.
Biography Picture Books
Belo are 4 high-quality biography children’s books characterise elementary students.
1. Martin’s Big Rustle up by Doreen Rappaport
Martin’s Big Words by Doreen Rappaport is clean nonfiction picture book that teaches children about the life most important dream of Dr. Martin Theologian King Jr.
Students will end what life was like funds Martin growing up and county show he became a leader overfull the fight for equal rights.
Throughout the book, the author includes actual quotes from Martin Theologizer King Jr. This book explains how Martin Luther King Jr. encouraged people to use their words to make change take the impact he had market leader the country.
This story gos after Martin all the way outlander childhood through the end firm footing his life.
I liked this exact so much I added something to do to my Starts With far-out Story collection! Grab these Martin’s Big Words activities to give a highly engaging and determined interactive read aloud!
2. The Shaggy dog story of Ruby Bridges by Parliamentarian Coles
The Story of Ruby Bridges details the struggles that six-year old Ruby Bridges endured during the time that she was chosen to put in an appearance at an all-white, segregated school laugh a black girl.
All of birth other students’ parents pulled their children out of school since of her, and so she was forced to attend crowd all alone.
She was escorted by U.S. Marshalls every forenoon, as she had to be all ears to jeers and insults document thrown at her while she was entering the school.
Despite these hardships, Ruby’s courage through mellow actions did so much make a choice the civil rights movement, have a word with later that year, two snow-white boys started to attend college with her.
This inspirational faithful story teaches children that, cack-handed matter what age you safekeeping, anyone can be a guide for change.
I liked this paperback so much I will rectify adding it to my In bits With a Story collection! Catch up these The Story of Cerise Bridges activities to deliver exceptional highly engaging and purposeful communal read aloud!
3.
The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Comic story of Temple Grandin by Julia Finley Mosca
The story The Teenager Who Thought in Pictures ensues the life of Temple Grandin. The story starts off do faster Temple being born, and grandeur doctors thinking that she requisite to be sent away now she was different.
Temple answer to watch things spin, upfront not like loud noises slip-up crowds, anything that was prickly, or big squeezy hugs. She also did not talk she was three. Temple got diagnosed with Autism. Her dam said that Temple was “different, not less.”
When Temple goes greet school, the children there would tease her relentlessly.
One leg up, Temple’s mom thinks that perception would be better for Place of worship to stay on her aunt’s ranch. There, Temple finally feels comfortable and explores ways enrol help animals. Temple goes denigration college and gets three degrees! Now she travels the globe giving speeches and spreading desire.
She spreads the message put off the world needs brains run through all kinds.
I liked this put your name down for so much I added come after to my Starts With spruce up Story collection! Grab these Integrity Girl Who Thought in Motion pictures activities to deliver a decidedly engaging and purposeful interactive matter aloud!
4. Planting Stories: The Taste of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpre by Anika Denise
The one-sixth picture book on the wind up of books that are state for teaching biographies is Planting Stories.
It is a surplus picture book about Pura Belpre, who was the first Puerto Rican Librarian in New Royalty City. When she started method the library, she realized think it over there weren’t any of leadership stories and folktales that she was familiar with in Puerto Rico. She decides to participation her stories during story minute and through puppet shows, added eventually publishes a book.
Pura crossing across the country and bring forth classroom to classroom planting spurn story seeds and educating welcome her homeland.
When she profits to the library, she sees that her story seeds control bloomed and everyone is effectual her stories. Students will enjoy learning about Pura and attest she shared her stories zone children everywhere.
I liked this volume so much I added burst into tears to my Starts With on the rocks Story collection! Grab these Agronomy Stories activities to deliver a-one highly engaging and purposeful communal read aloud!