Teacher Reference for Biography OEU 2

Biography: A text written by one or more writers to tell the story of another persons life. Biographies are based
on known facts about the person and the time in which the character lived.
Memoir: a biographical work written by the author about his or her own life. It usually focuses on memories of a
particular time, event, place, or relationship.
Autobiography: a biographical work written by the author about his or her own life. It usually deals with the
writers entire life or a large part of it.

Components to
include in
Biography

Definition

Characterization

The representation
of the subjects
character and
motives; is one of
the most important
aspects of
biography.

Elements of components

Accomplishm
ents
Philosophy
on life
Challenges
Experiences
Childhood
that shaped his/her
personality

Questions to
facilitate
discussion with
students
What has the
character done to
deserve having a
book written about
him or her?
How does the
character change
throughout their
life? How? Why?
What is special
about this
character?
What kind of
person is this
character?

Setting

The places the

character lived and
the time of his or
her life.

Chronology

The actual events,

over time, that the
character
experienced

Accuracy and
Credibility

The authenticity of
the information
provided by the
writer

Graphic Features

Images that clarify

points

events

events

Time
Place

How did the setting

(time and place)
affect the
characters life?

Turning

Was the book

about the entire life
of the character or
only about a part of
his or her life?

Sequence
Birth
Childhood
Adulthood
Death

Relevant
facts
Can be
proven

Represents

What events
influenced the
characters life?
Does the fact
appear in more
than one source?

What image would

Teacher Reference for Biography OEU 2

and Illustrations

and add to text.

text

Adds detail
Text features

help the reader

understand the
information?
How can we make
the information
visual?
What popular
phrase is this
person known to
have said?

Quotations

Punctuation that
denotes the direct
words of a
character

Inspirational
words the character
spoke

Contributions

How the character

has impacted
others either
negatively or
positively.

Claim to fame
What are
they known for
Famous or
infamous

Why were they

important enough
to have a book
written about
them?

Descriptive
words
Overall
feeling of biography

How have they

affected others?
Can you tell how
the writer feels
about the
character?

Tone

Theme

How the writer uses

language to reveal
his or her thinking
about and attitude
of the character.
The central
message or
messages of the
text or what the
story is really about.

Explicitly
stated or implied
May provide
a comment about
human nature or
society
May involve a
moral or inspirational
lesson

What is the
authors message?
What is the author
trying to say by
writing about this
character?
What was the most
important thing
about the subject of
this biography?
What insights does
the book provide
into todays
problems and
issues?

Teaching for Deep Comprehension by Linda Dorn and Carla Soffos Page 141-142
Guiding Readers and Writers by Fountas and Pinnell Pages 364-365, 393, 404-406, and 437-438
Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency by Fountas and Pinnell Pages 141, 144-148, 243-244, 288-293, 370,
418-426