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Biography Templates

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What is a Biography?

It is a written account of a person's life, capturing their experiences, achievements, and significant events. It provides an in-depth exploration of an individual's journey, offering insight into their personal and professional aspects. Biographies are typically organized in chronological order, following the sequence of events as they occurred throughout the person's life. This arrangement allows readers to understand the person's growth and development over time, as well as the impact they made in their respective fields. Biographies often include interesting facts about the person, shedding light on their unique qualities, accomplishments, or challenges they faced. These facts provide a deeper understanding of the individual's life and contribute to the overall narrative. Whether it's an extraordinary achievement, a personal struggle, or a notable contribution to society, these interesting facts add depth and intrigue to the writing.

Types of Biography

There are several different types of biographies that provide unique perspectives on individuals' lives. These types include:

• Autobiography: An autobiography is written about the author by the author. It offers a firsthand account of their own life, sharing personal experiences, reflections, and insights. Autobiographies provide an intimate look into the person's thoughts, emotions, and motivations.
• Memoir: Similar to an autobiography, a memoir focuses on specific periods or events in a person's life rather than their entire life story. Memoirs often center around a theme or specific aspect of the person's life, such as their career, relationships, or personal struggles.
• Collective: This a compilation of biographies of multiple individuals, often with a common theme or shared experience. It allows readers to gain insights into the lives of several people and compare their experiences and contributions.
• Biographical Fiction: Biographical fiction combines real-life events and characters with fictional elements. It blends factual information with storytelling techniques to write a compelling narrative based on a real person's life.
• Critical: Critical biographies delve into a person's life from a critical perspective, analyzing their achievements, impact, and cultural significance. They often provide a scholarly examination of the person's contributions and their place in history.
• Popular: Popular biographies are written for a wider audience and focus on individuals who have achieved fame or notoriety. They often emphasize the person's public persona, achievements, and impact on society.

Each type offers a distinct perspective and serves different purposes. Whether it's gaining a personal account through an autobiography or exploring the cultural significance of a person through a critical biography, biographies provide valuable insights into the lives of individuals and their contributions to society.

Enhance Biography Writing with a Biography Graphic Organizer

A graphic organizer is a valuable tool that can greatly enhance the process of writing biographies. It provides a structured format for organizing information and helps students gather and present key details about a person's life in a clear and logical manner. These graphic organizers, such as this creative graphic organizer example , serve as a roadmap for writers, guiding them through the writing process and ensuring that they include all the essential elements.

Using a graphic organizer helps students understand the format and enables them to write more effectively. It provides a visual representation of the various sections and components of a biography, such as the introduction, background information, major events, achievements, and conclusion. This organization helps maintain a coherent and chronological order while presenting the subject's life story.

Our website offers free printable biography worksheets, including biography activity worksheet, that can be easily accessed and downloaded for any project. They provide students with a ready-to-use template to record and organize information about their chosen subject. They can be used for short biographies or more extensive projects.

By using an organizer, kids read and analyze biographies, improving their comprehension skills and gaining a deeper understanding of the subject's life. A biography sheet acts as a framework that prompts students to identify important details, make connections between events, and form a comprehensive understanding of the individual's impact on the world.

Writing biographies can be a challenging task, but with the help of a graphic organizer, students can break down the process into manageable sections. They can focus on gathering relevant information, organizing their thoughts, and presenting their findings in a clear and concise manner.

Empower your class to excel in writing with our biography graphic organizer. Access our free printable biography worksheets and provide your writers with the tools they need to make engaging and informative biographies.

To learn more about the biographies, check out our Introduction to Biographies lesson plans and find activities on family life, biography accomplishments , and so much more . It provides valuable guidance on how to craft an engaging and captivating introduction that hooks readers and sets the stage for the piece.

Example of Biography Materials to Integrate into Your Teaching

When it comes to teaching about real-life stories, biographies are a powerful tool to engage and deepen understanding of different subjects. By exploring the lives of notable individuals, students can discover inspiring examples of resilience, perseverance, and achievement. Here are some examples of biographies that you can incorporate into your teaching:

• The Diary of a Young Girl , by Anne Frank: This iconic diary chronicles the life of Anne Frank, a Jewish girl hiding with her family during the Holocaust. Her poignant and introspective writing offers a firsthand account of the challenges and hopes of those affected by World War II.
• The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin , by Benjamin Franklin: This autobiography shares the life story of Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of America. Franklin's passages provide valuable insights into his scientific discoveries, inventions, and contributions to society.
• Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave , by Frederick Douglass: In this powerful narrative, Frederick Douglass recounts his journey from slavery to freedom. His memoir sheds light on the harsh realities of slavery and the fight for abolition.
• The Diary of a Young Girl , by Malala Yousafzai: This autobiography details the life of Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate. Her story inspires readers with her courage, determination, and dedication to advocating for education rights.
• The Story of My Life , by Helen Keller: Helen Keller's autobiography is a remarkable account of her life as a deaf and blind person. She shares her triumphs and struggles, demonstrating the power of perseverance and resilience.

These classic biographies offer valuable insights into the lives of remarkable individuals and can be excellent resources for teaching history, promoting empathy, and inspiring.

Looking for more? Check out our collection of planner worksheets , blank worksheet template , and thesis statement worksheets to enrich your teaching and incorporate biographies into your classroom activities.

Create Engaging Worksheets with Our Biography Maker

Are you looking for an easy and effective way to make engaging handouts? Look no further! Our online biography maker is the perfect tool to help you craft captivating sheets for your class. Whether you need an organizer or a biography generator, our user-friendly platform has got you covered.

With our biography maker, you have the flexibility to customize your worksheet according to your preferences. You can choose from a variety of designs and layouts to make an engaging and visually appealing handout. Our tool allows you to easily add spaces for an answer, ensuring that students have ample room to provide their own responses. You'll be amazed at how easy it is to create professional-looking biographies with our online biography creator.

Don't settle for dull and typical worksheets. Let our biography maker transform your teaching materials into dynamic and interactive resources that captivate your students' interest. Start using our online creator today and experience the power of engaging resources at your fingertips!

How to Make a Biography Worksheet

Choose one of the premade templates.

We have lots of templates to choose from. Take a look at our example for inspiration!

Click on “Copy Template”

Once you do this, you will be directed to the storyboard creator.

Give Your Worksheet a Name!

Be sure to call it something related to the topic so that you can easily find it in the future.

Edit Your Worksheet

This is where you will include directions, specific images, and make any aesthetic changes that you would like. The options are endless!

Click "Save and Exit"

When you are finished, click this button in the lower right hand corner to exit your storyboard.

From here you can print, download as a PDF, attach it to an assignment and use it digitally, and more!

Happy Creating!

Frequently Asked Questions About Biography Worksheets

Can i find free printable biography worksheets.

Absolutely! We offer a wide range of free printable worksheets that you can easily access and download. They provide engaging activities and prompts to help students explore and analyze biographies. They are a valuable resource for enhancing reading comprehension and critical thinking skills. Additionally, you can also take advantage of our 2-week free trial to access even more resources and unlock the full potential of our resources.

Can I customize the biography worksheets created by the online biography creator?

Yes! Our online generator allows you to customize the worksheets to suit your instructional needs. You can add or modify questions, adjust the layout, and include additional prompts or spaces for kids to write their answers. This customization feature ensures that the worksheets align with your specific teaching objectives and provide a personalized learning experience for your class.

Is the biography activity worksheet suitable for different grade levels?

Yes, our worksheets cater to a range of grade levels. Whether you are teaching elementary, middle school, or high school students, you can find worksheets that are appropriate for their level of understanding. They are designed to be adaptable and can be modified to meet the specific needs of your class.

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Biography Graphic Organizers

Download our set of free biography graphic organizers to help organize your student’s research of famous people.

These biography graphic organizers will provide your children with a range of options.

Help your writers and readers as they work to develop research skills.

This is another free resource for teachers and homeschool families from The Curriculum Corner.

An addition to your classroom research practice!

These famous people graphic organizers are designed to help your students develop their research skills.

Helping students learn how to research and record answers is a skill that can be difficult. It is also a very important skill for students to have in today’s world.

Whether they are researching through reading books or practicing their internet research skills, we hope these printable pages are helpful.

Why did we create these biography graphic organizers?

It can be overwhelming for students to narrow down search results when they complete an internet search.

Part of our job is to help them find accurate and meaningful information when they practice searching.

We feel that providing students with practice with the skill of researching is meaningful practice.

We have created a collection of graphic organizers to help your students record as they are learning about famous people.

For students who might be overwhelmed by searching for the answers, it might be a good idea to help them as they begin.

You can guide students who need a little more help to a specific site where they can find the needed information.

Other students might be able to research on their own without the guidance.

Some children might benefit from a small group where you complete the research together.

Remember to differentiate for your students so that each has a task that fits their needs.

Each of the 8 organizers has a different focus, but is presented in the same format.  These will give students a foundation for their knowledge of the person they are learning about.

Plus, we are providing a blank form that can be used for a focus of your student’s choice.

Graphic Organizers Provided

For each topic, we have created a two page graphic organizer for students to record the important facts they find.

For the picture spot, you might have students draw a picture or print one they find when researching.

It might simply be a starting point, or could be an outline from which the students write a biography.

These pages include the following topics:

• actor, actress
• person in history
• trailblazer
• young activist
• any famous person

You can download this free set of graphic organizers here:

Research Download

As with all of our resources, The Curriculum Corner creates these for free classroom use. Our products may not be sold. You may print and copy for your personal classroom use. These are also great for home school families!

You may not modify and resell in any form. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Biography Graphic Organizer

The Ultimate List of Graphic Organizers for Teachers and Students

Graphic organizers integrate both text and visuals. This has been scientifically proven to be an effective way of teaching and learning. Using them can be extremely useful for both teachers and students as they will make lessons more engaging as well as easily comprehensible.

We have listed below multiple types of graphic organizers you can use during various scenarios, whether you are reading, writing, doing research or studying for exams. Each tool is accompanied by a template that you can use right away.

1. What are Graphic Organizers

1.1. Benefits of graphic organizers

2. Types of Graphic Organizers

2.1. Graphic Organizers for Writing

2.1.1. 1. Persuasion map

2.1.2. 2. Sequence Chart

2.2. Graphic Organizers for Reading

2.2.1. 3. Story map

2.2.2. 4. Biography graphic organizer

2.2.3. 5. KWL chart

2.3. Graphic Organizers for Teaching

2.3.1. 6. Learning map

2.3.2. 7. Analogy graphic organizer

2.3.3. 8. Vocabulary graphic organizer

2.3.4. 9. Problem-solving organizer

2.3.5. 10. Math Graphic Organizer

2.4. Graphic Organizers for Learning

2.4.1. 11. Timeline graphic organizer

2.4.2. 12. T chart

2.4.3. 13. Hierarchy chart

2.4.4. 14. Star diagram

2.5. Graphic Organizers for Brainstorming

2.5.1. 15. Cluster diagram

2.5.2. 16. Lotus diagram

2.5.3. 17. Cause and effect graphic organizer

2.5.4. 18. Mind map

2.6. Graphic Organizers for Compare and Contrast

2.6.1. 19. Double bubble map

2.6.2. 20. Venn diagram

2.6.2.1. Add to Our List of Graphic Organizers for Teachers and Students

What are Graphic Organizers

A graphic organizer is a teaching and learning tool that is used to organize information and ideas in a way that is easy to comprehend and internalize. By integrating text and visuals, graphic organizers show relationships and connections between concepts, terms, and facts.

Graphic organizers can be used in all grade levels, and have proven to be effective learning tools for gifted children and students with special needs. And with adult learners, graphic organizers can help enable the connection between what they already know and newly acquired knowledge.

Benefits of graphic organizers

Different types of graphic organizers can be used across the curriculum for teaching, learning, and note-taking. They are easy to create and impactful in simplifying information.

• Help visualize or present information in a way that is easier to comprehend, by breaking down larger or complex concepts or ideas into smaller and simpler parts.
• Provide students the opportunity to actively contribute and participate in the learning process through the creation of graphic organizers.  
• Help develop cognitive skills such as brainstorming, critical and, categorizing and prioritizing content, reflection, etc.
• Help recall prior knowledge about a subject and quickly connect it to new information
• Promotes self-learning. By using graphic organizers for note-taking, analyzing, studying, etc. students can familiarize themselves with a lesson far more easily.

Types of Graphic Organizers

Here we have listed 19 types of graphic organizers for teaching and learning. Based on their varied purposes, you can utilize them in reading, writing, researching, brainstorming, and analyzing.

Graphic Organizers for Writing

1. persuasion map.

The persuasion map is an interactive graphic organizer that helps students familiarize themselves with the process of persuasive writing .  It assists them with outlining and preparing arguments for their essays, speeches, debates, etc.

How to use it

Step 1: Choose a topic of interest for your essay/debate. Do proper research around it to collect enough information.

Step 2: Define the claim that you want to make with your essay. Persuasive writing by writing this down first.

Step 3: Next to it, write down the reasons for making that claim.

Step 4: Then write down facts, examples, and information to back up your reasoning.

Step 5: End your persuasion map with the conclusion of your essay.

2. Sequence Chart

A sequence graphic organizer is a tool that helps visualize the order of steps of a process or a timeline of events, etc. It can also be used for note-taking, lesson planning, and essay writing.

Step 1: Identify the steps in the process or event.

Step 2: Using a sequence chart arrange these steps in sequential order.

Graphic Organizers for Reading

3. story map.

A story map can be used to identify the different elements such as characters, character plots, themes, techniques, etc. in a book students are reading. It’s a useful tool that teachers can integrate into the lesson to improve students’ comprehension.

Step 1: Read the book and understand it well.

Step 2: Discuss the different significant elements that were involved in the story. These could be the characters, setting, problem and solution, etc. You can fill the story map during the discussion.

Step 3: Once the map is complete you can discuss each element individually.

4. Biography graphic organizer

This is a tool that assists with understanding a character from a novel, autobiography or movie or a historical figure more in-depth. It brings attention to various important factors about a person’s life.

How to create it

Step 1: Gather as much information you can about the character you are studying. You can also refer to online resources, or ask from teachers or experts.

Step 2: As you analyze the information you have gathered, isolate the facts that stand out or you think are important.

Step 3: Use your biography graphic organizer to lay out the information in a presentable way. You can add images to make it more comprehensible as well.

5. KWL chart

KWL chart is used for gathering information from student’s prior knowledge or experience. This 3 column chart captures the before (what the reader already knows), during (what the reader wants to learn) and after (what the reader learned) stages of reading.

Step 1: Get students to brainstorm around the selected topic and write down everything they know about it in the K column.

Step 2: Ask them to generate a list of questions about what they want to know in the W column of the chart.

Step 3: During or after reading the book/ lesson get them to answer these questions in the L column.

Graphic Organizers for Teaching

6. learning map.

Learning maps visually depict the key takeaways – skills, ideas, knowledge – students should get from a lesson. It usually provides a high-level view of the lesson/ unit/ course that is to be studied and the connection between its different components. Students can also use learning maps in the classroom for note-taking.

Step 1: At the center of the map, write down the topic (i.e. name of the lesson or unit)

Step 2: Brainstorm ideas and information related to it. Write these down on branches emerging from the center. Make sure that you place them in a way that makes sense to teach or in a logical sequence around the center.

Step 3: Add connectors between these elements and add labels to highlight the kind of relationship between them.

7. Analogy graphic organizer

The analogy graphic organizer uses analogy to help students identify similarities and differences between a new topic and a topic that they are already familiar with.

Step 1: Select a topic/ concept that the students already know and is analogous in certain aspects to the new topic

Step 2:  Introduce the new concept and get the students to read and discuss it

Step 3: Using an analogy graphic organizer, ask the students to brainstorm and write similarities and differences between the two topics.

Step 4: Based on the completed graphic organizer, ask the students to write a brief description of  the new topic

Analogy Graphic Organizer (Click on the template to edit it online)

8. Vocabulary graphic organizer

This tool can be used to assess the vocabulary knowledge of students. You can create graphic organizers including various elements to help students learn new words, and learn antonyms and synonyms.

9. Problem-solving organizer

Problem-solving graphic organizers can be used to improve the problem-solving skills of the students. It helps students identify and evaluate solutions to problems.

Step 1: Identify the problem and write it in the problem box

Step 2: Ask students to then write down why they think it is a problem in the first place

Step 3: Get them to brainstorm all possible solutions along with the pros and cons relates to them.

Step 4: Once they select the best possible solution, ask them to list down all its possible consequences

Step 5: Students can then make suggestions to improve the selected solution further

10. Math Graphic Organizer

Math graphic organizers are used to describe math concepts graphically to students. It helps with simplifying and solving complex math problems.

Step 1: Select the math problem you want to identify and a relevant graphic organizer that you can use to solve it.

Graphic Organizers for Learning

11. timeline graphic organizer.

Timeline diagrams are a type of graphic organizer that shows a sequence of events in chronological order.

They come in handy when studying history as you can use it to display major historical events that occurred during a period of time along with important details such as dates and locations in which they took place.

In addition, timeline charts can also be used to show the progress of something (i.e. growth of a business) or changes.

Step 1: Identify the different events and the sequence of order in which they took place.

Step 2: Use a research on your target audience to arrange them chronologically

Step 3: Include significant details such as dates, locations and other additional information as needed.

12. T  chart

T charts allow students to study two facets of a topic. For example, disadvantages and advantages, pros and cons, differences and similarities, etc.

Step 1: Draw a T chart and write down the two areas you want to brainstorm around on each column head.

Step 2: Write down facts on each column as you carry out your brainstorming.

13. Hierarchy chart

Hierarchy charts visualize the elements of a system, organization or concept from its highest position to the lowest. Students can use this tool to understand the superordinate and subordinate categories of a topic and the relationship between them.

Step 1: Identify the most important element under the topic you are studying. Write this down at the top of the hierarchy chart.

Step 2: List down the second layer of sub-elements stemming from the first component you have identified. Add a third and fourth as necessary.

Step 3: Connect these with lines to show how they are connected to each other.  

14. Star diagram

Star diagrams are used to organize the characteristics of a chosen topic. It can also be used to brainstorm around new topics.

Step 1:  Select the topic you want to study and write it down in the center of the star diagram .

Step 2: Write down the characteristics or attributes related to the central topics on each point of the star. Adjust the points of the star depending on how many traits you write down.

Graphic Organizers for Brainstorming

15. cluster diagram.

Cluster diagrams can be used to facilitate a brainstorming session or structure idea generation and even to help with exploring new topics.

Step 1: Pick your topic of interest to explore. This should be placed in the middle of the diagram.

Step 2: Brainstorm around this main idea and come up with sub-topics related to it. Place them around the center.

Step 3: Brainstorm around each of the sub-topics and write down related ideas around them.

Step 4: Add as many layers as you want. However, use color-coding to emphasize each branch of thought. This will make it easier for you to read and understand the cluster diagram .

16. Lotus diagram

Lotus diagram is an analytical tool that can be used to breakdown broader and more complex topics into smaller components for easy understanding. It can be used for brainstorming and studying new topics.

Step 1: Draw a 3×3 grid in the center. On the square in the center, write down the main topic to be explored.

Step 2: Write down the related sub-topics around it as you brainstorm.

Step 3: Draw 8 more 3×3 grids around the one in the center. Each of these can be used to write down facts that you brainstorm around each subtopic.

17. Cause and effect graphic organizer

This type of graphic organizer shows the causes and effects of an event. The cause is the reason why something has happened, and effect is the result of what has happened. Visualization helps clearly understand the different cause and effect relationships.  

Using a cause and effect graphic organizer , identify the causes and effects related to the problem you are studying or writing about. There could be several models of cause and effect events, such as one cause leading to one effect or multiple effects, or multiple causes leading to one effect or multiple effects.

• One cause leading to several effects
• Several causes leading to one effect (You can use a fishbone diagram here)
• Each cause having one related effect
• One cause triggering another cause that leads to another

18. Mind map

A mind map is a tool that helps capture the free flow of thought and is widely used for brainstorming around topics. Additionally, it can also be used to organize and group information about a topic.

Step 1: Write down the topic you are brainstorming around in the center.

Step 2: On branches emerging from the middle, write down brainstormed ideas/ thoughts.

Step 3: Expand each sub idea with more facts. You can keep on adding more information to your mind map until you have enough.

Graphic Organizers for Compare and Contrast

Here we have listed 19 types of graphic organizers for teaching and learning. Based on their varied purposes, you can utilize them in reading, writing, researching, brainstorming, and analyzing. Best of all you can use our Compare and Contrast Chart Maker to draw them.

19. Double bubble map

The double bubble map is one of the popular thinking maps. It is much like a Venn diagram and is used to identify similar and different qualities between two things.

How to use it?

Step 1: Write down the two ideas/ topics you are comparing in the two bubbles in the center.

Step 2: As you brainstorm and analyze the topic, write down the differences in the bubbles radiating from the center.

Step 3: Write down the similarities in the bubbles that are common to both topics.

20. Venn diagram

Another graphic organizer that helps you visually represent a comparison of differences and similarities between two subjects, is the Venn diagram. What makes it different from the is that it can include more than two topics and one common area.

It works similar to the double bubble map.

Step 1: Write down the topics being compared on the top of each circle.

Step 2: Writ down the differences or unique characteristics inside its own sector avoiding the overlapping area.

Step 3: List the similarities in the common area.

Add to Our List of Graphic Organizers for Teachers and Students

Although we have covered 19 types of graphic organizers in this post, there are plenty more that can be useful to our users. Know more? Mention in the comments section below to keep expanding the list of ultimate graphic organizers.

FAQs About list of Graphic Organizer

When selecting a graphic organizer for a specific project, you should consider the type of information you need to organize and the purpose of the project. Here are some tips on how to select the right graphic organizer:

Identify the type of information: Before selecting a graphic organizer, consider the type of information you need to organize.

Determine the purpose of the project: Consider the purpose of the project and what you want to achieve.

Consider the audience: Think about who the audience is for the project. If the audience is young children, a simpler graphic organizer like a picture web might be more appropriate. If the audience is adults, a more complex graphic organizer like a timeline or a chart could be suitable.

Evaluate the effectiveness of different graphic organizers: Try out different graphic organizers and see which ones work best for you. Creately has different graphic organizer editable templates that you could use to create your graphic organizer based on the purpose.

Be creative: Don’t be afraid to create your own graphic organizer or adapt an existing one to meet your needs. Graphic organizers are flexible tools that can be customized to fit different projects and purposes.

Avoid these common mistakes that you make to ensure that your organizer is effective in conveying information.

Avoid overcomplicating the design of your graphic organizer: It should be easy to read and understand, therefore avoid using too many colors, fonts, or shapes which make the organizer confusing and difficult to read.

Consistency is important in creating a graphic organizer. Use the same formatting, color scheme, and font throughout the organizer to ensure that it is easy to follow and understand.

The purpose of a graphic organizer is to simplify and organize information. Including too much information can defeat the purpose and make the organizer overwhelming. Stick to the most important information and use the organizer to highlight key concepts and relationships.

Use clear and appropriate labels for each section of the organizer. Avoid using labels that are too vague or unclear, as this can cause confusion and make it difficult to understand the relationships between the different elements.

Consider who the audience is for the graphic organizer and use appropriate language and images. Avoid using jargon or technical terms that may not be familiar to the audience.

Test your graphic organizer to ensure that it effectively conveys the intended information. Ask for feedback from others and make revisions as needed.

Join over thousands of organizations that use Creately to brainstorm, plan, analyze, and execute their projects successfully.

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Amanda Athuraliya is the communication specialist/content writer at Creately, online diagramming and collaboration tool. She is an avid reader, a budding writer and a passionate researcher who loves to write about all kinds of topics.

3 Creative Ideas for Teaching Biographies Your Students Will Love

There is so much power in teaching our students about history using biographies. We can all learn from the success and failures of others. But biographies often get a bad rap of being dry and boring. It doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, through this genre, our students can practice many different reading skills and strategies. That’s why I use graphic organizers that will allow my students to recall information from the biographies in creative ways. I am excited to share these 3 creative ideas for teaching biographies using fun and exciting graphic organizers I know your students will love!

Teaching Biographies can be Exciting

When teaching biographies in my classroom I like to immerse my students into the lives of the person they are learning about. From decorating the classroom to dressing up like the person we are studying, the possibilities are endless. This really helps to “bring the person to life” and make the learning more engaging and realistic for our students.

No matter what biography you are focusing on, these 3 creative ideas for teaching biographies are going to be so fun your kids will be begging for more!

1. EXTRA! EXTRA!

Read all about it in this year’s edition of the 3rd grade Daily Times. And that’s the hook! One of my favorite ways to immerse my students into learning is to turn them all into little reporters. At the end of our biography unit, we create a newspaper. It includes articles about each of the people of influence we focused on. I can’t tell you how excited my students get when they hear they will be writing and “publishing” a newspaper!

I like to put students in groups of 3 or 4. Then, give each one a person they will be focusing on. As a group, they must choose graphic organizers to will help them record information about their person. They can read an article that I provide, get information from a book, or research the person on a safe search site.

After reading the information about their person, they use the graphic organizers they chose to record important information about the person. This is the “interview” for the article.

Pulling it all Together

Next, it’s time to put the information from the graphic organizers all together. They will write all of the information in one article that will be included in our newspaper. The newspaper can be tangible if you want your students to assemble it and include their own drawings. But, it can also be digital with each group focusing on specific slides. This can then be projected on a whiteboard or viewed on a tablet or computer.

Not only is it a great way for students to learn from informative text, but it also gives you a fun and easy way to assess their learning. Sharing the newspaper in the school library is sure to be a hit. Teachers or librarians can read the newspaper articles to classes when they visit the library. So cool!

This really is such a great way for me to teach biographies in an easy way my students love!

2. The Life and Times…

This is a fun timeline activity that begs to be interactive! When teaching biographies, I love to use timelines because it gives students a concrete visual of when key events took place. This helps students better able to identify with the life of the person they are studying.

For example, if we are focusing on Amelia Earheart, I create a huge timeline that goes around my classroom. We start at the beginning and focus each day on an aspect of her life. We add information to the timeline as we go, and this is where those awesome graphic organizers come into play.

With a cause and effect graphic organizer, I can ask my students to think critically about events in the life of Amelia Earheart. Then we can discuss how those events shaped her future. As we learn about other things that are happening in the world, we can add those to the timeline as well.

I can’t tell you how awesome it is to get those “lightbulb” moments! I love when students make connections between world events and the person they are studying.

The end of our timeline activity concludes with a flipbook with all the information we have learned about Amelia Earheart. My kids really love this activity because they are allowed to get up and walk around. They take their clipboards to make notes from the timeline to help them complete the information for the flipbook. It’s a great way for them to show off their learning when they take it home.

3. Pick a Person

This is a really fun way to build excitement when teaching biographies. I put the names of all the people I want my students to choose from when working on their biographies. Then, after arranging my class into 4 or 5 groups, it’s time for the choosing ceremony. Each team gets to reach inside a basket and draw the name of a person. This will be the person they will be responsible for reporting on at the end of the unit.

Next, each group has to do some research on the person of influence they will be focusing on. This could mean a special trip to the library for the group to check out a book, some safe search research on the computer, or even a look through our biographies section of our class book boxes. I think this is a great way to give your students a little independence and responsibility they will be overjoyed to get.

Graphic organizers are so great for biographies because there is so much information available out there. It can feel overwhelming for kids to try to organize their thoughts and recall important facts and details about the lives of the people we are studying. They are a great way to get our students to really focus on what’s important and what they want to include in their presentations.

The Presentations

Now, it’s time for the really fun part! I give my students some time to think about how they could present their information to the class. Some groups like to use technology and create a video slideshow, a recorded skit, or even a self-made news clip featuring their famous person. Other groups may want to get creative and make a poster with visual images representing the information they learned about the person they are focusing on.

If a free choice scenario isn’t your cup of tea, consider making a list of presentation options you would be comfortable with. By giving students some choice in their final presentation you really get to see them tap into strengths and creativity. No matter how you choose to have your students present the information, chances are they will have a blast doing it!

Grab Your Free Biography Graphic Organizers

I have put together my favorite graphic organizers to use when teaching biographies and you can grab them for free! Just join the Keep ’em Thinking community to get access to the Free Resource Library. You can find these biography graphic organizers and lots more!

Just sign-up below and grab your free graphic organizers today!

Teaching Biographies is a Breeze

Teaching biographies really is a breeze! With customizable graphic organizers to help your students, they will not only focus on the information they are learning but recall it.

And . . . if you need some ready-to-use biographies check out the Keep ’em Thinking store . You can find a variety of biography resources that are perfect to use with the graphic organizers.

Be sure to save these creative ways for teaching biographies ideas to your favorite Pinterest teacher board so you can come back any time for even more fun and exciting biography activities!

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Biography Project: Research and Class Presentation

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Set the stage for high-interest reading with a purpose through a biography project. Students work together to generate questions they would like to answer about several well-known people, then each student chooses one of these and finds information by reading a biography from the library and doing Internet research. Students create a graphic organizer (a web) to organize the facts they have found and share what they have learned about their subjects through oral presentations. Students evaluate themselves and their classmates by using a rubric during the research and graphic organizer-creation process and by giving written feedback on one another's presentations.

Featured Resources

Bio-Cube : This planning tool can help students organize their research; use it as an extension to the lesson and have them outline the lives they' researched before writing their own biographies.

From Theory to Practice

• By using graphic organizers, students write or draw meanings and relationships of underlying ideas. This has been shown to improve students' ability to recall content.
• By summarizing information, students improve in including ideas related to the main idea, generalizing, and removing redundancy.
• By working in cooperative groups, students may increase their learning of reading strategies through peer discussion. They may also lead to better comprehension.

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

• 7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
• 8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
• 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Materials and Technology

• School or classroom library with a broad selection of biographies
• Computers with Internet access and printing capability
• Index cards
• Oral Presentation Peer Feedback Form
• Oral Presentation Rubric

Student Objectives

Students will

• Learn to ask relevant questions before beginning a research project
• Learn to take notes and categorize information as they create graphic organizers
• Improve comprehension as they read and skim text for main ideas and details
• Develop research skills (book and Internet) with the purpose of teaching the class what they have learned
• Think critically as they use rubrics and written feedback to evaluate their classmates and themselves

Session 1: Before Reading

Sessions 2 to 5, session 6: after reading, sessions 7 to 9: class presentations.

Have students use their webs and the online Bio-Cube tool to plan and write biographies of the person they have researched. When they are finished, ask students to share the books with a younger class.

Student Assessment / Reflections

Possible student assessments include:

• Use the Web Rubric to grade the students' webs.
• Use the Oral Presentation Rubric to grade students' presentations based on the quality and completeness of information given.
• Observe and evaluate students' participation in group work and ability to critique other students' presentations based on their comments on the Oral Presentation Peer Feedback Form .
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Biography Graphic Organizer - Elementary

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