What is a Biography?
We’ve been learning about biographies in class as part of our nonfiction reading unit. So, what is a biography?
A biography is a text written to tell others about a real person.
We’ve read in class the story of Viola Desmond, a black Canadian woman who famously challenged segregation in Nova Scotia in 1946. She went to a movie theatre and refused to move from the “whites only floor” to which led to her arrest.
We also have read about Ruby Bridges. This story was written by Ruby herself and recounts her experience as a 6 year old entering a whites-only school at a time when segregated schools had just become illegal. She’s alive today and continues to share her story and promote tolerance.
We’ve been exploring different biographies in class including people like…
- Walt Disney
- Mohamed Ali
- Anne Frank
- Alexander Graham Bell
- Frederick Banting
- Wayne Gretzky
- Harriet Tubman
- King Tut
- and the list goes on and on!
Students will be choosing one person they’d like to research about. Who is someone that inspires you? Who is someone you connect with somehow? If you love art, is there an artist you’d like to know more about? If you love music, is there a famous singer or musician you’d like to learn more about?
Students should come up with their top 2 choices so we don’t have a lot of duplicates in class. We will be doing a project and presentation about this person. More information to come.
