Biography/Autobiography Book Reports

Name ______

Date Due ______

Biography/Autobiography Book Reports

The book you choose for this project will either be a biography or an autobiography of a famous person. Examples of people you could read about are presidents, inventors, sports figures, scientists, explorers or other historical figures or heroes. The person you choose to read about can either still be alive or someone who has already passed away. The book you select must be a chapter book that is appropriate fifth grade reading material. Your report will be five paragraphs as outlined below. I expect you to use proper grammar, punctuation and spelling.

Along with the written report, you will be dressing up as the person you learned about and present a two minute speech given from the point of view from that person. You will be using information from your report for the speech. Separate grades will be given for the report and for the speech. We will be working on the speeches at school.

Please do not buy a costume – just use what you have or can find at home. You will be given a grade for effort and participation, not authenticity.

Paragraph #1 – Introduction

This paragraph should include the title of the book, the author, the genre (biography or autobiography), and who the book is about if it’s not listed in the title. This paragraph should introduce your famous person, tell why he/she is famous and why you chose to read about him/her.

Paragraph #2 – Early Life/Background Information

You should include information on most of the following topics:

● Date and place of birth

● Family members – parents, brothers and sisters, etc.

● Education

● Other important people that helped influence this person

● Any early careers (jobs) the person had

● Marriages and/or children

● List any other information you found to be interesting about this

person

Paragraph #3 – Accomplishments/Major Life Events

● What did this person accomplish? Why are they famous?

● Were any obstacles this person faced as he/she tried to

accomplish their goals?

● Did anyone help this person achieve his/her goals?

● Did this person make any differences to society?

● How did he/she effect the lives of others?

If you choose a President also include:

● His political party

● Years in office

● Who his Vice-President was

Paragraph #4 – Late Life

● What happened to the person later in life after his/her goals were

accomplished?

● If the famous person is still alive, what is he/she doing today?

● If the famous person is deceased, give the date and cause of

death.

● How can we remember him/her in the future?

Paragraph #5 – Closing Paragraph

This paragraph will be a summary of what you have written and read about the famous person you chose. It should be a minimum of 5 sentences long. It should have a strong closing sentence about why this person is famous and how he/she will be remembered.

Beginning
1 / Developing
2 / Proficient
3 / Advanced
4 / Score
Paragraph #1
Introduction / Not organized. Does not give the required information. / Gives too little information. / Summarizes the report. Gives most of the information. / Well written and concise. Includes all the required information.
Paragraph #2
Early Life / Does not cover the information / Covers some of the required information / Covers most of the required information / Covers all of the information and gives interesting facts
Paragraph #3
Major Life Events / Does not cover the information / Covers some of the required information / Covers most of the required information / Covers all of the information and gives interesting facts
Paragraph #4
Late Life / Does not cover the information / Covers some of the required information / Covers most of the required information / Covers all of the information and gives interesting facts
Paragraph #5
Closing / Summary is too short / Summary has some of the required information / Summary has most of the required information / Summary is clear and concise and contains all of the required information
Spelling & Grammar / Many errors / A few errors / Only one or two errors / No errors
Presentation / Illegible, messy / Illegible in spots / Legible handwriting / Well organized. Typed or has illustrations
Timeliness / Over a week late / No more than a week late / A day late / Handed in early or on time

Speech

Requirement / Description / Score
Written notes on cards / _____/5 points
Makes eye contact with the audience / _____/5 points
Speech is mostly memorized / _____/5 points
Speaker is loud enough to hear / _____/5 points
Speaker has a costume that represents the famous person / _____/10 points
Speech was the correct length / _____/5 points

Total Score ______

Biography/Autobiography Project

I have read the outline and rubrics for the biography/autobiography reading project and I understand the requirements.

Student Name ______

Famous Person ______

Parent signature ______

Paragraph 1

Introduction

Title: ______

Author: ______

Genre: ______

Why did you choose this person to read about?

______

Paragraph 2

Background/Early Years

Date and place of birth: ______

Family: ______

Education: ______

Did anyone else influence this person? ______

Early jobs: ______

Marriages and children: ______

Other important information: ______

Paragraph 3

Accomplishments/Major Life Events

What did this person accomplish? ______

Why is he/she famous? ______

What problems did this person face when trying to accomplish his/her goals? ______

Who helped him/her achieve his/her goals? ______

Did this person make any difference to society? ______

How did he/she effect the lives of other people? ______

If you chose a president:

What years was he in office? ______

What was his political party? ______

Who was his vice president? ______

Paragraph 4

Late Life

Did this person accomplish his/her goals? ______

What happened to him/her after he/she was famous? ______

Is this person alive or dead? ______

If he/she is alive what is he/she doing today? ______

If he/she has died, give the date and place of death. ______

How will we remember this person? ______

Paragraph 5

Conclusion

What did you learn about this person? ______

Do you think he/she is a role model for others? Why?

______

Ohio Content Standards Covered

RP 5.1 Establish a purpose for reading

RP 5.4 Summarize a text

RP 5.6 Use a graphic organizer to interpret information

RP 5.7 Answer literal, inferential and evaluative questions to demonstrate comprehension of the text

RP 5.8 Monitor own comprehension by adjusting speed of text including skimming and scanning to find information

IT 5.1 Use text features such as chapter titles and table of contents to find information

IT 5.4 Summarize main idea and important details

IT 5.8 Distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information in a text

LT 5.6 Describe the defining characteristics of biographies and autobiographies

WP 5.2 Conduct background reading for writing

WP 5.4 Determine purpose and audience

WP 5.5 Use organizational strategies to plan writing

WP 5.8 Organize writing ideas into paragraphs

WP 5.12 Add and delete information to elaborate on a central idea for writing

WP 5.15 Proofread writing, edit to improve conventions and identify fragments

WP 5.16 Apply tools (rubric) to judge quality of writing

WA 5.4 Write informational essays or reports that organize information with a clear introduction, body and conclusion and includes important facts and details

WC 5.1 Spells words correctly

WC 5.2 Spells contractions correctly

WC 5.4 Uses commas and end marks appropriately

WC 5.5 Uses correct capitalization

SL 5.6 Uses clear tone, pitch, tempo and volume to stress important ideas

SL 5.8 Deliver information that demonstrates clear understanding of the topic