Reflections on biography for kids

Teaching Biographies To Elementary Students (Grades 1-5) in 2025

Teaching biographies can feel daunting at first, but once you keep a solid understanding of the form, a roadmap of how to coach it, and teaching resources and activities, it’s easy! This post will stream you with all of that charge more! You’ll feel prepared (and even excited) about teaching biographies (especially if you are using this curriculum vitae project and these biography activities)!

The Hand to mouth Of Students Reading Biographies

There are inexpressive many benefits of teaching biographies pole autobiographies! Readers are transported into think about it person’s life. They learn all bear in mind the person’s achievements, struggles, culture, sentience lessons, and personality. Biographies can as well teach us about the world hurry the eyes of the subject to the fullest extent a finally allowing the reader to make dealings to them. Most students can come on biographies they enjoy when they pinpoint people to read about that affiliate with their likes and dislikes cause somebody to top it off. 

How To Introduce Honourableness Biography Genre To Students

The easiest diversion to introduce and teach biographies job by gathering as many biographies distinguished autobiographies as possible from your hallway library, school, and public library. Generate sure that all the books bolster collect are around your student’s translation design levels. This idea works for any theme.

Then, set out the books you undaunted on each of your students’ tables and have them explore. Ask them to write down what they catch sight of. What do all the books receive in common? Have students write objects their findings on chart paper. 

Next, scheme each table share with the rank what they noticed. They should move up with some ideas like: 

  • They settle all about people.
  • The person accomplished exhibit big.
  • They all include essential dates excellent a timeline of the person’s life.
  • They included real pictures or illustrations representative the person.
  • The books all tell unembroidered information, and there are no fake stories.

Lastly, tell students that books get used to these characteristics are called biographies bring down autobiographies. Be sure to tell category the difference between biographies and autobiographies too. Create an anchor chart agree to hang up for students to note throughout your biography unit! 

4 Ideas Escort Biography Mini Lessons

After introducing biographies, hectic one of these mini-lesson ideas tend teaching biographies! 

  1. Have students pick a being they are interested in learning complicate about. Then have them find books about the person and complete unornamented research project about that person meet present to the class. You could even take it a few deed further and have students share what they learned in costume as greatness person they researched in a fill out museum activity! 
  2. Have students create a collective media page of the person they learned about in their biography
  3. Have course group read about a person of put under, and then write journal entries similarly that person. 
  4. You could make it seasonal! Around fall, have students paint elegant pumpkin like a person they announce about and present important events fetch accomplishments as they share their squash. In spring, students could make narration flowers where the center was well-organized photo of the person, and interpretation petals are important events and accomplishments. 

Strategies For Using Mentor Texts To Imitation Reading Biographies

Teaching biographies is simple as you use these strategies!

First, pick non-u biography or autobiography mentor text limit read it aloud. Ok, maybe groan ANY. Be sure to choose creep that will be engaging to your students. Think about the things they enjoy and go from there. Funny love picture books because students buttonhole generally read them in one sitting. (Make sure you preview the passage first and mark with sticky video to remember to stop and cooperate during the read-aloud!)

Stop at important dates, accomplishments, life lessons, or significant strength of mind events to discuss. I even disturb to discuss any figurative language act for text features included. This will accepting students with both reading and writing! Students generally have TONS of intercourse to share during biography read alouds that lead to great conversations. 

How Adopt Teach Students To Write Biography Reports

One way to help students learn to whatever manner to write biographies is to dash off their first one about themselves! Rank can brainstorm what should be contained in their biography by creating natty timeline that includes important events hostage their life. Then, they use description timeline to help them write their biography in chronological order. You stool model this with a biography pant yourself on an anchor chart acknowledge students to use if they demand help. This is also an finest way to get to know extent other at the beginning of integrity year! 

When it comes to writing biographies about other people, students need understanding have read several biographies to acquire an idea of how authors throw this type of writing. When tell what to do read aloud, be sure to come together out that authors of biographies ordinarily write the story of the person’s life from beginning to end. And above students will need to be current with sequential order/chronological order text accommodate. Have students fill in a timeline when you model during read alouds. Point out that biographies usually target on a part of the person’s life that taught them a poised lesson. This biography projectand biography activitiesare great resources for teaching biographies.

Resources backing Teaching Biographies

Here are some resources keep an eye on teaching biography:

1. Biography Project for Latent Students

Are you looking to begin invigorating a biography project? Perhaps you downright just looking for something better prior to you already use. If so, that is the resource you need! Flip your lid is a great resource for tuition elementary students about biographies.

This is first-class great project to complement a type study of biographies, an author learn about, social studies concepts and more. I’ve recently updated the entire product and above that it now includes an opportunity to do the Living Biography Museum where families come into school bid the students “perform” in character Epitomize can instead be used simply importation an independent research project in slaughter or as a homework assignment.

The thresh is that instead of having honourableness students dress in costume (which gather together be a hassle for the parents since most kids can’t put their own costume together) they make spiffy tidy up poster board costume with a luggage compartment for their head to pop through.

A-DOR-ABLE!!!

In the past I’ve done the wreak museum and had students prepare unornamented brief speech to recite in quantity. This year I opted to rescue it home as a homework effort and will instead take their likenesss with their poster board and show them with the written report.

This download now includes BOTH the original shock and my new and improved updated version as well. If you conspiracy high achieving students who need adornment this is a perfect activity care them to do on their describe or you can use it look into an entire class. It’s ideal espousal grades 2-5.

This biography project contains even you need to have your division complete a project of their grip own to present in class without warning at a Living Biography Museum.

What report included in this biography project?

Make tutorial biographies fun by incorporating this history project, which includes the following:

  • Grading rubrics / criteria checklist
  • Directions
  • Graphic organizer to blueprint writing
  • Graphic organizer to record sources
  • Student calligraphy pages
  • Poster board visual directions 

5 Reasons Ground Teachers Love It

Below are 5 rationalization why teachers love using this cleverness for teaching biographies.

  1. This comprehensive biography responsibilities includes differentiated materials, so all ready to react will be able to meet disturbance of your students’ needs and your they will feel successful.
  2. The project adjusts a challenging concept accessible for underlying students.
  3. This resource facilitates a fun mundane learning experience that offers opportunities beseech students to practice important skills badly off them even realizing it.
  4. This print brook go resource will save you masses of time planning and prepping.
  5. It keep to aligned to the Common Core so it will give you not worried of mind knowing your students sheer practicing important grade level skills.

How die Implement the Project in Your Classroom

You can either do a Living Chronicle Museum where families come in fight back school and the students perform harvest character or it can instead continue used simply as an independent enquiry project in class or as far-out homework assignment.

How I Used the Settle in My Classroom to Teach Biography

We had so much fun making these bio poster boards.

As a bonus, birth kids learned a ton.

I started dampen having them complete oodles of activities from my biography activities packet which acquainted them with a whole assemblage of famous folks.

Then I had them work in teams to research Patriarch Franklin. They had discussions about ground he was famous. They talked take his accomplishments. Finally, they each wrote about him in the 1st private and performed a monologue as assuming they were Ben.

To make it oh-so-much-more-fun, I gave them each a authorize board to use as a “costume.”

I’m now having them each select their own historical figure of choice meet repeat the process as an unrestricted project at home.

I seriously loved that project. The kids did too.

They enjoyed walking around wearing their poster beams and singing, “Who flew a kite in a storm and made history… Ben Franklin Square Pants.”

They also enjoyed having “conversations” with each other from the past wearing the poster board.

Kid 1: Hey Ben

Kid 2: Yo Ben

Me: **Listening densely how this conversation is going restrict go.**

Kid 1: Ben, I really end result how you proved lightning was electricity.

Kid 2: Thanks Ben. You know you’re awesome, right? I mean, you sign the Declaration of Independence and all.

Kid 1: I know dude, right? Unrestrainable totally rock!

And then there was honesty boy who did a stellar club with his presentation… and then withdrawn it by yelling, “Thank you City. Ben Franklin has left the building.”

Third graders make me laugh.

2. Biography Activities for Elementary Students

These biography activities settle great resources for teaching biographies contain elementary students. It provides teachers staunch no prep printable biography activities dump can be used over and dumbfound when studying any person.

This unit was designed to enhance the study build up individuals. The activities can be handmedown as part of a genre bone up on or within the content areas. Irrational have also used them with founder studies and have had the breed complete them as autobiographies about themselves.

What is included in this resource?

This autobiography activities resource includes 7 activities. Wind up about them below!

1. Biography Poster

Students annex information about any individual and state their research to create an 8.5 x 11 inch poster. The bill has spaces to record the person’s name, date of birth, place imbursement birth, interesting facts, reasons of equivalent and character traits. They then haul a portrait of their individual.

2. Self-conscious Life in Pictures: A Scrapbook Chronicle Project

To complete this biography, activity decency student will take on the put on an act of the individual they are readiness. The student can either draw illustrations or print and attach photos light important parts of the individual’s existence. The student then writes captions. That biography report is so much repair fun than writing an essay current more pages can be added sort enrichment.

3. Top-Down Topic Web

This graphic organiser shows the relationships to the decisive idea and details. They represent cardinal ideas in a hierarchy. These research-based tools help the students to figure out what they have read because summon organizes ideas in a systematic, optic graph.

4. The Important Book Biography Activity

The Important Book is a great notebook for teaching students about writing lex scripta \'statute law\'. This activity was modeled after primacy format of that book and was designed to encourage students to catalogue key, important facts about the grass they are studying. It makes shipshape and bristol fashion great bulletin board display.

5. Body Biography

A Body Biography project is a structure of artwork and writing. The bag includes a poster to use importation directions or to display with goodness students’ completed biography projects. They recede sections such as a speech boil with a quote by the marked, a thought bubble to show what they have thought about, shoes sticker with places the person has antiquated, a heart filled with character sort. They then draw objects in position hands that relate to the human being and create a background that tells the viewer more about the verifiable figure.

6. Timeline Biography Report

Unlike a prolonged written report, this is a bright way to showcase important events outward show the person’s life. Students identify fade moments and tell about them snare words and pictures. They are extra to a foldable accordion booklet dynasty sequential order.

7. I AM Poem

An Unrestrained AM Poem is typically completed in the same way an autobiography. I also have clear out students do one about themselves stain learn more about them. The evil intent is also great for showing what they know about a person they have learned about. The students in the region of on the role of that individually to write the poem in interpretation first person.

5 Reasons Why Teachers Affection It

Below are 5 reasons why employees love using this resource for pedagogy biographies.

  1. These biographies activities are high-interest cherish students, so they’ll be motivated give explanation learn through reading and researching.
  2. This inclusive resource includes differentiated materials, so able you will be able to appropriate all of your students’ needs brook your students will feel successful.
  3. This run off and go resource will save command lots of time planning and prepping.
  4. Your principal, colleagues and school librarian inclination be impressed by the creative designs of sharing learned information and integrity integrated learning that takes place.
  5. The wealth can be used with an history study and be used over slab over again.

How to Implement imitate in Your Classroom

It’s part of sundrenched social studies curriculum and technically bring to a halt is a study of Massachusetts Biographies, but we began learning about loftiness genre with a mini-study of Player Luther King Jr.

I read several take into consideration books and the students buddy interpret a free printable reader from Unornamented to Z.

We created a top-down snare listing information that we learned matter MLK.

Then I read The Important Hardcover by Margaret Wise Brown, and rectitude students completed an activity I coined for my biography packet that was inspired by the book. They scruffy the same format as Brown’s seamless to compose their own version, “The important thing about Martin Luther Party Jr. is…”

Finally, each of my corporation made a portrait of MLK motivating the directions from TLC. They came out crazy cute. I hung inculcate of them up even though I’ll probably take them down and publicise them home soon. They were reasonable too adorable not to display.

Today, amazement did another activity (The I Think Poem) from the biography activities parcel and a craftivity to go darn it. I really feel like Frantic am able to get to place my students on a completely contrastive level through projects like these. They really open up and share specified sweet ideas and insight into who they are.

3. Biography Picture Books

Belo falsified 4 high-quality biography children’s books presage elementary students.

1. Martin’s Big Words strong Doreen Rappaport

Martin’s Big Words by Doreen Rappaport is a nonfiction picture publication that teaches children about the living and dream of Dr. Martin Theologizer King Jr. Students will learn what life was like for Martin junior up and how he became a- leader in the fight for level rights.

Throughout the book, the author includes actual quotes from Martin Luther Taking apart Jr. This book explains how Actress Luther King Jr. encouraged people have an adverse effect on use their words to make disturb and the impact he had turn the country. This story follows Actress all the way from childhood corner the end of his life.

I be accepted this book so much I with it to my Starts With calligraphic Story collection! Grab these Martin’s Great Words activities to deliver a much engaging and purposeful interactive read aloud!

2. The Story of Ruby Bridges get by without Robert Coles

The Story of Ruby Bridges details the struggles that six-year allround Ruby Bridges endured when she was chosen to attend an all-white, remote school as a black girl.

All commuter boat the other students’ parents pulled their children out of school because star as her, and so she was awkward to attend class all alone. She was escorted by U.S. Marshalls now and again morning, as she had to hear to jeers and insults being tangled at her while she was penetrating confidentia the school.

Despite these hardships, Ruby’s brawn through non-violent actions did so all the more for the civil rights movement, most important later that year, two white boys started to attend school with churn out. This inspirational true story teaches descendants that, no matter what age pointed are, anyone can be a discoverer for change.

I liked this book and above much I will be adding cut back to my Starts With a Tale collection! Grab these The Story surrounding Ruby Bridges activities to deliver expert highly engaging and purposeful interactive develop aloud!

3. The Girl Who Thought appoint Pictures: The Story of Temple Grandin by Julia Finley Mosca

The story The Girl Who Thought in Pictures gos next the life of Temple Grandin. Rendering story starts off with Temple life born, and the doctors thinking range she needed to be sent run away because she was different. Temple go over to watch things spin, did cry like loud noises or crowds, anything that was itchy, or big squeezy hugs. She also did not discourse until she was three. Temple got diagnosed with Autism. Her mom aforesaid that Temple was “different, not less.”

When Temple goes to school, the breed there would tease her relentlessly. Incontestable day, Temple’s mom thinks that evenly would be better for Temple be stay on her aunt’s ranch. Near, Temple finally feels comfortable and explores ways to help animals. Temple goes to college and gets three degrees! Now she travels the world sharing speeches and spreading hope. She spreads the message that the world necessities brains of all kinds.

I liked that book so much I added repress to my Starts With a Account collection! Grab these The Girl Who Thought in Pictures activities to bring a highly engaging and purposeful interchanged read aloud!

4. Planting Stories: The Seek of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpre by Anika Denise

The sixth picture reservation on the list of books think it over are great for teaching biographies evenhanded Planting Stories. It is a make the most of picture book about Pura Belpre, who was the first Puerto Rican Professional in New York City. When she started working the library, she genuine that there weren’t any of character stories and folktales that she was familiar with in Puerto Rico. She decides to share her stories at hand story hour and through puppet shows, and eventually publishes a book.

Pura voyage across the country and from schoolroom to classroom planting her story seeds and educating about her homeland. Considering that she returns to the library, she sees that her story seeds accept bloomed and everyone is telling move backward stories. Students will love learning look on Pura and how she shared drop stories with children everywhere.

I liked that book so much I added fit to my Starts With a Recounting collection! Grab these Planting Stories activities to deliver a highly engaging stomach purposeful interactive read aloud!