WRITING A
BIOGRAPHY
WHAT IS A BIOGRAPHY?
Think, Pair, Share (30 seconds)
Biographical writing is about someone else’s life.
It is about a real person but written by someone
else.
A biography highlights the key events that have
happened in their life, sometimes talking about
their childhood.
A biography can be written about someone who is
dead or alive.
LI: I can use my knowledge of a famous person to
write a biography
o SC: Title – name of biography
o Past tense
o Third Person – he/she/they
o Catchy Introduction –
who/what/where/when/why
o Paragraphs
o Life events in chronological order of date
o Time openers and connectives to show this
o Quotes from others about what they think
o Conclusion – how they will be remembered
INTRODUCTION
Your introduction is very important if you want
to catch the reader’s attention. You might want
to use a question as an opener like the example
you looked at, however you must introduce your
famous person using the 5 W’s.
Who is the person? – their name (real name also
if their birth name is different)
What are they are famous for?
When did it happen?
Where did it happen?
Why are they famous today?
MAIN BODY OF BIOGRAPHY
Using your previous knowledge from your solo
talk, or the fact sheets, choose the most
important events in their life to write about. You
can talk about their childhood if you wish.
First Level – Choose 3-4 key events
Second Level – Choose 5-6 key events
Write down your chosen key events on your
planning sheet. Remember to write them in the
order they happened! (5 minutes)
PLAN
Go back to your planning sheet to the box which
says ‘openers’
First Level – write 4 openers you want to use in
your biography
Second Level – write 6 openers you want to use
in your biography
(2 minutes)
MAIN BODY
Now that you have the key events and the openers
you want to use, you can write the main body of your
biography.
As you write your biography, tick the openers when
you use them.
On your planning sheet, you can write down any WOW
words and connectives you aim to use in your
biography.
(15 minutes and we will Peer Assess)
Now swap with your shoulder partner. Tick their
Success Criteria if they have met it.
CONCLUSION
To conclude your biography, you should write
about the impact they have on people today.
1.Have they taught us anything?
2.Why will they always be remembered?
3.Quote something someone said about them.
Briefly answer the above questions on your
planning sheet before writing it into your jotter.
Use the example biography to help you
