Journal author biography examples ks2
Categories
When I chose a person for a biography, I have no idea of how I am going to write that person’s life. Research is the opening key on to how to do this. I gather all the information I can about the subject and the period in which he/she lived. We need to understand the historical period to place a person’s accomplishments in context. By the time I finish my research, I have files and files and files on my computer of information. My goal is not to write an encyclopedia article with lots of facts. My goal is to illuminate the meaning of someone’s life.
A good biography presents an interpretation of the facts. I call that “the hook.” My “hook” may differ from someone else’s interpretation, and it should, because each of us is unique and sees the world differently. To find the book, I delve into my research files, categorizing them, looking for a theme that will illuminate my subject’s life.
One of my first picture book biographies was on Martin Luther King, Jr. For about three months, I lived in the Schomburg Center for Black History and Culture in Manhattan. This was in the days before the Internet. I had been in the Civil Rights Movement but I really had no idea how I was going to tell Dr. King’s life. I read all his speeches, sermons, interviews, and exhaustive biographies by Taylor Branch and others. And still I had no idea how to tell his story.
Then I read Dr. King’s autobiography: he explained that in his childhood, he felt humiliation, upset, and anger at seeing the ugly words, “White Only,” everywhere in Atlanta. But he also wrote about the strength of the words he read in the Bible, the lyrics of hymns, and his father’s sermons. This contrast made me think about the power of words to hurt us and to elevate us. At that moment, I had found my hook. I was going to alternate my narrative with Dr. King’s words, and so “Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” was born.
I have written a number of other biographies usin These exemplification materials provide examples of pupils’ work to support teachers in making judgements against the new statutory teacher assessment frameworks for English writing at the end of key stage 2. They are for use from the 2018/2019 academic year onwards. They illustrate how the ‘pupil can’ statements in the frameworks might be met. They do not dictate a particular method of teaching, or the evidence expected from the classroom, which will vary from school to school. If teachers are confident in their judgements they may choose not to refer to these materials. These exemplification materials are provided to help teachers make their judgements where they want additional guidance. Local authorities may also find the materials useful to support external moderation visits. Science fiction author Robert A Heinlein once wrote: Autobiography is usually honest but never truthful. An autobiography is the story of a person’s life. It is different to a diary, which is usually a personal account of events but as they happen. And it’s different to a biography, which is the story of someone’s life, but written by somebody else. There are different ways to tell the story of someone’s journey through life. Using a traditional story arc, with a clear beginning, middle and ending, can make an autobiography more interesting and engaging. You can start at the beginning, your birth, and describe the journey from there. Or you can start later in your story, at the point when you made an important decision, took part in a memorable event or tried something for the first time. Wherever you choose to start, it’s important to describe key places and events, the different things you saw and did. As with any story, pick the events, people and places that will capture the reader’s interest and imagination and maybe leave the boring bits out! Don’t just list events or anecdotes, piece together a story. Did an event change the way you think about things? Did it offer you new opportunities? What did you learn from your experience? For example, when Roald Dahl wrote his first autobiography, Boy, he chose to focus on his school years. He tells the story of his local sweet shop and his dreams of being an inventor for a chocolate company. No wonder he wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! So, autobiography can come out in all kinds of ways. Which things in your life will you write about? Etymology is the s . Teacher assessment exemplification: KS2 English writing
Documents
Details
Updates to this page
Published 19 October 2017 Sign up for emails or print this page
Writing autobiography
Introduction to writing autobiography
Key learning points
Video about writing autobiography
Etymology of autobiography