cafebee.pages.dev

Biography project for students

    •

The BEST Elementary Biography Project

Looking for a fun, new research and writing project for your elementary kiddos? This living wax museum is a great way to tie together reading, writing, social studies and speaking and listening skills all in one fun project. I have done this project with second through fourth graders and they have all loved it.

Reading

Start this project off by having your students select what famous figure they want to research, or by assigning them a famous figure. My ABSOLUTE favorite books for us to conduct our research are the “Who Was” Series by Jim Gigliotti. They are perfect for on-level/higher second graders, and are most appropriate for third and fourth grade students.

Typically, I will introduce the project, show the students my example, and then briefly introduce all of the famous figures that they can pick from. I then let them go one by one and pick which person they want to research.

For my second graders, I always have one group (my lower level readers) that work together to collect our research all on the same p

    •

Biography Project: Research and Class Presentation

1.Using your classroom or school library, have each student check out a biography of a famous person. The biography should be about one of the three people on the student's list from Session 1.

2.Pass out the Web Rubric and go over expectations and criteria with students.

  • Web has categories that fit with the information written about the person and are easily understood by the reader.

  • Each category has supporting information that helps the reader understand the details of the person's life.

  • The writing is clear with no spelling or grammatical errors.

  • Each bubble gives brief, clear information.

  • Web shows the main achievements of the person's life based on the student's interpretation.
3.Use the sample web for Martin Luther King, Jr. to model for students how each item of the rubric applies to the creation of the web.

4.Ask students to skim (or preread) their biographies, focusing on the questions they generated during Session 1 about the selected person. Then have students work with their
    •

What Is a Biography Project Idea for My Class?

What is a biography?

An autobiography is the author’s retelling of his or her own life. However, what is a biography? A biography is the story of someone’s life told by someone else. Biographies are so important to read because learning about the accomplishments of others can inspire our students. Furthermore, students will be able to see how others have overcome obstacles or struggles in order to accomplish a goal. Biographies allow students to see the amazing accomplishments of others, which will hopefully open their minds to making a positive change in the world. Additionally, students will see how greatness begins one step at a time. The easiest way to help students fall in love with biographies is to have them complete a biography project. 

Why use biography projects?

Reading allows us to be transported to another world. Between the pages of a book, we can become immersed in someone else’s life. Additionally, we can learn about a culture very different from our own. Furthermore, we can learn new words, phrases,

Copyright ©cafebee.pages.dev 2025