3.11 It's All About Who?
Choosing a Person
Biography means "writing about life." The key to writing a good biography is picking a good subject who has lead an interesting life AND who you can find information for!!! While it may be tempting to write about your favourite celebrity, you are strongly encouraged to select someone who has lived an important life and made a lasting contribution to the world.
People you are familiar with are also good subjects for profiles. They are easily accessible for interviews. Also, you can easily interview others about them.
Download the assignment template here to complete on your computer: 
or here to complete on paper: 
Step 1: Make a list of 3 - 5 possible subjects for your biography. Think about all the people in the world who fascinate you. Examples:
- Pierre Trudeau (former Prime Minister)
- LM Montgomery (famous writer)
- Clara Hughes (famous athlete)
- Queen Elizabeth (famous queen)
- Albert Einstein (famous scientist)
- Bryan Adams (famous singer and songwriter)
Step 2: Run a quick search on the Internet or on your public library website to see how much information you can easily find about your three candidates. It is not fun to try to write a biography on someone you can’t find enough information for!
- Put a checkmark (?) by each person on your list you think there is enough information for. If none of them have checkmark, you need to add to your list.
Step 3: Choose a person. In a paragraph, explain who you've chosen for your biography and why you've chosen this person.
- If you are able to request/reserve public library books online or sign out ebooks, do this now so the books arrive quickly. Don’t forget, books with many people may include your person. (The Kids Book of Great Canadians and books like that.)
Submit this assignment in the assignment dropbox for teacher approval.