Biography Genre

Literary Nonfiction

·       Biography: A biography is the story of a real person’s life written by someone else. We can use the word parts bio- which means “life” and graph which means “to write” to help us remember what it is.

·       Autobiography: Now we add the root auto to the word. Auto means “self” so when we add this root to the word autobiography, it changes the meaning. An autobiography is the story of a real person’s life written by them. So the person who writes the life story is writing about themselves.

·       Memoir: A memoir is also written by the author. A memoir provides factual information written in a narrative style about a significant time, place, person or event in the author’s life.

ELA.4.10A Explain the author’s purpose and message within a text.

Guided Question : How would I know that my nonfiction text is a biography?

​What makes a text a Biography

• Is written from 3rd person point of view

• Is usually told in chronological (sequence) order.

• Includes facts and details of a person's life

• Includes literary language to spice up things.

Multiple Choice

Biography is a ______________________.

• fiction genre

• nonfiction genre

• fairy tale genre

• science fiction genre

Multiple Choice

A biography tells the persons place and date of ____________.

• birth

• Christmas

• dinner

• a vacation

Multiple Choice

A biography is when another person writes about the events in someone else's life.

• True

• False

Drag and Drop

Biographies are typically about ​

Placeholder

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

another person

a famous person

an event

a place

yourself

Entertain: The biography will entertain the reader by celebrating what the person has done for the world.

Inform: The biography will inform the reader about the person's life including facts and details.

​

​Authors Purpose

Multiple Choice

A biography describes the person's impact on ______________________.

• Mars

• the World

• the ocean

• the table

Multiple Select

What is the author's purpose of a Biography?

• To inform

• To persuade

• To entertain

• To describe

If something swirled, it moved quickly around in circles.

​

​Swirled

Your ancestors are the people in your family who lived long ago.

​

​Ancestors

Currents are flowing movements of water in a lake, river, or ocean.

​

Currents

If you sneered, you showed disapproval and lack of respect by the look on your face.

​

​Sneered

A canopy is a roof-like covering, like the top branches of trees in a forest.

​

​Canopy

Match

Match the following vocabulary words with their definitions.

• Swirled

• Canopy

• Sneered

• Currents

• Ancestors

If something swirled, it moved quickly around in circles.

A canopy is a roof-like covering, like the top branches of trees in a forest.

If you sneered, you showed disapproval and lack of respect by the look on your face.

Currents are flowing movements of water in a lake, river, or ocean.

Your ancestors are the people in your family who lived long ago.

• If something swirled, it moved quickly around in circles.

• A canopy is a roof-like covering, like the top branches of trees in a forest.

• If you sneered, you showed disapproval and lack of respect by the look on your face.

• Currents are flowing movements of water in a lake, river, or ocean.

• Your ancestors are the people in your family who lived long ago.