Autobiography, Biography, Personal Narrative, and Memoir
Lesson plans and teaching ideas

All the World's a Stage: Exploring the Biography as a Basis for a Theatrical Production
In this lesson, students will analyze the effective story-telling or literary techniques used by playwright George Stevens, Jr. in his historical play Thurgood. They will then write their own scenes depicting a critical event in a significant person's life for performance or publication. Related links are included.

Alphabetical Autobiography
Students write a 26-page alphabetical autobiography, in the format of an elementary school alphabet book."A is for Alabama. I was born in Alabama, and..."

Autobiography
Topics to include in an autobiography, compiled by a teacher.

Awesome Stories
Follow links here to biographies and other accounts based on primary sources. These could serve as good models for students doing research.

Biographies
Definitions and lots of links to biography sites. Scroll down to find ideas for writing biographies, examples of biographies by students, teacher resources, and vocabulary words.

Biographies: Creating Timelines of a Life
Working in teams, students use multiple sources to research someone's life. This unit is designed for grades 3-5 and can be adapted to other levels.

Biography® Experience It!
Excellent materials for working with biographies from A&E and the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Adobe Acrobat Reader, available free at the site, is required to print out the 32-page Teacher Manual. Access to support videos will be helpful but is not required.

Biography Maker
This site helps younger writers through the process of writing a biography. It encourages use of the 6-Trait approach.

Biography Writing with Patricia and Frederick McKissack at Scholastic.com
Students learn how to research and write a biographical sketch, including research and writing strategies. They can also receive a Certificate of Achievement. Sample biography of Frederick Douglass is available onsite.

Building on Biographies from Education World
Two online biography resources and 10 ways to teach biography

Class Directory
Students interview and write about each other.

Classroom Electronic Yearbook
Students use electronic media to write an autobiography with emphasis on elaboration. Student projects are combined to create a yearbook.

Cultural Icons: Voices of their Nations
Students explore the definition of "cultural icon" and study a cultural leader and his or her part of the world in detail. This lesson is written to emphasize geography skills.

Exploring Now through Then
Using an article from the New York Times about Anne Frank's family as a starting point, students explore their own connections to world events.

Cut and Paste Biographies: Creating Collages to Document the Lives and Legacies of Famous African-Americans
This lesson is based on a New York Times article about artist Romare Bearden. It is adapable to several age levels and purposes. This lesson emphasizes research.

Digital Storyteller
Students record the stories of veterans of WWII and Korean Conflicts. The processes are the same as traditional research, but the product is electronic. This site is designed for South Carolina but has potential for use anywhere.

Edgar Allan Poe, Ambrose Bierce, and the Unreliable Biographers
Students find, examine, and attempt to explain the causes of inconsistencies in at least four Poe biographies. This standards-based lesson is extensive. Resources are present but less extensive for an investigation into the life of Ambrose Bierce.

From Object to Story: Writing a Historical Narrative Featuring an Artifact from One's Family History
Students share observations about the history of familial artifacts. They then research the history and cultural significance of selected objects to prepare their own historical narratives. Includes short reading as prewriting activity.

Hans Christian Anderson: My Life as a Fairy Tale
This 16-page document supports the Hallmark Channel presentation. It includes a summary, background information, discussion questions for grades 4-6 and 7-9, and followup activities. It also includes a list of Anderson's fairy tales. Adobe Reader required for access.

Homer Hickam
Looking for an autobiography for your class to read? Try October Sky.

How to Write Your Autobiography
This interactive site helps students select details, organize ideas, and write.

I Had a Dinner Party
Students read biographies, share what they have learned, and write the script of a dinner party including several of the researched people as guests.

In the First Person: an index to letters, diaries, oral histories, and personal narratives
Are you looking for a model personal narrative for your students? Something from a specific time period? Much of the older material in this database is subscription-only, but the more recent documents are available free of charge.

The Journal of Harriet Tubman
If Harriet Tubman had blogged about her life, it might have looked like this. A model of student research that can be used to create other biographies.

Lemon Writing: Introduction to Autobiography or Journal Writing
Students use lemons as a creative introduction to writing biographies.

Lesson Plan unit: Biographies
Lessons using online resources of the New York Times. Lessons will change from time to time.

A Life Lived Well
"Students brainstorm words and phrases that describe themselves. They then construct found poems using words and phrases taken from the article, and write autobiographical obituaries that celebrate the lives and achievements they imagine for themselves."

Living to Tell the Tale
Students read an excerpt from the memoir by Gabriel García Márquez, work with vocabulary words, and write a brief autobiographical piece. Access requires Adobe Reader or compatible application.

Memoir
Follow links to three approaches to writing a memoir and a link on writing leads.

Memoir: The Stuff of Our Lives
In this extensive unit students explore the genre of memoir. They will see that writers write about the ordinary happenings of their lives and that their own lives are packed with meaningful experiences and memories that can form the basis of their own writing. Students will be encouraged to reflect upon the significance of remembered events and to keep a "notebook" of their thoughts and feelings.

Memoir Writing Project
Introduction and suggestions for proceeding with memoirs.

Memory Archive
Click on "For Teachers and Students" to learn how to contribute a personal narrative to this online archive wiki.

Picturing the Past: Writing Memory Stories from Meaningful Photographs
"Students consider family photos brought in by their peers. They then individually consider a significant personal photograph and write a memory story about it."

Portraits: Written and Visual
In this unit plan students study the life of Louisa May Alcott and Mark Twain using a portrait from the Smithsonian's National portrait Gallery, a commemorative stamp from the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum, a piece of autobiographical writing, and an abridged passage from a novel. This lesson from the Smithsonian Institute is designed for upper elementary students. It can be adapated for study of a different author.

Senior Memory Book
A 16-week unit resulting in an autobiography. This project is designed for seniors but could be adapted to other grade levels. Click on the title for details.

Teaching Through Biographies
Some ideas for interdisciplinary approaches, including rubrics.

This I Believe
A teacher's guide to writing the personal essays that form the NPR series.

Voices from the Field
This collection of first-person narratives from Peace Corps volunteers comes with lesson plans designed for grades 7-12. This is an outstanding set of materials!

Writing a Character Sketch
This activity includes a model and graphic organizer.

Writing Personal Narrative Essays
There is no mystery in writing personal narratives if you follow these easy steps.

Writing Portfolio
These 55 outstanding reflective writing prompts are designed for high school sophomores. Most are autobiographical in nature. They are presented in 3 formats: Web page, MS-Word document, and PDF file (requires Adobe Reader for access).

Writing Prompts for Personal Narratives
Twenty wide-ranging prompts.