English 9 and Bible

Miss McCoy

Lesson #19Biography, Two

Miracles

Review:

Short Stories and Dramas are fictional narratives.

Fictional means from the imagination of the author.

A narrative is a story.

Non-fiction

Non-fiction is something that really happened.

It can also be a narrative.One type of non-fiction is a Biography.

Biography

~a story about the life of a person, NOT written by that person.

BiographyA biography is a detailed description of someone's life.

A biography is more than a list of impersonal facts; it also portrays the subject's experience of those events.

A biography presents the subject's story.

Biography

To write a biography you should:

• Select a person you are interested in

• Find out the basic facts of the person's life. Start with the encyclopedia and almanac.

Biography

• Think about what else you would like to know about the person, and what parts of the life you want to write most about. Some questions you might want to think about include:

Biography– What makes this person

special or interesting? – What kind of effect did

he or she have on the world? other people?

– What examples from their life illustrate those qualities?

Biography– What events shaped or

changed this person's life? – Did he or she overcome

obstacles? Take risks? Get lucky?

– Would the world be better or worse if this person hadn't lived? How and why?

Biography• Do additional research at

your library or on the Internet to find information that helps you answer these questions and tell an interesting story.

• Write your biography. See the rules for Essay Writing for suggestions.

Biography• These dry facts, on their

own, don't make a very good biography. You'll want to dig a little deeper. Your goal is to impress your reader!

• You'll want to start off with great first sentence.

Biography• It's good to begin with a

little known fact, or intriguing event.

• Avoid starting out with a standard but boring line like:

"Meriwether Lewis was born in Virginia in 1774."

Biography• Instead, try something like

this:"Late one day in Oct, 1809,

Meriwether Lewis arrived at a small log cabin deep in the Tennessee Mountains. By sunrise on the next day, he was dead, having suffered gunshots to the head and chest.

Biography

• The next sentence or two should lead in to your thesis statement of your biography.

Biography"It was a tragic end to a life

that affected the history of the US. Meriwether Lewis led an expedition of discovery that expanded a young nation's economic potential, increased its scientific understanding, and enhanced its worldwide reputation."

Biography

• Now that you've created an impressive beginning, you'll want to continue the flow. Find more intriguing details about the man and his work, and weave them into the composition.

Biography

Some people believed that Lewis and Clark would encounter elephants in the western wilderness, having misunderstood the wooly mammoth bones discovered in the United States.

BiographyFill the body of your

biography with material that gives insight to your subject's personality.

For instance, in a biography about Meriwether Lewis, you would ask what events motivated him to embark on such a monumental exercise.

Biography• The final paragraph will

summarize your main points and re-assert your main claim about your subject. It should point out your main points, re-name the person you're writing about, but it should not repeat specific examples.

Biography• Be sure to use transitional

phrases and words to link your paragraphs and make your composition paragraphs flow. It is normal for good writers to re-arrange their sentences to create a better paper.

Biography• Important- bring together

the elements of narrative AND exposition.

• You must give information (exposition)

• You must also tell a story (narrative)

Assignment•Pick a person to research•Do the research!•Compose an informative AND entertaining biography.

•I should know WHY you selected your person without you telling me directly

Story Time Two Miracles

Matthew Chapter 14:22-36

Biography•The New Testament is all biographical

•Look for the elements of biography as we read

BibliographicalThe events of someone’s life.Written by someone else (Matthew).

Entertaining.You know WHY these people wrote about Jesus.

New Testament is chronological.

Resources

http://www.dltk-bible.com/http://www.cherubim.org/http://www.dualravens.com/Christ Walking On The Water by Amedee Varin