Autobiography Project

We spent the first week and a half of the project working on brainstorming topic ideas and using a flee map to organize our ideas for one entry. The rest of the project is to be completed at home. Of course if you have any questions, please ask.

Click here for a copy of the autobiography packet.

Things We Discussed in Class

• Remember that your entries do not have to be on any particular topic nor do you have to have a specific amount of entries. Your entries (however many of them), pages with illustrations/pictures, and timeline do need to take up the entire book.
• We labeled the pages with Post-Its so that you better understand what should be on each page. Refer to the "Book Layout" page for more information. If any Post-Its are lost and you can not figure it out, please ask as part of the grade is based on having the required components.
• We worked on using a "flee map" and the resources in our Homework Binders to help us compose our entries.
• Print out additional copies of the 1-paragraph flee map by clicking here.
• Print out additional copies of the multi-paragraph flee map by clicking here.
• In the Homework Binder should be a list of transitions, opening strategies (hooks), and closing strategies.
• Entries may be typed or handwritten. It really is up to you and what works best for you and your child. 
• Typed tends to be neater but can be more tedious for the child. If you want to type the entries for your child, it maintains your child's voice best if he/she dictates it to you while you type their words.
• Handwritten can be done independently by the student but can be more challenging to keep neat and organized.
• We discussed how important it is to add voice and detail to your writing to keep interest in the topic.
• So add in those points of humor and personality. Feel free to add in your own commentary as your elaborations. It may even be your own reaction to the stories your family has told you. :)
• Be creative with your titles
• The cover of the book and the book jacket do not need to be the same.
• Parents, you may need to help take a "walk down memory lane" with your child to help them come up with vivid details to include in their autobiography. So whether it is talking about memories, looking through pictures, etc, all of that will help them add that voice.

Thank you so much for your help and support in this project. We hope that it becomes a lovely keepsake as well as representative of your child's writing applications.