Writing a Brilliant Biography

Authors love words! The word "biography" means "life writing." Focusing on my book Jackie Robinson: He Led the Way, we'll discuss why authors write and readers read "life writing." What can we learn? How can we be inspired? What are the key ideas we want to convey to our readers, and how can we support those ideas? Topics include:

-       choosing a subject to write about
-       collecting information
-       taking and organizing notes and determining importance
-       writing chronologically
-       self editing
-       buddy editing
-       publishing

In the process, we'll learn about Jackie Robinson, his accomplishments, and the traits of leaders in a broader sense. We'll discuss how traveling to places where your subject lived or worked and watching video clips can bring history to life!

This presentation is best for grades 2 and up and can accommodate various group sizes. It supports Common Core Writing Standards 2, 5, 7, and 8, and Reading Informational Text Standards 2, 6, 7, and 8.