Autobiography/Biography

 What is an autobiography? What is a biography?

Both autobiographies and biographies are accounts of a persons individual life.  An autobiography is typically written by the individual whose life it is about.  Autobiographies can vary in their artistic and writing approach.  Some may be intentionally entertaining and others may be informative.  They are meant to be accurate in regards to the hard facts.  A biography is a work that describes a life.  It includes an overview of the person's life, including the basic facts such as education, work, relationships, and death.  These works are written by a person whose life is not written about. Like autobiographies, biographies are also accurate when it comes to hard facts.  However, differences in hard facts might vary from each other as a person explores numerous biographies about one person.  Biographies might derive from controversies.  Biographies can be written by anyone and about anyone. 
Biographies and autobiographies are very useful in the classroom.  They provide insight about a specific person of study.  An autobiography is particularly important because it allows students to receive the information first hand.  Autobiographies and biographies can play a role in nearly every content area in elementary school.  It is important for students to get to know the people that are well known in their content area.  Social studies is particularly popular for using autobiographies and biographies in their classes.

Mr. Williams by Karen Barbour

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/mr-williams

ISBN-10: 0805067736
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Year: 1999
Grade Level Equivalency: 2.7
Lexile Measure: 790L


Themes:

• Social Studies
• Character and Values
• Geography and Map Skills
• African American

Main Ideas:

• Mr. J.W. Williams is not famous, but he is a real person
• He was born the same year as Martin Luther King Jr.
• Lived in Louisiana
• Tells about childhood in the 1930s on a Louisiana farm with pigs and chickens, but no electricity
• Mr. Williams saw many changes during his lifetime
• Good for learning about a specific time period

http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com/2011/07/14/
childrens-book-review-child-of-the-civil-rights-movement
-by-paula-young-shelton/

Child of the Civil Rights Movement by Paula Young Shelton & Raul Colon

ISBN-10: 0375843140

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade

Year: 2009

Lexile Measure: AD960L

Interest Level: Ages 4-8

Awards & Honors: Children's Book Committee Bank Street College of Education Children's Choices: Best Books of 2011

Themes/Main Ideas:

• A book about children who lived during the Civil Rights Movement
• About one little girl's life and experiences
• In the form of a narrative, not factual
• It only refers to people by their first names, so it can be difficult to know who the author is talking about.
• There is more about the people in the back of the book

http://www.amazon.com/Little-Tiger-Chinese
-Night-Autobiography/dp/0887763200

A Little Tiger in the Chinese Night by Song Nan Zhang

ISBN-10: 0887763200

Publisher: Tundra Books

Year: 1993

Lexile Measure: 890

Interest Level: Ages 10 and up

Themes/Main Ideas:

• Autobiography in art
• He was 3 years old when he saw a tiger
• In the Chinese culture, this is meant to be very lucky
• He didn't have good luck in his life though
• Takes place after WWII when the communists were taking over China
• A lot of text on the pages
• Tells his story through pictures as well as words
• Song Nan Zhang tells of his family, his development as an artist, and his journey to Canada

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/
abe-lincoln-goes-washington

Abe Lincoln Goes to Washington: 1837-1865 by Cheryl Harness

ISBN-10: 1426304366

Publisher: National Geographic Children's Books

Year: 2008

Grade Level Equivalent: 4.7

Lexile Measure: 790L

Themes:

• Civil War Period and Reconstruction
• American Civil War
• Slavery 
• Underground Railroad
• Abolition
• Equality
• Fairness
• Justice
• The Presidency
• Historic Figures
• Leadership

Main Ideas:

• Tells about Abe meeting and marrying a Kentucky woman
• Abe became a lawyer and politician in Springfield, IL
• Tells of Lincoln's rise and the tensions that dragged the nation into conflict
• Maps and battle scenes help engage the reader even deeper
• Awesome illustrations

Memoirs

 What is a Memoir?
A memoir is a unique type of autobiography.  This usually involves a public portion of the writers life and relates it back to a person, historic event, or thing.  The author explains his/her personal knowledge and/or experiences.  An autobiography covers the entire life of the author and is more likely to include details. A memoir should be true, and the author shouldn't stray from the truth when telling their story.  Memories can always be faulty, so in that sense, the authors get a little leeway.  However, the authors should still be honest and double check their facts to make sure that they are accurate.   A memoir includes events in the person's life that are meaningful and relative to the book that is being written.  The author reflects on the experience and has been enlightened by a new understanding or lesson that they have learned because of these events.  Usually, the events have changed the author's view of the world.
(http://www.barbaradoyen.com/writing-nonfiction/what-is-a-memoir-what-makes-a-memoir-different-from-an-autobiography-or-biography)
 There are many ways to use memoirs in the classroom.  Like the biographies and autobiographies, it is helpful for the the students to read about an author first-hand.  It would also be good for the students to write a memoir about themselves.  This would be a good beginning of the year or end of the year activity for students to do in order to express themselves and what they have experienced in life so far.  Scholastic (www.searchgol.com/?affID=119351&babsrc=NT_ss&mntrId=64AFAC81126F64C8) provides a list of memoirs written by students.   These would be helpful for the students to read as models for what their own memoirs might look like. 

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/through-my-eyes

Through My Eyes by Margo Lundell

ISBN-10: 0590189239

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Year: 1999

Grade Level Equivalency: 5.6

Lexile: 860L

Interest Level: Grades 3-5

Main Ideas and Themes:

• About 6 year old Ruby Bridges
• Story of her role in the desegregation of schools
• African Americans
• History
• Elementary School
• Civil Rights
• Courage, bravery, heroism

Qualities and Connections:

• It is written from the point of view of Ruby Bridges.  
• It has good emotional ties to the events.
• The pictures are very real and fitting for the book.  They are moving but yet are appropriate for the students who would be reading the book.
• A lot of global connections could be made to the book.  The question could be asked, have these issues been resolved?

Some background information of the Civil Rights Movement would be good for the students to have before reading this book.  The background information would make the text more meaningful to them.

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/drawing-memory

Drawing From Memory by Allen Say
ISBN-10: 0545176866
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Year: 2011
Grade Level Equivalency: 3
Lexile: 560L
Interest Level: Grades 5-8



Main Ideas:

• Boy is shunned by his dad
• Dad doesn't want him to be an artist
• Boy wants to be an artist
•  Takes place during WWII
• True story about the authors journey
• Develops a mentor relationship with Noro Shinpei (Japan's famous cartoon artist)
• Worked hard to get to where he is today

Themes:

• Arts and Creativity
• World War II
• Individuality

Qualities and Connections:

• 2012 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Honor Book
• Part memoir, part graphic novel, part narrative history
• Presents a real-life relationship between a mentor and his student
• The book includes watercolor paintings, original cartoons, vintage photographs, and maps

In the Classroom...

• Great book to use in an author study
• Good for a different view of history and what people went through in WWII
• Also good for art class

http://www.amazon.com/My-Pig-Amarillo-Satomi-Ichikawa/dp/B0012NZNCE/
ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1364401656&sr=1-1&keywords=my+pig+amarillo

My Pig Amarillo by Satomi Ichikawa
ISBN-10: 0399237682
Publisher: Philomel
Year: 2003
Age Range: 4-8 years old


Main Ideas:

• The pig and Pablito are best friends
• Pig is unusual because he is yellow
• Comes home one day and the pig is gone
• Pablito is devastated and doesn't know what to do
• Grandfather teaches him how he can write messages to Amarillo
• This helps him say good bye

Themes:

• Love
• Friendship
• Letting Go
• Saying Good Bye

Qualities and Connections:

• Many students have pets, so this book is easily relateable for them.
• Some students may use this grieving technique in their own lives 
• Good set up for good discussion about letting go of things

In the Classroom:

• Good if students have recently had an issue with the death of a pet
• I don't know if I would use it in the context of a person dying, but it might work out depending on how the book was used.

Personal Narratives

About Personal Narratives:

Personal narratives are generally the first type of writing that a child does.  Author's write about themselves and experiences that they have had, they have heard of, or that they have read about.  In order to make the experience come to life for the audience, these books often involve a lot of description, a lot of action, and a lot of dialogue.  (http://www.iss.k12.nc.us/writing/desc_p.htm).  These texts might be written in first person.  It can tell the audience about a single life event, or a story over the course of numerous daily routines.  (http://wiki.kdl.org/pmwiki.php/Main/PersonalNarrative).  

Personal narratives are very effective in the classroom.  They are really good at fostering both writing and reading.  Students are mostly successful at narrative writing because they know the most about their life and experiences so they are excited about telling people about it. Personal narratives are also fun for kids to read.  They tell the author's story and often times it is a story that children can relate to.  Often times, the story teaches the kids a lesson that the author learned.  Usually, the reading and the writing use of personal narratives can be linked together.  Students can learn about writing personal narratives by reading them.

 
Suggested Texts

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/kissing-han

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

ISBN#:  0756992990
Publisher: Perfection Learning
Year: 2010
Grade Level Equivalent: 3.3
Lexile Measure: 520L
Interest Level: PreK-1 

Themes:

• Confronting and Resolving Fears
• Back-to-School
• Experiences
• Parents

Main Ideas:

•  Story of a raccoon who faces his first day of school and needs reassurance.  
• Mother Raccoon comes up with a way of showing Baby Raccoon that she is always with him even when he can't see her.  
• By kissing his palm, Baby Raccoon can hold onto his mother's kiss.
• Whenever feeling like he misses his mom at school, he can place his palm on his cheek and feel his mother's love.
• Mother Raccoon assures him that the kiss won't wash off

Classroom Application:

• This book is perfect for children in their early years of school
• This would be good for students who miss their parents or struggle leaving them at the beginning of the school day.
• I know many teachers who have suggested this book to parents whose kids struggle going to school, and I have heard that it is successful.
• My little sister and brother struggled going to school in Kindergarten and 1st grade.  My mom used this book and it worked.  They did the kissing hand every morning before the bus came.  

Amen! by Christine Heim

Grade Level: upper elementary

• This short story is found online...here is a link to the location (note: there are also a number of other personal narratives included on the same page).  http://www.uen.org/utahlink/tours/tourElement.cgi?element_id=29018&tour_id=15574&category_id=24353
• This is a short personal narrative
• It is about a girl who is nervous about speaking in front of the class
• Good for a speech unit in a language arts class

Remember World War II: Kids Who Survived Tell Their Stories 

by Dorinda Makanaonalani Nicholson

Book Details:

• Grade Level: 6th
• Publisher: National Geographic Children's Books (June 1, 2005)
• ISBN-10: 0792271793
• ISBN-13: 978-0792271796

Applying to ELA Common Core:

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.2 Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
• By reading this book, students should be able to identify a central theme and concept.  
• Through adequate teacher questioning, students should be able to form opinions about the content of this book as well.  If not opinion, they could at least state their personal feelings toward the war and how it effected people involved.

Overview of Content

• Starts before the war and talks about how it began in Germany
• Inserts of pictures and real artifacts
• Includes journal entries
• Talks about different parts of the war that isn't usually talked about in history class
• Moves to Pearl Harbor
• Good pictures
• Highly recommended
• Contains pictures and biographies of people who participated

 

Picture from Amazon.com

 

Halloween by Jerry Seinfeld

ISBN#: 0316035971

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Year: 2008

Reading Level: 5th Grade

Themes:

• Holiday
• Personal Experience
• Memory

 Main Ideas:

• Jerry Seinfeld uses this humorous book to tell his audience the memories he has of Halloween
• Some of the things he remembers include the cheap masks breaking, over-sized Superman costumes, wearing a winter coat over his costume, and trying to trick-or-treat when he was too old.
• This book is funny for people because we can relate to a lot of his experiences
• I think this is why the book is a 5th grade level, because of the humor and mocking nature of it.