THE AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL BIOGRAPHY

By

Ray Villareal

You never really understand a person until you see things from his point of view. —Harper Lee

For the most part, writing biographies is a cut-and-dried process. Students gather facts about well-known figures, then present their findings according to their teacher’s guidelines. Because this genre of writing is formulaic, children might not find it as interesting as other assignments.

One way to get your students excited about writing biographies is to teach them to write them as autobiographies. Whoever they decide to write about—inventors, explorers, political leaders, athletes, authors, movie stars, or musicians—have them become those characters. For instance, instead of writing about the life of Frida Kahlo, let your students assume the persona of Frida Kahlo, and tell her story as if it’s their own.

I met Diego Rivera when he was painting a mural at the National Preparatory School in Mexico City where I was a student. I knew then that I was going to marry him.

Your students still have to research facts about their characters: birth and early life, marriage, family, education, successes and failures, as well as their death or current life. But they will be writing their compositions in first person, rather than in third.  

While biographies deal strictly with facts, by writing them as autobiographies, your students can include the thoughts of their characters. For example, if they’re writing about Rosa Parks, they can reveal what might have gone through her mind during that fateful bus incident.

I didn’t think I should have to give up my seat just because there weren’t any other places in the white section.

After your students have written their biographies/autobiographies, they can dress as their characters and present their reports orally. That way, their classmates will get to learn about other historical figures. They’ll also feel as if they’re listening to guest speakers.

I used to do this activity when I was in the classroom, and later, as a university language arts instructor. At the end of the semester, when my students wrote their evaluations, they often mentioned this assignment as one of their favorites.