Black History Month: Honoring Greatness with a Biography

Note from the author:

This formative is designed to reintroduce students to Black History Month, and help them to brainstorm and plan a biography of someone who has made American life richer.

How to use this formative!
This formative contains activities and questions to help students to plan and write a biography for Black History Month.

Feel free to delete sections and questions that don't apply to your students, modify questions so that they apply better, and/or to add your own questions! (Tip: you can copy questions by clicking on the "copy" icon near the top right of each question.)

Remember to:
Add an answer key to questions to enable autograding (if applicable)
Adjust the number of points each question is worth (if applicable)
Adjust whether you want students to be able to earn partial credit on each question (if applicable)
Tag your own standards (if applicable)
Change the header image for the formative, if you'd like to!
Tips:
Teaching Tolerance has a great set of articles about teaching Black History Month: https://www.tolerance.org/the-moment/january-28-2019-teaching-black-history-month
An oral presentation, or trading cards, could be alternatives to a written biography: https://www.tolerance.org/classroom-resources/tolerance-lessons/trading-cards-that-honor-true-greatness

Header picture credit: Flickr
Rubric: PowerSchool Learning

Black History Month: Honoring Greatness

Watch this video, then check your understanding by answering the questions below!

Who first organized a celebration of Black history in 1926?

Black History Month is a special time to focus on and learn more about _____________________.

⏰ Time to plan your biography!
Step 1: 
Pick a person to write about! ✍️ 

You might have your own idea of who to write about. If you don't, check out some of the biographies on Ducksters and Fact Monster.

Write the name of the person you choose here:

Check! Is this person African-American, and have they made American life richer?

If your answer to the question above is no, then go back and pick another person.

Step 2
Research your biography! 📚 

Read about your chosen person, and fill out the facts below.

When was this person born?

When did this person die? (If they are still alive, write, "Still alive.")

Where were they born, and where did they live for most of their life?

What was their childhood like? Think about:
Their family - did they grow up in a big or small family?
Their circumstances - did they grow up with a lot or a little money?
Their education - did they do well at school?
Make sure you write this in your own words!

What was the middle part of their life like? Think about:
Their family and friends - did they get married or have children? Did they have a lot of friends?
Their job - what did they do for a living?
Their obstacles - what did they have to struggle against? What injustices did they face?
Their achievements - why are they remembered today? What did they accomplish that was extraordinary?
Make sure you write this in your own words!

What was the end of their life like? Think about:
Their recognition - were they famous for their achievements in their lifetime?
Their death - how did they die?
Their legacy - how did they make American life richer? What is different today because of them?
Make sure you write this in your own words!

Use Safe Image Search to find an image of your person, and upload it here:

Step 3:
Plan your final touches! 📄 

Decide on a title for your biography and write it below. (It cannot be just your person's name!)

Here are some examples for inspiration:

What aspects of your person's character do you want to emphasize throughout your biography? (What character traits made them special and helped them to achieve greatness?)

Examples: courage, determination, kindness, creativity.

✍️🙂 Biography time!

Write out your biography here. Make sure it has the following components:
A catchy title
A clear chronological structure (time order) - start with birth and childhood, then describe the events of the person's life in order
Paragraphs
Clear transitions
Correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation

Next, grade your work against this rubric:

Ideas:

Organization:

Word choice:

Voice:

Conventions:

Did you grade yourself with lower than a Level 4 in any category? 
If so, go back and revise your biography! Use the rubric to help you improve your score.

Only click the Submit button 👇 when you're proud of the biography and happy to submit it for grading! 🙂 

Black History Month: Honoring Greatness

Who first organized a celebration of Black history in 1926?

Black History Month is a special time to focus on and learn more about _____________________.

⏰ Time to plan your biography!

You might have your own idea of who to write about. If you don't, check out some of the biographies on Ducksters and Fact Monster.Write the name of the person you choose here:

Check! Is this person African-American, and have they made American life richer?

When was this person born?

When did this person die? (If they are still alive, write, "Still alive.")

Where were they born, and where did they live for most of their life?

What was their childhood like? Think about:Their family - did they grow up in a big or small family?Their circumstances - did they grow up with a lot or a little money?Their education - did they do well at school?Make sure you write this in your own words!

What was the end of their life like? Think about:Their recognition - were they famous for their achievements in their lifetime?Their death - how did they die? Their legacy - how did they make American life richer? What is different today because of them?Make sure you write this in your own words!

Use Safe Image Search to find an image of your person, and upload it here:

Decide on a title for your biography and write it below. (It cannot be just your person's name!)Here are some examples for inspiration:

What aspects of your person's character do you want to emphasize throughout your biography? (What character traits made them special and helped them to achieve greatness?)Examples: courage, determination, kindness, creativity.

✍️🙂 Biography time!

Write out your biography here. Make sure it has the following components:A catchy titleA clear chronological structure (time order) - start with birth and childhood, then describe the events of the person's life in orderParagraphsClear transitionsCorrect grammar, spelling, and punctuation

Ideas:

Organization:

Word choice:

Voice:

Conventions:

Only click the Submit button 👇 when you're proud of the biography and happy to submit it for grading! 🙂

You might have your own idea of who to write about. If you don't, check out some of the biographies on Ducksters and Fact Monster.

Write the name of the person you choose here:

What was their childhood like? Think about:
Their family - did they grow up in a big or small family?
Their circumstances - did they grow up with a lot or a little money?
Their education - did they do well at school?
Make sure you write this in your own words!

Decide on a title for your biography and write it below. (It cannot be just your person's name!)

Here are some examples for inspiration:

What aspects of your person's character do you want to emphasize throughout your biography? (What character traits made them special and helped them to achieve greatness?)

Examples: courage, determination, kindness, creativity.

Write out your biography here. Make sure it has the following components:
A catchy title
A clear chronological structure (time order) - start with birth and childhood, then describe the events of the person's life in order
Paragraphs
Clear transitions
Correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation