BIOGRAPHY PROJECT

KEELER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, CALGARY, AB

Well Done!
At this point, we have been learning about the people we chose to study. We have answered questions building upon: Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How. We have designed and built different categories that helped to group information. We have written newspaper articles and learned how to pull information from non-ction texts. Now its time to show WHY we chose our people in the rst place!

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:
How has your person changed the world? How would the world be different without your persons accomplishments? If your person could develop a school, what would it be like? How would your person deal with the situation in Atawapiskat? If your person ran for Prime minister, what would they discuss in their speech? How would your person behave as a 6th grade student? What would they like to do? Is there an unknown side to your person? Is your person a hero or a maverick? Why? When has your person persevered or shown determination in their life? What can we learn from your person? What about their life or character could impact our world?

Project Ideas
Its time to think about how to show your understanding. There are 10 different ways to show that you can think outside the box and connect your person to the questions given. Take time to consider which you would like to do. Do not forget that we are performing for an audience. All of your work will be photographed, video-taped, and put online for your parents to see over the break. Remember that thoughtfulness is the key, and if youre done in 1 class period, I promise that you can do more!

DEFINITIONS Biography: The study of a particular person. Creativity: Thinking Outside The Box and doing something unique. Making connections between your person and the question chosen. Rubric: A chart to help you set goals and to grade your own work. Criteria: Information and points in a rubric that help you evaluate your own work. Citizenship: Being helpful and considerate of others in the classroom community. Focusing on your work during work periods so others can focus on theirs. Hero: A person that most people believe has helped people for the greater good. Maverick: A person who does things their own way, even if it isnt how their culture/ people expect it to be done. Atawapiskat: A First Nations community in Northern Ontario that has had economic and social struggles lately. Accomplishment: Working hard to reach a goal. Finding success, even if something is extremely hard. Perseverance: Overcoming frustrations and working hard to solve a problem or to overcome hardship. Character: The moral qualities of a person. What helps to dene a persons personality. Pivotal: A moment or event that changed a persons life or the outcome of a situation.

Project Ideas (Continued)

READ THROUGH THE EXAMPLES OF IDEAS BELOW.

Each idea described below will require problem solving. You are expected to be an independent learner, which means researching when youre stuck. Asking for help, and asking classmates. You are also expected to take work home with you and return it each day to use class time. Free free to ask your parents for help, but only YOU are allowed to work on this project. There will be a schedule with seminar times set up where you can receive training for the software needed to complete this project.

Project 1: Create a Powerpoint/Keynote presentation. Use the computers in the classroom to answer the question you chose. Be sure to ask the question at the start so we know your nal answer. Project 2: Create a Documentary. You are free to borrow a camera to record a documentary, detailing your answer to the question of your choice. You may narrate and star in your video. Feel free to ask your classmates for help if you are stuck. Project 3: Create a Comic. Examine comics (or graphic novels, if your teacher asks) and make a book, answering the question youve chosen. The key here is that it is meant to be a book, not a single page. Project 4: Create a Radio Show/Podcast. Use the computer and garage band to create a podcast to answer your question. Project 5: Re-enactment. Writing a script will help you to recreate an important moment in your persons life. Feel free to use the video camera, or just to perform for the class.

Project Ideas (Continued)

Project 10: Teach it! Do you Project 6: Poster. Answer your question through creating a poster of your person. Feel free to use features found in non-ction books like text-boxes, diagrams, webbing, etc. Project 7: Report. Use a template on Pages or Word and create a formal report that answers the question of your choice. Project 8: Timeline. Use a timeline to support your answer to the question given.
FROM YOUR TEACHERS

have other ideas for projects? Ask a teacher if it is a possibility, and we help any way we can!

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Power Point/Keynote Documentary Comic Radio Show Re-Enactment Poster Report Timeline News Report Teach it!

Please be sure to use your class time wisely. You are expected to get this project done in on e week, and you are able to use tim e at school and at home. We will be presenting to the class on Monday, December 19 , 2011. Make sure you are ready! Sincerely,

Project 9: News Report. Consider pivotal moments that impacted your persons life. Create a news report detailing the events as if it were that day in time.

WHERE CAN I GO FOR INFORMATION?

Videos on the computer. Internet Research. Notes from previous assignments.

Interviews with other students who have completed a biography on the same person.
HOW CAN I GET MY THOUGHTS IN ORDER?

What/Where/When/Why, etc.) will be made available to you.You can choose a way that works for you.
WHEN IS THIS PROJECT DUE?

All of the graphic organizers (Expository Pillar, Web, Who/

Monday, December 19, 2011.

SCORING RUBRIC
KEELER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - DECEMBER 2011

Steps Involved
1.Go through the project examples and rate each on the scale provided. 2.Use a yellow pencil crayon, and colour in the boxes where you would like to be at the end of this week. 3.Work through your project. 4.Before you hand your project in, use a blue pencil crayon and honestly colour in the boxes that you deserve. 5.On December 19, 2011, hand your work in so that presentations can begin.
Use of Class Time Visual Display Your guiding question was not displayed in your work. Your design was confusing and did not help to clarify understanding. 20 minutes or less of class time was used wisely (researching, studying, discussing, thinking). You can do much better. You may have become frustrated have been focused on other things. Your guiding question was displayed in your work. Your design somewhat helped to clarify your key points. 40 minutes or less of class time was used wisely (researching, studying, discussing, thinking). You could have shown more perseverance, but you tried hard for the most part. Accuracy of Information 3 or more of your points are inaccurate or confusing. Content and Discussion

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The content supports your point of view. Less than 2 of the Ws (Who, what, where,when, and why) were explored. Your discussion only tells facts about your person.

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The content supports your point of view. At least 3 of the Ws (Who, what, where,when, and why) were explored. Your discussion connects your person to the guiding question. There are fewer than 2 points that are inaccurate or confusing.

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The content supports your point of view. At least 4 of the Ws (Who, what, where,when, and why) were explored. Your discussion creatively connects your person to the guiding question. There are not any inaccuracies in your project and everything appears to have been checked over. Your guiding question was displayed early in your work. Your design helped viewers understand the key points.

At lease 60 minutes of class time was used wisely (researching, studying, discussing, thinking). Perseverance was shown by working through problems and doing your best.

Effort

Dear Parents, With only two weeks left of school before the winter break we are going to begin an exciting project to wrap up our Biography Studies. The students will be answering deep-thinking questions about the people they have been studying and they will be completing a project to show their understanding (options include creating a poster, report, documentary video, podcast, historical minute, comic book, etc). They will have lots of opportunity to work on this in class, but they may need to work on it at home as well. Please help them to complete their project by the due date of Monday, December 19, 2011. You can do this by talking about it with them and checking in with them throughout the week. This will help you to see how they are doing. If they need additional resources you could also bring them to the library or answer their questions. If you would like more information about this project, please feel free to email Mr. MacKenzie at Mik_enzie@hotmail.com, or to call the school at 403-777-8180. Thank you for your help with this, we cant wait to see their nished products! Sincerely, Mr. MacKenzie

Please sign and return this by Wednesday, December 14, 2011. The question I have chosen to answer is: ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ The project I have chosen to complete is: ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ I have taken time to explain this project to my parents and I understand that it is to be completed by Monday, December 19, 2011.
_____________________________ (Student Signature) _____________________________ (Parent Signature)