Biography-Learner Outcomes Identify and critically appraise the viewpoint of the writer Distinguish between facts and opinions Compare and contrast biographies in terms of scale- international/ local/ effectiveness/ accuracy) Analyse and evaluate purposes of writing a biography-inspiration, history, account Analyse language and techniques used to convey writer’s attitude Develop a reasoned response and angle to conflicting sources

Key Questions Why write biographies? Audience/ Purpose Publicity/ History/ documentation/ warning What is scale of impact- public figure/ famous people vs general public) Who is worthy enough to require a biography? Is immortality in narrative form necessary? Can a biography be objective if it is created or produced? What is the difference between documentation and a biography?

Biography Features Literacy – biographies require many skills including using a variety of information resources to synthesize and create meaning. Information about a topic differs according to individual author’s viewpoint, research sources or focus There is no objective truth in any one text. Readers are constantly challenged to balance conflicting information Nuances in language- tone, register, word choice, determine attitude/ create an opinion

Language Features Use of passive voice- victim of fate or master of destiny, motivator of actions or caught in social circumstance and action Simple past tense/ past perfect tense Use of modals/ auxiliaries Connectors of sequence esp for chronology Use of humour/ reasoning tools/ rhetoric Use of literary devices- metaphors, images Organisational principle