Miss McCoy Lesson #19 Biography, Two Miracles English 9 and Bible Miss McCoy Lesson #19 Biography, Two Miracles

Review: Short Stories and Dramas are fictional narratives. Fictional means from the imagination of the author. A narrative is a story.

Non-fiction Non-fiction is something that really happened. It can also be a narrative. One type of non-fiction is a Biography.

Biography ~a story about the life of a person, NOT written by that person.

Biography A biography is a detailed description of someone's life. A biography is more than a list of impersonal facts; it also portrays the subject's experience of those events. A biography presents the subject's story.

To write a biography you should: Select a person you are interested in Find out the basic facts of the person's life. Start with the encyclopedia and almanac.

Biography Think about what else you would like to know about the person, and what parts of the life you want to write most about. Some questions you might want to think about include:

Biography What makes this person special or interesting? What kind of effect did he or she have on the world? other people? What examples from their life illustrate those qualities?

Biography What events shaped or changed this person's life? Did he or she overcome obstacles? Take risks? Get lucky? Would the world be better or worse if this person hadn't lived? How and why?

Biography Do additional research at your library or on the Internet to find information that helps you answer these questions and tell an interesting story. Write your biography. See the rules for Essay Writing for suggestions.

Biography These dry facts, on their own, don't make a very good biography. You'll want to dig a little deeper. Your goal is to impress your reader! You'll want to start off with great first sentence.

Biography It's good to begin with a little known fact, or intriguing event. Avoid starting out with a standard but boring line like: "Meriwether Lewis was born in Virginia in 1774."

Biography Instead, try something like this: "Late one day in Oct, 1809, Meriwether Lewis arrived at a small log cabin deep in the Tennessee Mountains. By sunrise on the next day, he was dead, having suffered gunshots to the head and chest.

Biography The next sentence or two should lead in to your thesis statement of your biography.

Biography "It was a tragic end to a life that affected the history of the US. Meriwether Lewis led an expedition of discovery that expanded a young nation's economic potential, increased its scientific understanding, and enhanced its worldwide reputation."

Biography Now that you've created an impressive beginning, you'll want to continue the flow. Find more intriguing details about the man and his work, and weave them into the composition.

Biography Some people believed that Lewis and Clark would encounter elephants in the western wilderness, having misunderstood the wooly mammoth bones discovered in the United States.

Biography Fill the body of your biography with material that gives insight to your subject's personality. For instance, in a biography about Meriwether Lewis, you would ask what events motivated him to embark on such a monumental exercise.

Biography The final paragraph will summarize your main points and re-assert your main claim about your subject. It should point out your main points, re-name the person you're writing about, but it should not repeat specific examples.

Biography Be sure to use transitional phrases and words to link your paragraphs and make your composition paragraphs flow. It is normal for good writers to re-arrange their sentences to create a better paper.

Biography Important- bring together the elements of narrative AND exposition. You must give information (exposition) You must also tell a story (narrative)

Assignment Pick a person to research Do the research! Compose an informative AND entertaining biography. I should know WHY you selected your person without you telling me directly

Story Time Two Miracles Matthew Chapter 14:22-36

Biography The New Testament is all biographical Look for the elements of biography as we read

Bibliographical The events of someone’s life. Written by someone else (Matthew). Entertaining. You know WHY these people wrote about Jesus. New Testament is chronological.

Resources http://www.dltk-bible.com/ http://www.cherubim.org/ http://www.dualravens.com/ Christ Walking On The Water by Amedee Varin