1. Nonfiction
group Project

2. DAY 1
Introduction

3. Nonfiction Group Project
Objective
To research and study a real person’s background, personality and the pivotal
events of their life, and to present these
findings to the class both orally and visually.

4. Nonfiction Group Project
Procedures
Students will work in small groups.
Each group must choose a nonfictional person and researches their background.
Then they will locate and read an excerpt from this person’s memoir/biography.
As they red, groups will analyze the narrative elements and author’s tone/word choice.
Finally the group will create and deliver a presentation on this person to their class.

5. Nonfiction Group Project
Grading
Each group will receive one final grade--mostly based on their presentation--but also an individual grade that will be based on your teacher’s observations, as well as each team members’ evaluation at the end of the project.

6. 1 3 5 3-4 # Slides POWERPOINT Points Title Page
— author’s name, team members’ names 10
3-4
Subject’s background
— birthplace, childhood, education, major events
Subject’s contributions/awards
— awards, works, why they are famous 3
Subject’s memoir/biography
— quotes, literary devices, themes, real-world connections 5
On-screen Assessment
— 5 questions (w/answers) that the audience should have learned.
Works Cited
— sources used: websites, videos, articles, books, etc.
GROUP
Visual presentation
— appropriate font size & color, smooth transitions
Oral presentation
— effort given (evaluated by teacher)
INDIVIDUAL
Teamwork
— work ethic (evaluated by peers)
Speaking Part
— posture, voice, eyes (evaluated by teacher)
*Each group must submit their PowerPoint to me before presenting!
100 pts

7. Subjects List Abraham Lincoln Albert Einstein Anne Frank Aron Ralston
Art Spiegelman
Bill Bryson
Black Elk
Booker T. Washington
Charles Darwin
Cheryl Strayed
Chris McCandless
C.S. Lewis
Dalai Lama
Elizabeth Smart
Frederick Douglass
Geronimo
Helen Keller
Henrietta Lacks
Henry David Thoreau
Ishmael Beah
Jane Goodall
Jaycee Dugard
Jeannette Walls
John Hersey
Katherine Johnson (NASA)
Mahatma Gandhi
Malala Yousafzai
Mark Twain
Maya Angelou
Michael Pollan
Nelson Mandela
Oprah Winfrey
Plato
Richard Wright
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Sandra Cisneros
Seabiscuit
Sojourner Truth
Solomon Northup
Stephen Hawking
Stephen King
Ta-Nehisi Coates
Tim O’Brien
W.E.B. Du Bois
Zora Neale Hurston

8. DAY 2
BACKGROUND RESEARCH

9. Subject’s Background Essential Questions
What kind of sources did your group find to learn about your subject’s experience? (ex. memoir, interview, article, video, etc.)
What impact did historical/cultural/geographical /social events have on this person’s life story?
What mentors or influences existed in their life?
How or why is their story important to the reader or our culture/society?

13. CREATING THE PRESENTATION
DAY 3
CREATING THE PRESENTATION

14. Group Presentation 1 3 5 3-4 # Slides POWERPOINT Points Title Page
— author’s name, team members’ names 10
3-4
Subject’s background
— birthplace, childhood, education, major events
Subject’s contributions/awards
— awards, works, why they are famous 3
Subject’s memoir/biography
— quotes, literary devices, themes, real-world connections 5
On-screen Assessment
— 5 questions (w/answers) that the audience should have learned.
Works Cited
— sources used: websites, videos, articles, books, etc.

15. Group Presentation Essential Questions
How did this story/subject help you make meaning of your own life?
Which literary devices (similes, symbols, metaphors, etc.) were used in this story?
Which narrative elements did this story focus on? (ex. character, plot, setting, theme, etc.)

16. DAY 4
WRITING ANALYSIS

17. Writing Analysis Essential Questions
How easy was it for the reader to understand what the subject experienced? (Could you relate? Were you confused?)
How did their personal experiences shape their identity or make them who they were?
What were the most important decisions your author/character had to make in their story?
What do you think was the purpose of for why this person’s story was important to write down?

18. DAY 5
EDITING & PRACTICE

19. DAY 6
PRESENTATIONS