• Reports are to be:
  • Typewritten
    • size twelve point font
    • double-spaced
    • a minimum of ten pages in length
  • Additional pages should include
    • a bibliography(Link to bibliography citation machine)(Password is "Discovery")
    • title page
    • table of contents
    • a glossary of terms (at least 15 terms related to your topic)
    • at least two illustrations. Illustrations can be anything from maps of important places related to your subject, to drawings of the subject, to artwork related to their hobby, importance, et
  You must use a minimum of four different sources, including, but not limited to:

1. Primary source, the biography or autobiography you are reading.
2. At least one other written source, not the Internet, such as a book, encyclopedia, magazine article, Infotrac,etc.
3. At least two multi-media sources, such as: the Internet, movie, TV show, radio broadcast, CD/Record/Cassette, etc.

All students will read their reports as part of a presentation to the class, beginning on Monday, March 17, 2008. Names will be drawn randomly, in class that day, to determine the order of presentations. Written copies, as well as electronic copies of your report should be handed in that day, whether your name is drawn or not.

You must use some form of media to accompany your report.
This could include playing a song, a clip from a movie/video/TV show, slides or pictures that illustrate something about your subject, time period, environment, etc.

All students will create a PowerPoint presentation (or other computer generated program) to accompany your report.

Your biographies should be read by Monday, February 4, 2008.

As you read, you should begin to take notes about:

• important events
• places
• people in your subject’s life.

These notes should be taken on 3x5 index carts, and cited for source and page.

You will need to provide your own index cards for this activity. These will then help you to organize your report, once your book is read. These note cards will also help your to build your bibliography. Notes will be checked and graded, with various due dates during the month of January.

In early February, we will begin a new unit in literature on Fantasy stories, with at least four possible choices, and most of the rest of the biography project will be writing and research done as part of Language Arts.

First rough drafts are due Friday, February 22, 2008. These will be returned early the following week with comments and suggestions for improvement, and should be kept and turned in with your final draft on March 17. Missing rough drafts will result in a very substantial loss of credit.

We will be doing this project in place of a class novel in literature, though we will do some units on literary elements, using picture books and short stories. The overall unit, and your primary source (biography) will be included in your AR goal for 2nd term, and any books that do not have quizzes will be accounted for using a pre-determined formula of actual pages multiplied by .042 (pages X .042).

***(This formula was arrived at by averaging page numbers and relative difficulty among middle grade level books that we do have quizzes for.)

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Please sign below and have your parents sign to indicate your have received and understand the scope of the project and the important dates. This slip is due back to Mr. Arvish by Friday, January 4, 2008.

I, _______________, have read and understand the Biography Project as outlined above.
(print your name)

I also acknowledge the due dates, February4, 2008, February 22 and March 17 as well as all requirements of the project.

I, _________________, have read and understand the requirements and due dates for my
(print parent’s name) child's Biography Project.

_____________________ ______
Student signature date

_____________________ ______
Parent signature date