Biography Timeline Book Report

Biography Book Report- Timeline
Mr. Robertson’s 4th Grade
Due- Feb. 4th

The book report this quarter will focus on biographies. A biography is a book about a person’s life. For this project each student will choose a famous person from the supplied list, or will come up with their own and get it approved by Mr. Robertson and Mrs. Edwards. Students will need to find a book about their famous person as their primary research source. They may also use Google and encyclopedias, but the purpose of this report is for student’s to familiarize themselves with biographies. If they cannot find a biography for their person they need to talk to me and we will work something out.

The Book Report will be in three parts. They are:

1. Timeline- Make a timeline showing at least 10 important events in the life of a famous person. Use a half piece of poster board for your timeline. Make the poster neat and colorful and make sure the information is accurate.
2. Speech- Prepare a 2 minute speech about the life of the famous person. You may bring in props to use in your speech. The speech must be given on February 4th. This is also the day the report is due.
3. Costume- You must dress as the person about whom you are reporting. Your costume does not need to be elaborate or expensive. Be creative, use items around your house that will make an appropriate costume for your famous person.

Timeline
The Timeline is the most important part of this project as it is what they will be turning in and what their presentation will be based on. The Timeline MUST include:
1. At least 10 important events in the persons life, beginning with birth and ending with death. These events should be covered in no less than three sentences and no more than a paragraph. (example: In 1960 Dr. Seuss published “Green Eggs and Ham”. The book uses only 50 words. It was written on a bet with Dr. Suess’s publisher that he couldn’t write a book using so few words. It is about a character names Sam I Am refusing to try an unusual dish.)
2. At least six pictures (hand drawn, photocopied, or printed) of the person illustrating important events or actions in their life.
3. Be creative with the timeline, using it to show what the person was famous for. (example- a timeline about Walt Disney could go through a television screen or loop like Mickey Mouse. A timeline about Lou Gehrig could look like it’s drawn on a baseball ball or field.)
4. Use lots of colors, black and white is boring.
5. Students will be given a long strip of paper to put the timeline on, or they can find their own long strip. It should not all be stuffed on to one regular-sized piece of paper.
6. Students MUST NOT steal directly from the biography or the internet. This is cheating and plagiarism. They learn nothing this way. They WILL be caught.

Speech
The speech will cover the information the students have written on their timeline.Students must be practiced in their speech. The Speech MUST:
1. Demonstrate the student’s knowledge of their person’s life.
2. Not be read directly from the timeline. The student does NOT need to be memorized, but they should be practiced and know what they are going to say. Practice at home to eliminate umms and pauses.
3. It does not need to cover every little thing on the timeline. Students may choose the things they find most important.
4. The two minute time limit is a suggestion. Students may go over slightly.
5. Students MUST NOT steal directly from the biography or the internet. This is cheating and plagiarism. They learn nothing this way. They WILL be caught.

Costume
The costume should not be expensive or overly fancy. This is the least important part of the project. Students may dress up as the person (Abraham Lincoln- fake beard and stovepipe hat/ Lou Gehrig- baseball hat and glove) or as a character the person created (Dr. Seuss- the Cat in the Hat/ Walt Disney- Mickey Mouse). This isn’t a Halloween costume, creativity counts more than accuracy or extravagance.
The Report/Presentation is Due Feb. 4th for everyone.

Pictures of completed timelines from 2013

List of Possible Subjects
(students may choose from this list or choose their own subject, all must be approved by Mr. Robertson or Mrs. Edwards before students begin report)

Presidents/Politicians/World Leaders
All American Presidents
King Kamehameha
Queen Liliuokalani
Golda Mier
Queen Elizabeth
Benjamin Franklin
Cesar Chavez

Scientists/Inventors
Albert Einstein
Marie Curie
Alexander Graham Bell
Nikola Tesla
Steve Jobs
George Washington Carver
Leonardo DaVinci
Charles Darwin

Musicians
Beethoven
Elvis Presley
Ella Fitzgerald
John Lennon
George Harrison
Michael Jackson
Mozart

Artists
Pablo Picasso
Vincent Van Gogh
George Seurat
Georgia O’Keeffe
Michelangelo

Authors
Dr. Seuss
Roald Dahl
EB White
CS Lewis
Shel Silverstein
Mya Angelou
JK Rowling
Maurice Sendak
Stan Lee

Athletes
Lou Gehrig
Jackie Robinson
Dot Richardson
Mia Hamm
Michael Jordan
Magic Johnson
Muhammad Ali
Manny Pacquiao

Visionaries
Martin Luther King Jr
Bruce Lee
Harriet Tubman
Walt Disney
Neil Armstrong