Biography Writing | Write A Biography In Less Than A Day: Bessie Coleman | Grades 3-6

Write A Biography In Less Than A Day! Featuring Elizabeth "Bessie" Coleman - An Engaging Writing Activity for Grades 3-6

Get your students excited about writing and history with this comprehensive activity that guides them through constructing a short biography essay about the pioneering aviator, Elizabeth "Bessie" Coleman. Designed to be completed efficiently, this lesson provides a structured approach to teaching essential writing skills.

What Students Will Learn:

This activity is a writing lesson that teaches students how to construct a short essay in the form of a biography. Through the process, students will develop key skills:

• Researching and finding facts: Students will start with provided facts and have the option to conduct their own research to add more.

• How to sort facts into paragraphs: Students will organize facts into categories like "Early life and education," "Inspiration to fly," and "After getting a pilot’s license".

• How to transform facts into sentences: Facts are turned into complete sentences with subjects and predicates, written in time order.

• How to embellish sentences using word parts: Students will use word charts to add adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, conjunctions, and prepositions to enhance their writing.

• Sentence and paragraph transitioning: The lesson includes guidance on using transition words to create smooth flow within and between paragraphs.

How It Works:

The activity provides facts about Elizabeth "Bessie" Coleman. Students will first sort these facts into designated categories. Next, they will transform their sorted facts into complete, time-ordered sentences. Using provided word charts, students will then embellish these sentences. Finally, students will write their biography as paragraphs, using transition words to connect ideas smoothly. The final biography should consist of at least three paragraphs, each with 3-6 sentences.

About the Subject:

The biography focuses on Elizabeth "Bessie" Coleman, an aviator. Students will learn facts such as her birthdate and location (January 26, 1892, Atlanta, Texas), her move to Chicago and work as a manicurist, her inspiration to fly from listening to men in the barbershop, the necessity of taking flying lessons in France because women and blacks were not allowed into flight school, and her achievement of becoming the first woman and African-American to earn a pilot's license on June 15, 1921. They will also learn about her education (one-room elementary school in Waxahachie, TX, and college at Oklahoma Colored Agricultural and Normal University) and her career as a stunt pilot after getting her license, as well as her death on April 30, 1926, while practicing for a show.

Target Audience & Alignment:

This activity is recommended for grades 3-6.

It aligns with several Common Core Writing Standards, including:

• W.3.2: Writing informative/explanatory texts with facts, details, linking words, and concluding statements.

• W.3.3: Writing narratives with event sequences, temporal words, and closure.

• W.3.4: Producing clear writing appropriate to task and purpose.

• W.3.5: Planning, revising, and editing writing with guidance.

• W.3.6: Using technology for writing and collaboration.

• W.3.7: Conducting short research projects.

• W.3.8: Recalling and gathering information, taking notes, and sorting evidence.

• W.4.1: Introducing topics, stating opinions, and creating organizational structures.

• W.4.2: Writing informative/explanatory texts with linking words and concluding statements.

• W.4.3: Writing narratives with transitional words, concrete words, sensory details, and conclusions.

• W.4.4: Producing clear and coherent writing appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

• W.4.5: Developing and strengthening writing with guidance.

• W.4.6: Using technology for publishing and collaborating.

• W.4.7: Conducting short research projects through investigation.

• W.4.8: Recalling/gathering information, taking notes, categorizing, and listing sources.

• W.4.9: Drawing evidence from texts.

• W.5.1: Introducing topics, stating opinions, and creating organized structures.

• W.5.2: Developing topics with facts, details, quotations, and examples; linking ideas with words, phrases, and clauses; providing concluding statements.

• W.5.3: Using transitions, concrete words, sensory details, and conclusions in narratives.

• W.5.4: Producing clear and coherent writing appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

• W.5.5: Developing and strengthening writing through various strategies.

This activity offers a focused, standards-aligned approach to biography writing, making it a valuable addition to your curriculum.