Biographies

A biography is a written work written of a person’s life written by someone else. In order to be a good biography the information should be consistent with other books, and it should come from a valid source. If the information is not consistent with other books, then chances are that the information is not very accurate. Although there are some biographies that are not consistent with other books, but the information provided is very accurate. This is because the person who wrote the biography might had been very close to the person he wrote about which knew things about the person that no one else did. This is why we have to also see the source that is providing the information so we can see if it’s a trustworthy source or not. These types of texts are useful in the classroom when students begin working on research projects. Also, these books can be used to introduce a history lesson about a specific era or event in which the person the author is writing about lived in.

Don Brown. (1949), Aaron and Alexander: The Most Famous Duel in American History. New York: Roaring Brook Press.

Complexity level:

• Third & Fourth

Read aloud level:

• Second & Third

This book provides information about the lives of Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. It compares and contrasts the lives of both of them. It has very good illustrations that describe what the text is saying. One thing I really liked about it is that the pages are divided in two, on one side it talks about Aaron burr, and on the other it talks about Alexander Hamilton. This book is one that we would definitely use in our classroom because it provides information about Hamilton and Burr since the day they were born, all the way until they had their duel and Hamilton was killed by Burr. This book will be great to use in a history lesson.

Henry F, Graff. (1968). Thomas Jefferson: A Picture Book Biography. Morristown, N.J. : Silver Burdett Co.

Complexity level:

• Fourth & Fifth

Read aloud level;

• Third & Fourth

This book is divided into three sections; the first one had a biography about Thomas Jefferson, the second section had a portfolio, and the third section was an autobiography about Thomas Jefferson. This is a book that would be great for a classroom lesson. We can use it to see to compare what other people wrote about Thomas Jefferson, and what he wrote about himself. It provides many details about him since the day he was born until the day he died. I plan on using these types of books so my students can do research about specific people. Also, I would like to use these texts for read aloud and shared readings.