The Art of Biography

Classroom Activities

Activity One: Introduction to Autobiography and the Author Roald Dahl

Placement in Unit: Complete this lesson as the starting point for the unit.

Instructional Focus: In this lesson, students will discover, construct, and understand the principles of autobiography. Students will be introduced to the author Roald Dahl.

Materials: Information on Dahl's life acquired from a biographical source (online or print), printed pictures from Dahl's life found on Google Images, white or chalkboard, dry erase markers or chalk, magnets, paper, pencils, butcher paper, marker.

Activity: Explain to students that they will soon be reading an autobiography of a man named Roald Dahl and that they will begin the autobiography by first learning some information about the author's life. Draw a timeline on the board beginning at the year of Dahl's birth (1916) and ending at the year of his death (1990). Use the information complied on Dahl's life, the pictures found on the Internet, and the magnets to construct a visual timeline for Dahl's life. Write a date and post a picture to the appropriate place on the timeline while talking about that event in Dahl's life. Pause occasionally to allow students to ask questions or comment. In constructing the timeline, do not give away too much information from the text Boy: Tales of Childhood, instead gloss over this part of Dahl's life and focus more on Dahl's adult life. Include interesting events like his work for the Shell Oil Company, his enlistment in the Royal Air Force, his start as a writer first for adults and then for children, publishing dates for some of his more famous and familiar works, his two marriages, the family tragedies he sustained, etc.

Explain to students that the timeline represents Dahl's biography, but they will be reading Dahl's autobiography, and that the autobiography will focus on Dahl's younger years. Ask students what an autobiography is. Students should be familiar with this word, but if they are not, explain it as a story of a person's life written by that person. For homework on this night, assign students the task of writing their autobiography. Inform students that they will be asked to share their autobiographies with the class. Limit the autobiography to a minimum of two-pages and a maximum of three and give students as little guidance on what to write as possible.

When students return to class, pair them with another student and have them read that students' autobiography. When students are finished, have a few students read their autobiography aloud. Instruct students to listen for similarities in how the autobiographies are told and in the information each includes. Allow students to comment or ask each other questions about what they have written. Tell students that they are going to come up with some principles of autobiography based on what they have written. Guide students in discovering and constructing these principles. Record the principles on a large sheet of butcher paper to post in the classroom for the duration of the unit. Note that principles may be added, altered, or debated as students begin reading Boy: Tales of Childhood or writing their own autobiographies.

Activity Two: Introduction to Characterization

Placement in Unit: Complete this lesson after students have read through chapter four in Boy: Tales of Childhood, "The Great Mouse Plot."

Instructional Focus: In this lesson, students will understand characterization as the inner and outer nature or personality of a person or character in a text. Students will justify inferred character traits in oral discussion.

Materials: Boy: Tales of Childhood, access to computers/Internet, portrait books (paintings and photographs), illustrated children's books

Activity: Have students read Boy: Tales of Childhood through chapter four, "The Great Mouse Plot," before completing this activity. Tell students that today they will go on a search to find the best picture of Mrs. Pratchett, the owner of the sweet shop from chapter four. This is a good activity to complete in your school's library. Group students in mixed ability level groups of three students each. Explain to students that they may use computers, picture books, art books that contain portraits or photographs, illustrations in picture books, etc. to find a picture that most accurately represents Mrs. Pratchett. Ask your school's librarian to help in identifying what books would be best for students to use and keywords that may aid students in conducting an Internet search. Students must be able to justify why their picture best represents Mrs. Pratchett. Tell students that the more details they can find in their picture from the text, the better. Let students work freely for about 15-20 minutes to find Mrs. Pratchett and prepare their justification to present to the class. To add more excitement to this activity, turn it into a competition for the group that finds the best Pratchett picture.

As groups share their Pratchett pictures and justification, use probing questions to lead them in a discussion of character. Ask why. Form questions that will require students to go back to the details of the text. If students point to an implied character trait of Mrs. Pratchett, ask how they know. List any character traits students correctly identify on the board with the justification to support it.

Once all groups have presented, explain to students that they have just completed the process of characterization. Tell students that they found a picture that suggested Mrs. Pratchett's character or personality. The picture told what kind of person Mrs. Pratchett was. For homework, have students characterize a person that they know well in three to four paragraphs. Students should explain the person's personality and their nature and give examples to justify each character trait.

This activity can be extended. Select several portraits, photographs, or illustrations of people from children's books that are good examples of pictures that reveal character. Group students again into mixed ability groups and allow the students to discuss the supposed character of the subject of the picture. Instruct students to work together to tell the story of the person in the picture and incorporate the subject's character traits.

Activity Three: Going in Depth with Characterization

Placement in Unit: Have students complete this lesson after they have read through chapter twelve in Boy: Tales of Childhood, "The Matron." This lesson can be repeated several times throughout the unit for additional practice with characterization as students continue their reading.

Instructional Focus: In this lesson, students will move from understanding characterization to engaging in the process of characterization using textual evidence.

Materials: Boy: Tales of Childhood, STEAL pneumonic and graphic organizer from ReadWriteThink, pencils

Activity: Explain to students that they will be characterizing individuals today in Boy: Tales of Childhood using evidence from the text. Go over the process of making an inference with students using textual evidence. Use Mrs. Pratchett as an example. Point out to students that sometimes in characterization, an author will not tell readers something directly, but that he will give us clues to infer it. For instance, no one at Mrs. Pratchett's store gets a bag for their sweets unless they spend a whole sixpence in the store ²². Using this information, we can infer that Mrs. Pratchett is cheap and concerned about making a profit. To further support this inference, we could add from the text the fact that she doesn't want all of the boys to come into the store if only one of them has the means to be an actual customer. ²³ Nowhere in the text does it say that Mrs. Pratchett is cheap and focused on a profit, we infer it. Point out to students that in order to infer this character trait about Mrs. Pratchett, we used her actions, what she said, and her thoughts.

Explain to students that in order to characterize an individual within a text, we often use a process that can be remembered using a pneumonic device from ReadWriteThink called STEAL (Speech, Thought, Effects of Others, Actions, and Looks) ²⁴. Tell students that each of these pieces of information can tell them something about a person's character. Use student examples from the class to further illustrate this point. A STEAL graphic organizer from ReadWriteThink can be used to help students organize the information used to characterize Mrs. Pratchett, or students can list the information for each part of STEAL and the character trait that they can infer from it in a chart on their own notebook paper. Guide students in identifying the information necessary to characterize Mrs. Pratchett. Allow students to ask questions and contribute as you guide them through this process. Note that students can use information in chapters 3-6 to characterize Mrs. Pratchett.

Once students have read through chapter 12, "The Matron," they can work independently on a second STEAL chart for the Matron. Use students' finished charts to assess their ability to pull out useful pieces of textual information and make logical inferences pertaining to characterization. Go over the chart with students and address any issues in the characterization process, as needed.

For homework, have students identify one or several places in Boy: Tales of Childhood where they could characterize Dahl. When students return to class, have them share the places they have marked and discuss why these places provide good information for characterization. Talk about the type of information that is provided and what inferences can be made from it.

Activity Four: Autobiographical Writing on a Theme

Placement in Unit: Have students complete this lesson several times throughout the unit

Instructional Focus: In this lesson, students will practice autobiographical/personal narrative writing using Dahl's writing as a mentor text.

Materials: Writer's journals or paper, pencils

Activity: After reading a chapter in Boy: Tales of Childhood, have students discuss the common childhood or autobiographical theme of the chapter. For instance, the theme of chapter one, "Papa and Mama," is where a person comes from. Dahl writes about his background and gives us the information we need to understand what he will write later about how he grew up. Chapter seven, "Norway," is about taking a journey or a trip. The theme of chapter fifteen, "Captain Hardcastle," is about getting in trouble at the hands of a teacher. As students read each chapter work with them to construct a theme or central idea for the chapter.

Instruct students to write in their writer's journals on the decided upon theme or idea. Students must write autobiographical sketches. They may need to consult or be reminded of the principles of autobiography from activity one as they write. Students will have the opportunity to read several chapters from Dahl each week, and as a minimum should write on at least one theme per week. Allow students to choose which theme they will write on. Share with students that every single writing may not be perfect or even completed, but that it is important for them to put their ideas down on paper in a logical way. Let them know that their writer's journal is a place for them to share their stories, be expressive and creative, explore their thoughts and reflections on an event, and try new writing techniques. Students should receive a completion grade for their writer's journals each week.

As students get further into the text, encourage the expectation that writings in their journals become more detailed and sophisticated. Ask them to tell a story as Dahl does. Point out writing techniques that Dahl uses in the text and ask students to identify techniques that they see. Model these techniques for students and encourage them to try them in their writing. After reading a chapter that students find interesting, ask them what Dahl did to make the story appealing. Ask them to model one or more pieces of their writing on Dahl's style. Allow students to share what they feel is good writing with the class.

Activity Five: Revise Writing with an Emphasis on Characterization

Placement in Unit: This lesson can be ongoing and revisited several times. Have students complete this lesson only after completing lessons two and three and after they have accumulated a significant number of writings in their writer's journals.

Instructional Focus: In this lesson, students understand the revision process as a necessary part of writing in which they clarify and improve their ideas and writing. Students will focus on revising their writing to reveal character.

Materials: Boy: Tales of Childhood, writer's journals, paper, pencil, teacher-created example of an autobiographical sketch that reveals character, revision pens or pencils of a different color, highlighters, document camera and LCD projector or overhead projector for displaying writing.

Activity: Ask students to review the writing in their writer's journals and mark the writings that have the potential to reveal something about an aspect of their personal character. Students should mark several pieces of writing, but for this lesson have them only work with one piece of writing at a time. Ask students to share what aspect of their character the writing reveals and how or why.

Ask students to turn back in their books, to chapter four, "The Great Mouse Plot." This chapter is a good chapter to use to illustrate how a story reveals character. Read the following quote from chapter four to students, "When writing about oneself, one must strive to be truthful. Truth is more important than modesty. I must tell you, therefore, that it was I and I alone who had the idea for the great and daring Mouse Plot. We all have our moments of brilliance and glory, and this was mine." ²⁵ In light of what students already know from having previously read this chapter, ask what qualities about Dahl this quote reveals. Students should point to traits like cocky, confident, grand trickster, crafty, and daring. Ask students to find evidence in the chapter that supports the traits they listed for Dahl and to note them using a STEAL chart

Tell students that today they will be revising their writing to reveal character. Remind students of the idea of an autobiography as a portrait of character. They should provide enough information and detail to allow readers to infer their character traits. They should "show," not "tell." Direct students' attention back to their STEAL chart and highlight how Dahl included details that suggested that he was, for instance, daring. It was his idea to torment Mrs. Pratchett and put a dead mouse in her Gobstopper jar (thoughts). His friends first stare at him in wonder when he suggests the idea, "then as the sheer genius of the plot began to sink in, they all started ginning. They slapped me on the back" ²⁶ (effects of others). Dahl did not back down from the challenge when his friends decided that he should be the one to actually place the mouse in the jar, and, despite the danger of being caught, he didn't chicken out during the act either (actions). After they leave the shop and his friends ask if he actually did it, Dahl exclaims triumphantly, "'Of course I did!'" ²⁷ (speech). The teacher should then again point out how Dahl uses the process of STEAL in revealing his character.

Ask students to write out which details from their own story reveal or can reveal the character trait that they believe their story conveys. Students will use these notes as a guide for revising.

Model for students how to go back into their writing to revise. Use one of your own writings as an example for students and project it on the board. Using the highlighter, go back and identify places where information can be added that will reveal character. Then use a pencil or pen of another color to add those details to your writing. Be sure to identify where additions should go with an arrow. Read through your additions for students and comment on the sound and feel of the details that you add. Model both good and bad examples of revisions for students and think aloud on why the revision is good or bad. Allow students to ask questions or to help make revisions to the writing.

Give students time to revise their writing using the same revision process and their notes as a guide. When students are finished revising, have them swap writing with a partner. As students read another's writings ask them to identify the character trait that the student aimed to convey. If the character trait cannot be easily or correctly identified then the student may need to add additional revisions.

Lesson Six: Culminating Activity – A Portrait of Words

Placement in Unit: This is the final lesson of the unit and should be completed as a culminating activity.

Instructional Focus: In this lesson students will edit and publish one of their revised pieces of writing for the purpose of including it in a class book.

Materials: Writer's journals, pen or pencil in a different color from original writing or revisions, computer access, picture of students, access to laminating and binding machine

Activity: At this point students should have several pieces of revised writing in their writer's journal. Ask students to select the best piece of revised writing they have that tells a story that they would like to share. Explain to students that they will be peer editing this piece of writing for spelling, grammatical mistakes, and mechanics so that it can be published in a class book.

Students should have several students edit their writing. Pair students with someone of their same ability and someone of a higher ability for editing. Note that it may be useful to select certain students to serve as peer editors for the class, depending on the makeup of the class. Ask students to focus on editing for only a few types of mistakes based on the needs of the class. For instance, focus on paragraphing, correct use of quotation marks in dialogue, comma use in compound sentences and or introductory clauses, consistent verb tense, subject-verb agreement, spelling, etc. Be sure that each skill has been taught or reviewed before asking students to edit for it. Once students have edited their writing, allow them to type their final piece.

As a final assignment, bring students' attention back to the idea of the autobiography as a portrait of character. Explain to students that their autobiographical pieces are portraits in words. Assign students the task of taking or finding a picture to match their autobiographical piece. Set the following guideline for pictures: (1) the picture must be of the student only, (2) their facial expression or gestures should suggest the facet of their character that is revealed in the writing, (3) students are permitted to include other details in their picture to help suggest the intended character. Encourage students to take their own pictures or use pictures that they already have at home, but caution students about simply using a picture that they think is flattering or cute. The intent is for the picture/portrait to be revealing of character. Share examples with students to help them understand the concept.

Bring the unit to a close by laminating students' stories and pictures and binding them in a class book to be shared and displayed in the classroom. As students read each other's writings encourage them to share with one another and comment on the portrait they see in their mind's eye.