Hi. My name is Melissa. I was trained by you last school year with junior high and high school teachers of Ennis ISD. My seventh-grade students are writing a biography about an author. I’m requiring them to use the Jane Schaffer expository format, but most of them are struggling to form a topic sentence, commentary, or concluding sentences for their chunks. They seem to want to fill their paragraphs with nothing but concrete details. Is the Jane Schaffer format appropriate for a biography?
Dear Melissa,
Yes. Use the 2+:1 ratio for the paragraphs, Melissa. Also, think of the biography in terms of a narrative with a beginning, middle, and end..
Above the introduction: Title and Quote from the author (The title must be something from one of her works – it may not be her/his name)
Introduction
• Broad statements – Why do people read? Why do different people resonate with different authors?
• Introduce author – name, century s/he lived, known best for
• Thesis: Her/his life is meaningful because . . .
Body Paragraph 1:
TS – Early Life
CD – Details
CD – Details
CD+ – Details
CM – What is interesting, odd, unusual? Impact?
CS – Unexpected, Defied the odds, Impact on society
Body Paragraph 2:
TS – Education, Mid-Life, First Book or Poem
CD – Details
CD – Details
CD+ – Details
CM – What is interesting, odd, unusual? Impact? Does first writing relate to her/his hardships, relationships?
CS – Unexpected, Defied the odds, Impact on society
Body Paragraph 3:
TS – Late in Life
CD – Details – Awards
CD – Details –
CD+ – Details – Death
CM – What is interesting, odd, unusual? Impact? Does first writing relate to her/his hardships, relationships?
CS – Unexpected, Defied the odds, Impact on society
Conclusion – why out of all the authors you could have chosen did you choose this one? What makes him/her stand out above the rest?
Keep reading and writing!
Best regards,
Dr. Louis