Writing Biographies (Primary 6)

ENGLISH STUDIES 

READING AND WRITING

THIRD TERM 

WEEK 2

PRIMARY 6

TOPIC: Writing Biographies

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES

By the end of the lesson, the pupils should have attained the following objectives (cognitive, affective and psychomotor) and be able to –

1. Describe a person or thing so that everybody will readily recognize him or it;

2. Describe their teacher, a friend, a school, a favorite dog, a hoe or cutlass, their house;

3. Observe closely;

4. Write their own life histories.

INSTRUCTION MATERIALS

The teacher will teach the lesson with the aid of:

Course book; Cutting of newspapers and magazine;

Books e.g. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie;

Extracts from the course book.

METHOD OF TEACHING – Choose a suitable and appropriate methods for the lessons.

Note – Irrespective of choosing methods of teaching, always introduce an activities that will arouse pupil’s interest or lead them to the lessons. 

REFERENCE MATERIALS

Scheme of Work

9 – Years Basic Education Curriculum

Course Book – MacMillan Brilliant Primary English Book 6, page 102 E4 and other relevant materials.

All Relevant Material

Online Information

CONTENT OF THE LESSON

BIOGRAPHY WRITING 

This is a form of descriptive writing which requires –

1. Close observation.

2. Faithful recording of what was observed.

3. Description of the outside of the person being written about.

4. Description of habits, manners, tasks, mental and moral qualities of the person.

5. The life history, picking on the highlights of the history.

A biography of a female Nigerian writer – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Use the following notes:

A famous and renowned writer who has won several awards on book writing.

Born 15th September, 1977 in Enugu, Nigeria.

Educate at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka Staff School.

Studies Medicine and Pharmacy at the University of Nsukka, Nsukka for a year and half.

Gained scholarship to study Communication at Drexel University, Philadelphia for two years.

Obtained a degree in Communication and Political Science at Eastern Connecticut State University in 1996.

Completed a Masters’ Degree in Creative Writing at John Hopkins University, Baltimore.

Hodder fellow at Princeton University between 2005/2006.

Got a Commonwealth Writer’s Award in 2005 as “Best First Book” for her book Purple Hibiscus.

Won the Orange Broadbard Award for fiction in 2007 for her book Half of a Yellow Sun.

Won the International Nomino prize in 200

Earned a M. A. In African Studies from Yale University in 2008.

PRESENTATION

To deliver the lesson, the teacher adopts the following steps:

1. To introduce the lesson, the teacher revises the previous lesson. Based on this, he/she asks the pupils some questions;

2. Explains “biography” as a life history of a person, his activities and experiences in life written by another person.

3. Biography describes a person or thing so that everybody will readily recognize him/her/it.

4. Describes a boy in class mentioning all his essential features and qualities.

Pupils’ Activities – Discuss the teacher’s description of the boy, discuss the qualities with the teacher.

5. Traces the life of the boy chosen.

6. Lists the relevant points.

7. Develops those points into a biography.

Pupils’ Activities – Write the introductory paragraph about the person chosen.

8. Reads a passage on a life history of a person of note written by the same person.

 

CONCLUSION

To conclude the lesson for the week, the teacher revises the entire lesson and links it to the following week’s lesson.

 

LESSON EVALUATION

PUPILS TO –

Write the biography of a close relation e.g. father, brother or mother, etc.