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Name
Hero
True Hero Guide
Biography Journal Notes
As you read your biography or autobiography, keep a journal and record…
- Connections: How do you connect with this individual? Why did you select this individual? What strikes you about their life? Their childhood? Their challenges? How they faced their challenges?
- Questions: If you could ask this person anything, what would it be? List any questions you'd like answered to clarify anything you are not sure of.
- Visualizing: Walk through life through this person's eyes…what do you see?
- Inferring: What do you infer about this person?
- Big Ideas: Simply…what is the big idea about this individual?
- Synthesizing: How has reading this autobiography or biography changed your way of thinking? The way you see things?
Journal Sample
| Date |
Strategy |
Observation/Comment |
| 1/10 |
Connections |
I connect with this individual because she came from a broken home and my parents are divorced. I totally understand how she felt that she had to become the parent to take care of her younger siblings and had to be the “adult” because her mom was so depressed. I also worry about money like she did. |
| 1/11 |
Big Ideas |
She overcame great obstacles to go to college, become a doctor, and help others. |
| 1/12 |
Visualizing |
I see her watching all the other teenagers go to the dances…wishing she could go. Seeing all the other teenagers with their designer clothes…and her with the clothes from Goodwill…and the look in her eyes when her mom actually bought her a brand-new dress for graduation. |
Research Notes
As you research books, journals, encyclopedias, or Internet resources, make sure to…
- Correctly cite your sources
- Obtain information on
- Childhood — Where were they born? When were they born? What was their childhood like? Their family?
- Contribution — Why are they considered a hero? What did they contribute to society?
- Challenges — What challenges did they face? How did they meet them?
Research Sample
| Source |
Information |
Biographical Dictionary -
http://www.s9.com/biography/ |
She was born on Tuesday, November 1, 1956, in Phoenix, Arizona. She was the oldest of 10 children. |
| My Hero - http://www.myhero.com/home.asp |
She had to drop out of school when she was in the eighth grade because she had to get a job when her father left the family. She worked in the factories all day and then would come home to help her mom take care of her siblings. |
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