The Biography Ratio

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?

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‍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 LifeCD – Details CD – Details CD+ – DetailsCM – What is interesting, odd, unusual? Impact?CS – Unexpected, Defied the odds, Impact on societyBody Paragraph 2:TS – Education, Mid-Life, First Book or PoemCD – Details CD – Details CD+ – DetailsCM – What is interesting, odd, unusual? Impact? Does first writing relate to her/his hardships, relationships?

CS – Unexpected, Defied the odds, Impact on societyBody Paragraph 3:TS – Late in LifeCD – Details - Awards CD – Details - CD+ – Details - DeathCM – 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