Identifying the features of a biography
I can identify the purpose and features of biographical writing.
Identifying the features of a biography
I can identify the purpose and features of biographical writing.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- A biography is a non-fiction text written about someone's life.
- Linguistic features of a biography include fronted adverbials, facts, relative complex sentences and parenthesis.
- Structural features include a title, subheadings and relevant information grouped by theme.
- The purpose of a biography is to inform the reader about a particular individual.
- In biographies, extra, factual information can be added to clauses using brackets or commas.
Keywords
Biography - a non-fiction text written about someone’s life
Purpose - the aim of a text
Linguistic feature - a structure of language that uses words
Civil rights activist - a person who is dedicated to securing equal opportunity for members of minority groups
Common misconception
Pupils may find identifying linguistic features of the text type challenging.
Explicit explanations are given for key linguistic features and modelled in the example biography.
To help you plan your year 5 english lesson on: Identifying the features of a biography, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 5 english lesson on: Identifying the features of a biography, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 english lessons from the Harriet Tubman: biographical writing unit, dive into the full secondary english curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Licence
Starter quiz
6 Questions
Exit quiz
6 Questions
a non-fiction text written about someone’s life
the aim of a text
a structure of language that uses words
a person dedicated to securing equal opportunity for minority groups