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Year 5

Researching Harriet Tubman in preparation for writing a biography

I can research and gather information about Harriet Tubman’s life in preparation for writing a biography about her.

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New
New
Year 5

Researching Harriet Tubman in preparation for writing a biography

I can research and gather information about Harriet Tubman’s life in preparation for writing a biography about her.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. When preparing to write a biography, it is important to thoroughly research the person we are writing about.
  2. Biographies usually share information about the person's life in chronological order.
  3. Recording information in chronological order helps the reader understand how different events are related & sequenced.

Common misconception

This lesson contains a lot of subject-specific language and information related to the civil war in America.

Information is chunked into small, accessible parts and subject-specific vocabulary is explicitly defined.

Keywords

  • Chronological order - following the order in which a series of events happened

  • Plantation - a large farm that specialises in growing one type of crop

  • Extradite - to hand over a person accused or convicted of a crime to the state in which the crime was committed

  • Underground Railroad - a secret network of people offering shelter and aid to fugitive enslaved people

  • Civil war - a war between citizens of the same country

Showing pupils short videos and dramatisations of Tubman's life will help them understand the context of life in the USA at the time.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Select the definition of a biography.
Correct answer: a non-fiction text written about someone’s life
a non-fiction text written about an event
a non-fiction text written about a subject
Q2.
Select which of these are types of non-fiction texts.
poem
Correct answer: non-chronological report
narrative story
Correct answer: journalistic report
Correct answer: biography
Q3.
What is the purpose of a biography?
to inform the reader about an event
to inform the reader about a subject
Correct answer: to inform the reader about a person
Q4.
Tick the layout features of biographies.
Correct answer: title
Correct answer: subheading
address
Correct answer: paragraphs
stanzas
Q5.
How do subheadings help to achieve the text's purpose?
They tell the reader what the biography is about
They show the reader pictures of the person
Correct answer: They tell the reader what the section is about
Q6.
What is a civil rights activist?
a non-fiction text written about someone’s life
the aim of a text
a structure of language that uses words
Correct answer: a person dedicated to securing equal opportunity for minority groups

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the keywords to their definitions.
Correct Answer:chronological order,when a text is written following the order in which events happened

when a text is written following the order in which events happened

Correct Answer:plantation,a large farm that specialises in growing one type of crop

a large farm that specialises in growing one type of crop

Correct Answer:extradite,to send a person accused of a crime back to their state or country

to send a person accused of a crime back to their state or country

Correct Answer:Underground Railroad,secret network of people offering shelter to fugitive enslaved people

secret network of people offering shelter to fugitive enslaved people

Correct Answer:civil war,a war between citizens of the same country

a war between citizens of the same country

Q2.
What does researching for a biography involve?
Correct answer: finding out more information about a person's life
writing the introduction of the biography
Correct answer: understanding sequences of events in the person's life
Correct answer: learning about the period of time in which the person lived
Q3.
Order the sections of a biography about Harriet Tubman.
1 - introduction
2 - early life
3 - activism
4 - conclusion
Q4.
Which elements of Harriet Tubman's early life have we learned about?
Correct answer: when and where she was born
best friends
Correct answer: family
Correct answer: childhood experiences
favourite games
Q5.
Maryland was a __________ State in the USA.
Correct answer: Southern
Northern
Mid-western
Q6.
Match the terms associated with the Underground Railroad with their definitions.
Correct Answer:conductors,helped guide fugitive slaves across different hiding places

helped guide fugitive slaves across different hiding places

Correct Answer:stations,hiding places, including private homes, schoolhouses and churches

hiding places, including private homes, schoolhouses and churches

Correct Answer:station masters,people operating these hiding places

people operating these hiding places