Biography Research Report: Multi-Draft Informative Writing for Grades 3-5 (CCSS)

"Best biography unit I have seen!!!"

“Fantastic resource to use for research of ANY historical figure.”

“I just LOVE your writing units. They are so thorough and helpful.”

Looking for a method to make research writing easier to manage for you and your students? Want a resource to bring new life to the Wax Museum or Famous Inventors reports you’ve been doing for years?

Instead of doing several Informative Essays, I like to focus on just one and help students make it better and better through multiple drafts that add new skills each time.

These "Ready To Print" student pages meet EIGHT of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English Language Arts (ELA) for Grades 3-5 Writing & Language and support students through the entire Writing Process! This Expository Writing Resource also incorporates Reading Informational Text CCSS although those are not specifically assessed.

Students will use the included Step-by-Step Companion Packet to guide them through the entire research and writing process. Students focus on just three “Must-Have’s” for each draft—not tackling everything all at once. This allows them to be successful a little bit at a time while constructing an essay that is top-notch by the end of Draft Three. Each new draft has Preparation Pages that prepare the students to focus on the new Must-Have’s.

Students will also use draft-by-draft color-coding of text for at-a-glance teacher grading. Three easy circles on the included check-in forms will allow you to give feedback following each draft without making all of the corrections yourself! {Note: Students will need access to yellow, pink, and green highlighters for this!}

In addition to the five post-draft check-in sheets, I have included a student self-evaluation and teacher rubric for formal assessment.

*I have also included an Accelerated Reader Leveled Book List featuring Picture Book Biographies by David A. Adler that will allow you to differentiate and pair each student with a biography that s/he can read independently!*

This resource will compliment a variety of tried and true research writing projects including Wax Museum, Famous Inventors, Famous Athletes, Famous Americans, Famous African-Americans, Olympic Athletes and more!

Thank you for your interest & I hope you enjoy this product from Project Hallway!

:-) Bethany

With your purchase, you will receive:

*Teacher Notes

*Leveled Biographies Book List (AR Levels Included!)

*Student Essay Cover Page with Writing Goals

*Student Writing Pages covering:

--Writing Process Instructions

--Brainstorming Ideas

--Nonfiction Text Features

--Research Notebook Covering:

----Childhood

----Birthdate & Birthplace

----How his/her Environment influenced his/her Interests

----Family Life

----Adulthood

----Career

----Personal Life: Marriage, Children...

----Desire to Change the World

----How s/he brought about Change

----Historical Impact of these Changes

----Famous Quotes

----Fun Facts

----Portrait

----Sources Used (Bibliography/Works Cited)

--Draft One "Must-Have's" with Color Codes (Paragraph Two)

--Draft One "Must-Have's" with Color Codes (Paragraph Three)

--Draft One "Must-Have's" with Color Codes (Paragraph Four)

--Introduction/Hooking the Reader (Paragraph One)

--Defining Words the Reader Might Not Know

--Transition Words

--Draft Two "Must-Have's" with Color Codes

--Conclusion (Paragraph Five)

--Grammar

--Writing Conventions

--Spelling

--Draft Three "Must-Have's" with Color Codes

--Publishing Preparations

--Title and Headings

*Draft One Check-In Sheet (Paragraph Two)

*Draft One Check-In Sheet (Paragraph Three)

*Draft One Check-In Sheet (Paragraph Four)

*Draft Two Check-In Sheet

*Draft Three Check-In Sheet

*Student Self-Evaluation

*Teacher Assessment Rubric

Rather have a Digital Version? Click below!

Biography Research: Multi-Draft Informative Writing using Google Docs (CCSS)

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