Night of the Notables:Guideline Sheet

Night of the Notables Biography Project Guidelines Due Date 2/17/2010 TBD: Date of Culminating Event 1. Select an eminent person for an in-depth biographical study who is in a field that is interesting to you. Think about how this person stands out as a positive change agent, tradition maker, or creative producer. Make sure you want to know this person better! You will be spending considerable time in the next few weeks researching this person! Research this person thoroughly. Use all avenues that are open to you to find out as much as you can. Be inventive in your research. Try to use as many primary sources as possible. Read all you can about your person, books written by him/her, books written about him/her, collective biographies, reference books, magazine articles, newspapers, periodicals, etc. At the same time, take notes. Do not forget to document sources in correct form. Do not plagiarize! Use the internet to gather information. Make sure to take notes and write down sources in correct form. E-mail or write letters to museums and/or peoples’ hometown libraries to obtain information. Do this early in your research. Save copies of all correspondence. View films, TV biography videos, and DVDs to gather facts and view pictures of your subject. Listen to tapes and recordings of your person to hear his/her voice and speech mannerisms. Interview people who know or may have known you person. Use note cards to record information and sources. Visit all the libraries in your area: school, and public libraries. Consider seeking permission to visit a college library also. When your research is complete, choose one of the following written products to do: biographical sketch in either the first or third person voice, or create a biography magazine. (specific guidelines attached) Make a lifeline of your person’s life. Include a few world or national events to help give perspective, along with major points of the person’s life. This lifeline may be done vertically or horizontally. Compose a bio-riddle about your person synthesizing your research on the life of your chosen change agent, tradition breaker, or creative producer. Use this information to provide identity clues. Utilize literary techniques such as alliteration, simile, metaphor, oxymoron, rhyme, rhythm, etc to add effectiveness of your riddle. Find provocative quotations made by your person. Choose one to be included in your presentation for the culminating activity. (Night of the Notables) Answer the questions listed in the role playing sheet (atached) Be able to present this information during the culminating activity. Design or plan a costume for portrayal of your person at the culminating program. Evaluation/Assessment Complete Self-Assessment Complete “Let’s Compare” activity Rubric assessment of bio-riddle; biographical magazine or biographical sketch Do not wait until the last minute to begin this project. Use this guideline sheet to help you plan your strategy for completing this project. If you need assistance in planning, see your teacher!