For the next few weeks, we will be studying the genre of biography in writing workshop. During this study, we will read and listen to many biographies and discuss what biographies are, including their purpose and features. This information will empower students to write their own biographies as they work through the writing process- generating ideas, collecting research, note taking, and drafting as well as revising and editing.  

During the course of the study, you can support our work in the following ways:

• Talk to your child about biographies you have read;
• Ask your child questions about how the study is going;
• Help your child find inspiration by noting potential biography subjects;
• Take your child to the library and help him or her pick out great biography picture books or articles to add to our in-class collection. The picture book or article format is ideal for our study because it is short and usually filled with wonderfully detailed and well-crafted writing;
• Help your child do an online search for additional samples of good biographies; and
• Once your child has selected a subject, help him or her gather research on the internet and at the library.

As always, your help will be greatly appreciated!