You love looking at literature through a biographical lens! “All About Authors for $1000, please Alex!” You’re a wiz when it comes to authors. You didn’t just love Hamilton the Musical; you read the book! The new biography on Edgar Allan Poe? You already read it! So, pull out your computer and head over to Biography.com. Let’s create a meaningful and fun lesson based on the author’s life and influences.
Biographers believe the story is inspired by an author’s life and experience, and that’s what matters. So, think of the story you’re teaching and use a lens that looks at the author’s inspirations and influences. You might think about the author’s life and connect it to important themes and events in the story.
Using a biographical lens for lesson planning is a great way to spark your creativity (and save you time!). Plus, your students will love becoming biographers themselves! Let’s look at some biographical lens activities to have your students try a new lens for learning:
- an architect to design a symbolic memorial or statue for the author
- a museum curator to explain an artifact about the author’s life
- a biographer to write a new book about the author
For more information on how to use this lens, click here.
