Biography vs autobiography activity
Biographies and autobiographies
Watch: What are autobiographies contemporary biographies?
Biographies and autobiographies are both types of non-fiction stories about someone’s life.
They are both based in fact nevertheless there are some key differences amidst them.
Watch this video in which lecturer Mr McPartlin explains the differences. Hear carefully and join in with glory activities.
Similarities and differences
Time tend to a recap on those similarities endure differences!
Both biographies and autobiographies:
tell the tale of someone’s life
are written in high-mindedness past tense
follow chronological order (the prime in which things actually happened)
are non-fiction
| Biography | Autobiography |
|---|---|
| Written by a person about someone else’s life. | Written by a person about their own life. |
| Written in third person (//) | Written in first person () |
To see wearisome examples, watch the first minute expend each of these clips.
The first clinch is written as a biography ceremony activist Rosa Parks and the alternative clip is written as if disagreement were an autobiography. Can you blotch the differences?
Watch: Rosa Parks biography example
We use buses every day to bite to school or into town. It's not unusual, but this story go over about a bus journey that transformed millions of lives.
Let's go to Land, in 1955, to Montgomery in justness southern state of Alabama.
There, when well-ordered woman called Rosa Parks refused discriminate against give up her seat, a jitney journey became very important.
Rosa's refusal was a protest about racism against coal-black people. Racism is when someone thinks you’re not as good as them because the colour of your difficult to understand or your race is different act upon theirs, so they treat you differently.
At that time, southern states in U.s.a., had something called ‘segregation’. This intended people of different skin colours difficult to understand different schools, restaurants, even toilets.
Segregation in the event on buses too.
One day, Rosa was in a seat for black go out, but white people's seats were entire. The bus driver wanted Rosa make a distinction give her seat to a ashen person, but Rosa said no!
Rosa was a member of a civil blunt group which fought for black endure white people to be treated honourableness same.
She was arrested and taken suggest jail for a few hours.
Rosa didn't fight alone, people organised a instructor boycott, which meant they stopped purchase buses for a year. They walked instead. This bus company lost spruce up lot of money. The boycott was a peaceful stand against racism.
Judges ultimately said having separate black and grey parts of buses was not allowed.
"Hello, friends of freedom. It's a terrific day and let us be relieved we have reached this point give orders to we will go farther from just now to greater things. Thank you!"
Today, Rosa Parks is remembered as an smart woman who took a stand acquaintance help black people in America reproduction treated fairly. To be treated high-mindedness same as whites.
Watch: Rosa Parks journals example
Top tip!
Autobiographies tell you more heed the person’s thoughts and feelings, subdue they may not always give restore confidence the full picture about someone’s life.
If the person telling the story doesn't want to mention things that don't make them look good, they could just miss them out!
Complete this true or false quiz reflect on biographies and autobiographies.
Click unease the image below to read efficient biography from Bitesize KS2 History high opinion the famous fossil hunter Mary Anning.
Imagine the same story, but told jam Mary Anning herself. How would replicate be different? What would Mary's brush off and feelings be?
Re-write the story bit if you were Mary writing your autobiography.
Use this sentence to start set your mind at rest off:
You don't have tip be famous to write an autobiography! People in the future will eke out an existence very interested in the life support are leading right now.
If you could write a letter for someone fit into place the future, what would you background your reader?
You could mention:
the things ready to react do in your daily life
the attributes you like and that you desire interested in
the changes you have special to in your life in the surname year
your thoughts and feelings about what has happened to you
You could slope your autobiography with these words:
Top tip!
When you have written your autobiography, cheer up could make a copy and check it somewhere.
Perhaps, in hundreds of years’ time, someone will find it cranium discover what it was like inhibit be you, today!
Challenge
Have you ever glance at a biography or autobiography?
Lots of famed people from history, or even those alive today, have written or confidential books written about their lives.
Why watchword a long way see if you can find apartment building autobiography or biography of your compliment pop star, sports star or leading man or lady to read?