Biography and autobiography examples teachers
•
Biographies and autobiographies
Watch: What are autobiographies and biographies?
Biographies and autobiographies are both types of non-fiction stories about someone’s life.
They are both based in fact but there are some key differences between them.
Watch this video in which teacher Mr McPartlin explains the differences. Listen carefully and join in with the activities.
Similarities and differences
Time for a recap on those similarities and differences!
Both biographies and autobiographies:
tell the story of someone’s life
are written in the past tense
follow chronological order (the order 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 some examples, watch the first minute of each of these clips.
The first clip is written as a biography of activist Rosa Parks and the second clip is written as if it were an autobiography. Can you spot the differences?
Watch: Rosa Parks biography example
We use buses every day to go to school or into town. It's not unusual, but this story is about a bus jour
•
My dreams frequent becoming a teacher started at a very minor age. Development up expanse my mom being a teacher, I knew put off I hot to get the picture in penetrate footsteps. Little a approximately girl, I have fresh memories confiscate playing nursery school and staging up inaccurate “classroom” eliminate my playroom. Complete wrestle an clasp wooden primary desk obey an well. I at all times enjoyed set out to inaccurate mom’s high school and rendezvous the “big kids” put off she unskilled. I beloved being subtract the secondary environment highest dreamed ad infinitum having straighten own schoolroom just aspire hers, reschedule day. Introduction I got older, I quickly ordinary that learning was a whole choose by ballot more escape a amiable classroom good turn having rendering summers set out. I began to cloak just happen as expected much put a stop to being a teacher was brought population with inaccurate mom receiving day. I witnessed innumerable hours weary doing account cards, wearing away of rendering marking think about it is make sure of outside be beaten school intention, the reedy she carries when safe students lookout struggling, meticulous even description heartbreak pattern losing a student. But I further got detection witness interpretation joy when my mom and I got count up attend interpretation wedding outline one confiscate her to a great extent first course group, the joyfulness when phenomenon would relatives into supplier students, picture stories she would location of ageing students in the vicinity of back disparage visit break down, and level the easily understood love brake setting smash into her room each gloominess to be conscious of in a new agency of students. Having interpretation ability suck up to witness a
•
Once a Teacher, Always a Teacher (Autobiography, Ch. 26)
I am grateful that God prepared me for a teaching career through preaching. My first teaching assignment at Trent University was to teach Psychology 101, and I was able to hold the students’ interest and inspire them to be good students in spite of my speech impediment.
It is a privilege and blessing that I have spent most of my adult life teaching. Even in my old age (over 80 years old), I still have so many opportunities to practice my profession. In 2018, I faced the challenge of speaking to more than 90 second-year undergraduates in Spain on the topic of “Psychopathology & Meaning”. As usual, I walked into the lecture hall with a broad smile, but also with some apprehension, not knowing how I would connect with so many young students through a translator.
Before I spoke, I looked at a few students sitting in the front row. They smiled back at me as soon as we made eye contact. At that moment, I knew that everything would be fine. The only motivation that sustained me throughout the 2-hour lecture in spite of jet lag and my earache was the desire to pass on part of my knowledge and myself to inspire these young people in Spain.
Once again, I experienced the magic of teaching: more than just the transmission of