Pre-Writing Activities 1. Structure of the Biography

Unit 4

Theme: Celebrities Genre: Biography  A biography is an account of a person’s life. It includes information such as date of birth (and death, where appropriate), education and career, special and important events, and outstanding accomplishments.

Details of Writing Task  Rubrics: You are going to take part in a writing competition organised by the English Club in your school. You are asked to write a biography to introduce a celebrity. Gather information about the selected celebrity from the Internet and/or the library, but make sure that you write your biography in your own words. Give your biography an attractive title. It will be posted on the website of the English Club.

Features Context: A writing competition organised by the English Club in your school Writer: Secondary school students Audience: The organising committee of the competition Target Language: i) Simple past tense ii) Time expressions (to retell the events in chronological order)

Pre-writing Activities 1. Structure of the Biography

When writing a biography of a celebrity, the following elements (see the list of structural elements in a biography), where appropriate, should be included:

List of structural elements in a biography:

1 a) A title that summarises the e) Career biography f) Marriage b) Date and place of birth g) Death c) Family background h) Achievements d) Education i) Contributions

1A: Below is a biography of Michael Jackson. Read the passage and fill in the boxes with the elements of the biography from the list above. You need not include all the elements suggested. The first box has been done for you.

The King of Pop – Michael Jackson (MJ)

Photos (To be downloaded by teachers)

A title that summarises The King of Pop – Michael Jackson (MJ) the biography

Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 in Indiana, the United States. He was born in an African American working class family. He had three sisters and five brothers. Michael had a bad relationship with his father as he was often physically and emotionally abused by him.

Michael proved his talent in 1964, at the age of 6, when he began performing vocals and dances with his brother Marlon. They joined the band Jackson Brothers, which was later called Jackson 5. In 1966, Jackson 5 won a major local talent show.

In the 1990s, Jackson had two brief marriages. His first wife was Elvis Presley’s daughter Lisa Marie Presley, and he had two children with his second wife. However, both marriages ended up in divorce. He was found dead on June 25, 2009 because of a drug-induced cardiac attack.

Since the 1980s, Michael’s albums consistently broke the sales record. Throughout his career, he received numerous honours and awards. His achievements featured multiple Gunniess World Records, including the ‘Most Successful Entertainer of All Time’ – 13 Grammy Awards, 22 American Music Awards, 17 number one singles, and estimated sales of 750 million records worldwhile.

2 Known as the ‘King of Pop’, Michael had global influence through his musical contributions. His distinctive sound and vocal style inspired numerous pop, rock, R&B and hip hop artists. He was also widely credited with transforming the music videos from a promotional tool into an art form. In addition, he popularised a number of physically complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk.

Besides, he was a philanthropist. He donated money to and raised millions of dollars for 39 charities. He is the founder of The Heal the World Foundation. The foundation, named after one of his popular songs ‘Heal the World’, helps to improve the condition of all mankind.

1B: Read the biography of Michael Jackson in 1A and answer the questions below. The bolded words provided are the key structural elements of a biography.

Questions Answers Title 1. What is the title of this biography? Date and place of birth 2. When was Michael Jackson born? 3. Where was he born? Family background 4. How many brothers and sisters did he have? 5. How was his relationship with his father?

Career 6. When did he first join a band? 7. In which year did he first win in a contest? Michael’s marriage and death 8. Who was his first wife?

3 9. How many children did he have with his second wife? 10. When did he die? 11. What was the cause of his death? Michael’s achievements 12. How many Michael’s records were sold? Michael’s musical contributions 13. What kinds of artists were inspired by Michael? 14. What did he do to music videos? 15. What did he popularize? Michael’s charitable contributions 16. How many charities did he support? 17. What is the name of the organization founded by him?

1C: Sentence sequencing & time expressions Read the following background statements about President Barack Obama. Put them in what you think is the best order. Then underline the time expressions which are used to retell the events in chronological order.

1. Then, he entered Harvard Law School in late 1988. 2. In 1992, he married Michelle Obama. 3. After winning the election, Obama became U.S. President in Jan, 2009. 4. President Barack Obama was born on 4th August, 1961. 5. He became the U.S. Senate between 2005 and 2008. 6. He attended Columbia University in New York City in 1981, studying International Politics. Ans: _ à __ à à à à _

1D: Answer the following questions according to the background statements about President Obama in 1C.

Questions Answers Date of birth

4 When was Barack Obama born? Education Which universities did he go to? Family background Who is his wife? When did he get married? Early career What did he do between 2005 and 2008? Recent career When did he become the President of the U.S.?

2. Language Features

2A: When we write a biography, we have to pay attention to certain language features. From the above biographies you can find out what they are. Fill in the blanks by using the examples provided.

 The ______tense is often used in a 2B is a more biography. For example: detailed exercise about simple past

- Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 in Indiana, tense. the United States. He was born in an African American working class family. He had three sisters and five brothers.  When writing a biography, it is important to make use of ______to indicate the time 2C provides you with a and chorological sequence of the events. For supplementary exercise example: about time expressions. - In the 1990s, Jackson had two brief marriages; - Since the 1980s, Michael’s albums consistently broke the sales record.

2B: Below is the biography of Yao Ming. Fill in the blanks with the simple past tense using the verbs from the box below. Some verbs can be used more than once.

5 play give host crack become buy begin donate grow be join

Yao Ming ____ born on September 12, 1980 in Shanghai. His parents _____ former professional basketball players who _____ for China’s National team. As a child, he _____ more interested in books and history than sports.

At the age of nine, he _____ intensive basketball training at the Youth Sports School. At the age of 17, he _____ for the Shanghai Sharks. Three years later, he ______a representative of the Chinese Olympic Team. When he was 22, he ______the Houston Rockets of the NBA. He ______the league's top ten scorers list with 25.0 points per game average in 2006-2007.

Apart from being well-known for his talents in playing basketball, Yao is also noted for his active participation in charity events, including the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program. In 2003, Yao ______a telethon to raise money to help stop the spread of SARS. In September 2007, he held an auction to raise money for underprivileged children in China. After the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, Yao ______$2 million and created a foundation named the Yao Ming Foundation to help rebuild schools destroyed in the earthquake.

In July 2009, Yao ______his former club team the Shanghai Sharks, which was hit hard by financial troubles. Yao said, ‘I ______up in the city and ______a professional player of this team, so I hope I can do something to help.’ This shows that he never forgets that it was his old team that _____ him the opportunity of a lifetime to play in the NBA.

6 2C: Write down as many time expressions as you can which are found in the biographies of Michael Jackson (1A), President Obama (1C) and Yao Ming (2B) in the space provided. One has been done for you.

~ Time Expressions ~ At the age of nine

Writing Task

You are going to take part in a writing competition organised by the English Club in your school. You are asked to write a biography to introduce a celebrity. Plan your writing before you start. The following writing tips might offer some help:

7  Writing Tips 

In your biography, you should:

 Choose a person you are interested in.  Find the basic information of the person’s life either on the Internet or from the reference books.  Use the following questions may help you get started: - Where was this person born? In what year? (Date and place of birth) - Where did this person grow up? Did he / she have any family members? (Family background) - What does/did this person do for a living? (Career) - Why is this person famous? What does/did this person do to become famous? (Achievements and contributions)  Select the information wisely (usually, there is too much information on the Internet and in the books about the celebrity). You can think about:  What else you would like to know about the person, and  What are the most interesting parts of the chosen person’s life that you want to write about. You might ask yourselves the following questions: - What makes this person so special and interesting? - How can this person be best described? What examples from this person’s life illustrate his/her qualities? - What events, if any, have marked or changed this person’s life? - Did this person overcome obstacles? How? - Did this person win any awards? - In what way/s does/did this person influence others?  Be objective and accurate with your information.  Try to tell a good story and keep the readers interested.  Make sure that no phrases and sentences written are directly copied from the webpage or books you have read.  Use the simple past tense and suitable time expressions when writing the biography.

8 A Biography of a Celebrity

 Personal information of the celebrity

Place and date of birth:

Family background:

Education/Training:

Adult life (where appropriate – e.g. marriage):

Date and cause of death (where appropriate):

 Achievements of the celebrity

Career:

Reasons why he/she is famous:

Awards won, if any:

9  Contributions / Influence of the celebrity

Within his/her career, if any:

Outside his/her career, if any:

Notes for Teachers: Teachers can ask students to surf the Internet or go to the library to search for the information of the celebrity they are interested in. To avoid plagiarism, teachers can spend some time teaching students how to paraphrase sentences they have found from the Internet or books.

10 Post-writing Evaluation  Evaluation Form 

 Content and Structure

Excellent Pretty Average Needs JJJ Good K Improvement JJ L 1. There is an attractive title. 2. The personal information of the celebrity is clear and adequate. 3. The career of the celebrity is clearly described. 4. The achievements and/or contributions of the celebrity are included. 5. The information is well sequenced.

 Language Use

Excellent Pretty Average Needs JJJ Good K Improvement JJ L 1. The simple past tense is used correctly. 2. Time expressions are used correctly. 3. Grammar is mostly correct. 4. Words are of a wide range and generally accurate and appropriate. 5. Punctuation and spelling are correct.

11  Genre

Excellent Pretty Average Needs JJJ Good K Improvement JJ L The general tone and style of the biography show that the writer is aware of the purpose, context and audience of the genre.

Notes for Teachers: Teachers can adapt the evaluation form freely for students’ self- evaluation, peer evaluation or teacher evaluation.

12 Suggested Answers

1A: Below is a biography of Michael Jackson. Read the passage and fills in the boxes with the elements of the biography. You may or may not include the elements suggested above.

The King of Pop – Michael Jackson (MJ)

Photos

Title summarising the biography The King of Pop – Michael Jackson (MJ)

Date and Place of Birth

Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 in Indiana, the United States. He was born in an African American working class family. He had three sisters and five brothers. Michael had Family background a bad relationship with his father as he was often physically and emotionally abused by him.

Michael proved his talent in 1964, at the age of 6, when he began performing vocals and dances with his brother Marlon. Career They joined the band Jackson Brothers, which was later called Jackson 5. In 1966, Jackson 5 won a major local talent show.

In the 1990s, Jackson had two brief marriages. His first wife was Elvis Presley’s daughter Lisa Marie Presley, and he had two children with his second wife. However, both marriages ended up in divorce. He was found dead on June 25, 2009 Marriage because of a drug-induced cardiac attack.

Since the 1980s, Michael’s albums consistently broke the sales Death record. Throughout his career, he received numerous honours and awards. His achievements featured multiple Gunniess World Records, including the ‘Most Successful Entertainer of All Time’ – 13 Grammy Awards, 22 American Music Awards,

13 17 number one singles, and estimated sales of 750 million records worldwhile. Achievements

Known as the ‘King of Pop’, Michael had global influence through his musical contributions. His distinctive sound and vocal style inspired numerous pop, rock, R&B and hip hop artists. He was also widely credited with transforming the music videos from a promotional tool into an art form. In addition, he popularised a number of physically complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk.

Besides, he was a philanthropist. He donated money to and raised millions of dollars for 39 charities. He is the founder of Musical The Heal the World Foundation. The foundation, named after Contributions one of his popular songs ‘Heal the World’, helps to improve the condition of all mankind.

1B: Read the biography of Michael Jackson in Part 1A and answer the questions below. The bolded words provided are the key elements of a biography.Charitable Contributions

Questions Answers Title 1. The King of Pop – Michael Jackson 1. What is the title of this biography? (MJ) Date and place of birth 2. Michael Jackson was born on August 2. When was Michael Jackson born? 29, 1958. 3. Where was he born? 3. He was born in Indiana, the United States. Family background 4. He had three sisters and five 4. How many brothers and sisters did brothers. he have? 5. Michael had a bad relationship with 5. How was his relationship with his his father as he was often physically father? and emotionally abused by him. Career 6. The name of the first band was 6. What was the name of his first band? Jackson Brothers, which was later 7. In which year did he first win in a called Jackson 5. contest? 7. He first won the contest in 1966.

14 Michael’s marriage and death 8. His first wife was Elvis Presley's 8. Who was his first wife? daughter Lisa Marie Presley. 9. How many children did he have with 9. He had two children with his second his second wife? wife. 10. When did he die? 10. He was found dead on June 25, 2009. 11. What was the cause of his death? 11. He was dead because of drug- induced cardiac attack. Michael’s achievements 12. Around 750 million records were 12. How many Michael’s records were sold worldwide. sold? Michael’s musical contributions 13. Numerous pop, rock, R&B and hip 13. What kinds of artists were inspired hop artists were inspired by Michael. by Michael? 14. He transformed the music videos 14. What did he do to music videos? from a promotional tool into an art 15. What did he popularize? form. 15. He popularised a number of physically complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk. Michael’s charitable contributions 16. He supported 39 charities. 16. How many charities did he support? 17. The Heal the World Foundation was 17. What is the name of the organization founded by him. founded by him?

1C: Sentence sequencing & time expressions Read the following background statements about President Barack Obama. Put them in what you think is the best order. Then underline the time expressions which are used to retell the events in chronological order.

1. Then, he entered Harvard Law School in late 1988. 2. In 1992, he married Michelle Obama. 3. After winning the election, Obama became U.S. President in Jan , 2009. 4. President Barack Obama was born on 4 th August, 1961. 5. He became the U.S. Senate between 2005 and 2008. 6. He attended Columbia University in New York City in 1981, studying International Politics.

15 Ans: 4 à 6_ à 1à 2 à 5 à 3

1D: Answer the following questions according to the background statements about President Obama on Part 1C.

Questions Answers Date of birth He was born on 4th August, 1961. When was Barack Obama born? Education He went to Columbia University in 1981 Which universities did he go to? and Harvard Law School in late 1988. Family background His wife was Michelle Obama and he Who is his wife? got married in 1992. When did he get married? Early career He was the U.S. Senate. What did he do between 2005 and 2008. Recent career He became the President in Jan, 2009. When did he become the President of the U.S.?

2A: When we write a biography, we have to pay attention to certain language features. Fill in the blanks to find out what they are.

 The simple past tense is often used in a biography. For example: - Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 in Indiana, the United States. He was born in an African American working class family. He had three sisters and five brothers…  When writing a biography, it’s important to make use of time expressions to indicate the time and chorological sequence of the events. For example: - In the 1990s, Jackson had two brief marriages; - Since the 1980s, Michael’s albums consistently broke the sales record.

2B: Below is the biography of Yao Ming. Fill in the blanks with the simple past tense using the verbs from the box below. Some verbs can be used more than once.

16 play give host crack become buy begin donate grow be join

Yao Ming was born on September 12, 1980 in Shanghai. His parents were former professional basketball players who played for China’s National team. As a child, he was more interested in books and history than sports.

At the age of nine, he began intensive basketball training at the Youth Sports School. At the age of 17, he played for the Shanghai Sharks. Three years later, he became a representative of the Chinese Olympic Team. When he was 22, he joined the Houston Rockets of the NBA. He c racked the league's top ten scorers list with 25.0 points per game average in 2006-2007.

Apart from being well-known for his talents in playing basketball, Yao is also noted for his active participation in charity events, including the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program. In 2003, Yao hosted a telethon to raise money to help stop the spread of SARS. In September 2007, he held an auction to raise money for underprivileged children in China. After the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, Yao donated $2 million and created a foundation named the Yao Ming Foundation to help rebuild schools destroyed in the earthquake.

In July 2009, Yao bought his former club team the Shanghai Sharks, which was hit hard by financial troubles. Yao said, ‘I grew up in the city and became a professional player of this team, so I hope I can do something to help.’ This shows that he never forgets that it was his old team that gave him the opportunity of a lifetime to play in the NBA.

2C: Write down as many time expressions as you can which are found in the biographies of Michael Jackson, President Obama or Yao Ming in the space provided ~ Time Expressions ~

At the age of nine In July 2009 Then After Between 2005 and 2008 On August, 29, 1958… Since the 1980s… 17