<p> GREAT AMERICAN HERO BIOGRAPHICAL REPORT</p><p>The Biographical Report is the foundation of the GAH Project. It should have a minimum of 5 paragraphs, but may be longer. Each paragraph should have at least 5 sentences. It would be wise to type of the Report (Google Docs, MS Word, etc.) for ease of editing and revising. However, the finished Report must be hand-written in cursive to honor the way the early American Founding Fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. Extra time should be taken to ensure accuracy and quality of the cursive. It should be written single-spaced on nice lined loose-leaf paper, with the 3 holes on the left-hand side. Only write on the front side of each page. Leave the backs blank. The handwritten pages will be stapled (at the top) to Panel 6 of the Folder Display.</p><p>1. Gathering Facts Students gather information for this report. The notes do not need to be full sentences, but must be understandable to the student. Enough notes should be written down so that full sentences can be created once the notes have been recorded. Information can be found in non-fiction books (biography, autobiography), reference books (encyclopedias), Internet, magazines, or any other reputable source. Be careful when consulting Internet to only cite historically sound and accurate websites.</p><p>2. Writing the Report Paragraph 1: Introductory Paragraph: Facts on Birth/Childhood: dates, locations, events, parents, siblings, special, interesting, and unusual stories</p><p>This is where the GAH is introduced, and should start with a “hook” – a sentence that captivates readers. Instead of saying, “My report is about George Washington.” try “Do you believe that George Washington really chopped down a cherry tree when he was a child?” or “George Washington never had any children of his own – but he has affected all American children for generations.” After the hook, sentences introduce the rest of the Report using general statements hinting about what the paragraphs that follow are all about. </p><p>Paragraph 2: Facts on Personal Life: dates, locations, wife, children, early career, special, interesting, and unusual stories</p><p>Paragraph 3: Facts on Achievements: dates, locations, events, why famous, awards, achievements, special & interesting stories</p><p>Paragraph 4: Facts on Later Life/Death: dates, locations, events, special, interesting, and unusual stories</p><p>Paragraph 5: Facts on Personal Characteristics: What personality traits helped make this person a hero? Think of events or special stories in his/her life that demonstrate these traits. The last paragraph pulls it all together and generally repeats why this GAH is a hero to the student. I hope that students internalize the fact that most heroes are not born that way; all had to overcome major obstacles on the road to greatness. This paragraph answers why the student chose to focus on this GAH.</p><p>Bibliography: Students need to cite all sources they used when writing the Biographical Report. (see separate “GAH Bibliography” document)</p>