You can assign a biography book (or let students choose one) and then go beyond the standard book report.
Creative Formats:
“Interview” the person: Write and answer 10 questions as if you’re the subject.
“Newspaper Article”: Write a front-page story about their most famous moment.
“Social Media Profile”: Create a mock Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter profile for the person.
Why It Works:
Encourages deeper engagement with reading.
Makes the learning relevant to modern formats.
Lets students show understanding in fun, innovative ways.
6.
Leland’s problem-solving methods and can-do attitude turned his impossible-seeming dream into reality.”
The Notorious Benedict Arnold
Steve Sheinkin
From the Publisher: “Most people know that Benedict Arnold was America’s first, most notorious traitor. Women were expected to stay out of public life and debates.
As Anthony saw the situation, “Women’s subsistence is in the hands of men, and most arbitrarily and unjustly does he exercise his consequent power.” She imagined a different world—one where women and people of color were treated with the same respect that white men were given.
Susan B.
Anthony explores her life, from childhood to her public career as a radical abolitionist to her rise to become an international leader in the women’s suffrage movement.”
Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld
From the Publisher: “At one time, Lew Alcindor was just another kid from New York City with all the usual problems: He struggled with fitting in, with pleasing a strict father, and with overcoming shyness that made him feel socially awkward.
This will go on from preschool to middle school, high school, and college, and then you should talk about their university education and time period they spend while studying for a professional degree. Her cool sense of style led her to create her own fashion line. He had put his papers in order—and left a few notes specifically for Hitler’s men to see.
They’re not just about the past—they help students build their future by learning from others.
So pull out the books, the scissors, the storyboards, or the microphones—and start bringing those biographies to life in your classroom.
171+ Engaging Biography Project Ideas for Students
Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be a time traveller and meet amazing people from the past?
That’s what happens when you work on biography projects!
They are Jehovah’s Witnesses, and they reject Nazi racism and violence. Each student creates a trading card for their person, featuring a portrait, important stats, and a quote or “superpower.”
Possible Card Elements:
Name, birth/death
Famous for…
Fun facts
“Character traits” or strengths
Impact on the world
You can even create a class set of cards and have students trade or collect them like baseball cards.
8.
In some places, African Americans were entirely excluded from public life; they were forbidden to enter public parks and museums or use public swimming pools and restrooms.
After being denied admission to the University of Maryland Law School because of his race, Marshall enrolled at Howard University.
But Virginia cleverly evaded discovery and death, often through bold feats and escapes.
She worked on many of NASA’s biggest projects including the Apollo 11 mission that landed the first men on the moon.”
Reach for the Skai: How to Inspire, Empower, and Clapback
Skai Jackson
From the Publisher: “Actress and activist Skai Jackson is a star!
But fresh off a train from Pittsburgh, Nellie knew she was destined for more and pulled a major journalistic stunt that skyrocketed her to fame: feigning insanity, being committed to the notorious asylum on Blackwell’s Island, and writing a shocking exposé of the clinic’s horrific treatment of its patients.
Nellie Bly became a household name and raised awareness of political corruption, poverty, and abuses of human rights.
She passed in plain sight of the enemy and soon found herself being hunted by the Gestapo.
But you can add creativity by including drawings, printed photos, magazine clippings, or handmade art.
Components:
Dates and events in chronological order.
Illustrations, artifacts, or symbols.
Colorful headings and captions.
A title and short summary of why this person matters.
Why It Works:
Helps students understand cause and effect.
Great practice in summarizing and organizing ideas.
Visually engaging for presentations and displays.
4.
Here is the story of how he did it—how he devised his legal strategy for expanding “we the people” to include all people.”
Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March
by Lynda Blackmon Lowery
From the Publisher: “As the youngest marcher in the 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, Lynda Blackmon Lowery proved that young adults can be heroes.
Instead, he found a new one—something that was completely out of this world.
He joined NASA, braved an injury that nearly left him permanently deaf, and still managed to muster the courage and resolve to travel to space on the shuttle Atlantis to help build the International Space Station. Rowling Creating Harry Potter World
Gabriel García Márquez Writing Magical Realism
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Leading Transcendentalism
Emily Bronte’s Writing Love Stories
Walt Whitman Revolutionizing Poetry
Sylvia Plath Expressing Personal Emotions
Jorge Luis Borges Creating Philosophical Fiction
World Leaders and Activists
Mahatma Gandhi Leading Nonviolent Movement
Martin Luther King Fighting for Civil Rights
Nelson Mandela Ending South African Apartheid
Susan B.
Anthony Securing Voting Rights
Abraham Lincoln Preserving American Union
Winston Churchill Leading During War
Malala Yousafzai Advocating Girls’ Education
Mother Teresa Helping the Poorest People
Cesar Chavez Organizing Farm Workers
Eleanor Roosevelt Championing Human Rights
Frederick Douglass Fighting Slavery
Betty Friedan Starting Feminist Movement
Harvey Milk Advancing LGBTQ+ Rights
Rosa Parks Refusing Bus Segregation
Desmond Tutu Reconciling South Africa
Helen Keller’s Overcoming Disabilities
Harriet Tubman Leading Underground Railroad
Malcolm X Promoting Black Power
Gloria Steinem Advancing Equal Rights
Harvey Milk Breaking Political Barriers
Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders
Steve Jobs Revolutionizing Computers
Walt Disney Creating Entertainment Empire
Henry Ford Making Mass-Produced Cars
Oprah Winfrey Building Media Empire
Bill Gates Developing Microsoft
Coco Chanel Revolutionizing Fashion
Sam Walton Creating Walmart
Jeff Bezos Starting Amazon
Estée Lauder Building Cosmetics Empire
Ray Kroc Expanding McDonald’s
Madam C.J.
Walker Creating Hair Products
Milton Hershey Making Chocolate
Colonel Sanders Developing KFC
Howard Schultz Growing Starbucks
Mark Zuckerberg Creating Facebook
Ralph Lauren Building Fashion Empire
Sara Blakely Inventing Spanx
John D. Rockefeller Building Oil Empire
Andrew Carnegie Creating Steel Empire
Elon Musk Innovating Electric Cars
Medical Pioneers and Healers
Florence Nightingale Establishing Nursing
Jonas Salk Developing Polio Vaccine
Elizabeth Blackwell Becoming First Woman Doctor
Hippocrates Creating Medical Ethics
Clara Barton Founding Red Cross
Alexander Fleming Discovering Penicillin
Virginia Apgar Creating Health Scale
William Harvey Discovering Blood Circulation
Joseph Lister Promoting Sterilization
Helen Taussig Pioneering Heart Surgery
Christiaan Barnard Performing Heart Transplant
Mary Seacole Nursing War Soldiers
Benjamin Rush Treating Yellow Fever
Rebecca Lee Crumpler Breaking Barriers
James Barry Practicing Medicine
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Opening Hospital
William Osler Modernizing Medical Education
Daniel Hale Williams Performing Surgery
Albert Schweitzer Creating Medical Mission
Mary Edwards Walker Serving in War
Explorers and Adventurers
Christopher Columbus Sailing Atlantic
Amelia Earhart’s Flying Solo Oceans
Neil Armstrong Walking on the Moon
Marco Polo Exploring Silk Road
Edmund Hillary Climbing Everest
Lewis and Clark Mapping the West
Sacagawea Guiding Expedition
Jacques Cousteau Exploring Oceans
Roald Amundsen Reaching South Pole
Sally Ride Breaking Space Barriers
Thor Heyerdahl Crossing Pacific
Matthew Henson Exploring Arctic
Valentina Tereshkova Flying Solo in Space
Ferdinand Magellan Circumnavigating World
Yuri Gagarin Becoming First Space Traveler
Robert Scott Exploring Antarctic
Jane Goodall Studying Wild Chimps
Amerigo Vespucci Mapping Coastline
Gertrude Bell Exploring the Middle East
Ernest Shackleton Surviving Antarctic Ice
Filmmakers and Entertainment Pioneers
Alfred Hitchcock’s Mastering Suspense
Charlie Chaplin Creating Silent Films
Steven Spielberg Revolutionizing Movies
Marilyn Monroe Defining Glamour
Stanley Kubrick’s Pushing Boundaries
Audrey Hepburn Combining Acting and Humanitarian Work
Cecil B.
DeMille Creating Epic Films
Mary Pickford Pioneering Acting
Walt Disney Innovating Animation
Orson Welles Creating Masterpieces
Akira Kurosawa Influencing Cinema
Katharine Hepburn Breaking Gender Roles
Federico Fellini Directing Italian Classics
George Lucas created Star Wars
Francis Coppola Making Godfather Trilogy
Martin Scorsese Directing Crime Films
Spike Lee Addressing Social Issues
Ingmar Bergman Exploring Psychology
James Cameron Pushing Technology
John Ford Defining Western Genre
How To Do A Biography Project?
Planning Stage
Research your topic and find good, reliable sources.
Decide on the main parts of their life you want to show.
Chronological Timeline
Make a timeline of big life events and achievements.
Show how events connect and influence each other.
Personal Background
Look into their childhood, family, and early influences.
Add details about their education and early experiences.
Major Achievements
Write down their important accomplishments and contributions.
Explain the impact they had in their field or society.
Writing Style
Pick a style like first-person or third-person narrative.
Keep the tone the same throughout the biography.
Supporting Materials
Gather photos, quotes, and main documents.
Include items that make the story more interesting.
Organisation
Divide the biography into clear sections or chapters.
Make smooth shifts between different times in their life.
Final Review
Check all facts to make sure they are accurate.
Proofread and ensure sources are cited correctly.
What Is The Format Of A Biography?
Introduction (First Impression)
Start with an interesting fact about the person’s importance.
Give a short overview of their big life achievements.
Early Life & Background
Share details about their birth, family, and childhood.
Describe the place and time they grew up.
Education & Early Development
Talk about their schooling and early interests or talents.
Highlight important moments that shaped their path.
Career/Life’s Work
Describe their career journey and major accomplishments.
Explain how they made a difference in their field or society.
Personal Life
Include information on relationships, family, and personal struggles.
Give a glimpse of their personality and character.
Major Challenges
Discuss the obstacles they faced and how they handled them.
Show how these challenges changed their journey.
Legacy & Impact
Explain the lasting effect they had on society or their field.
Describe how they are remembered and honoured now.
Conclusion
Summarise why their lives matter and their lasting message.
End with a powerful statement about their impact.
Top Resouces To Find Short Biography Project Ideas
Online Biography Resources
Biography.com This site has many short biographies about famous people, such as historical figures and celebrities.
Each book has about 100 pages and pictures and focuses on major achievements and interesting facts.
Little Leaders Series This series shares inspiring stories of diverse leaders, especially from underrepresented groups. I also excel in collaborating with teams, managing project timelines, and ensuring that every idea turns into a successful outcome.
was he or she naughty, silent isolated, or social.
