This article serves as an invitation to see the way the teaching of biography-driven writing has been increasingly pushed out of the secondary English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum in favor of highly structured, formulaic, and impersonal writing, and how this is a setback for students in their preparation for college and career writing. The…

Describes a class activity in which students research and then impersonate famous people (living or dead) for an interview conducted by the teacher in front of the class. (RS)

Discusses a writing assignment in which students write biographies comprised of literary genres such as dialogues, poems, newspaper articles, obituaries, songs, and letters. (RS)

Offers glimpses into the landscapes of people's lives. Discusses Edith Bruck's "Who Loves You Like This,""Life Stories: Profiles from 'The New Yorker'," and Hugh Sidey's "Portraits of the Presidents: Power and Personality in the Oval Office." (SG)

A teacher discusses how she used criticism of "The Scarlet Letter," when studying the book, in her honors class. The students were also intrigued by the biographical information they learned about Hawthorne, and eager to use it in interpreting his novel. (SRT)

Describes a biography-writing project that links research to literary discourse. Notes that the power of literary discourse supported the research project and tapped students' energy to write. (MM)

Discusses how students can learn history and use research skills as they study the genre of biography. Presents a biography unit on Western artist Charles M. Russell. (RS)

Provides short descriptions of 25 books that offer adolescent readers colorful and appealing young characters. (SR)

Describes a class activity designed to play up the blurred boundary between fiction and nonfiction. Notes that students filled out Internal Revenue Service tax forms for people who might exist and that other students created biographies and autobiographies from the fictitious tax forms. (RS)

Lists Hispanic-American legends, poetry, short stories, short essays, plays, fiction, and biography and provides brief summaries pointing out general good points and drawbacks of each for secondary teachers. (JL)

Offers a method for teaching English using biographies in conjunction with creative writing assignments, for example, writing a short biography of another student in the class. (SRT)

Suggests that by reading relevant literature, examining films, essays, and music lyrics, and listening closely to students themselves, both teachers and students can come to better understand violence. Reviews specific works of literature and subject areas covered in a lower-level college literature course and a high school English class. Includes…

Reviews "American Indian Leaders: Studies in Diversity," edited by R. David Edmunds, a collection of 12 biographies that examine Native American leaders' responses to nonnative people and their policies during various stages of American history. (RBW)