Writing an autobiography worksheet
This worksheet trains students to write an autobiography. It is designed with an eclectic approach to writing that combines product writing with process writing.
Writing an autobiography worksheet
- Level: upper intermediate
- Timing: 50-55 minutes
- Materials: sheets of paper and pens.
- Objectives: learners will be able to write a short autobiography.
Table of Contents
Short description of the lesson plan
Writing an Autobiography Worksheet for ESL Students:
The objective of this worksheet is to help students write an autobiography. A model text is provided for study and comprehension. Then, a distinction is highlighted between a biography and an autobiography. After that, the students are guided to produce a short autobiography, mentioning their early childhood, schooling, difficulties they encountered, and the life lesson they learned.
Here are the steps:
- First, students read a model text.
- They do a meaning-focused activity to make sure they understand the text.
- Then, they study the text in terms of language (tense, linking words, etc.) and layout.
- They go through Process Writing.
- Generating ideas and planning.
- Drafting
- Revising
- Editing
- Final draft.
A link to a PDF Format of the worksheet is provided below:
Writing an autobiography worksheet
Starter (reading a model text)
Before asking the students to read the text make sure they understand the difference between a biography and an autobiography.
What is the difference between a biography and an autobiography?
| 1. Biography 2. Autobiography | a. An account of a person’s life written by that person. b. An account of someone’s life written by someone else. |
Ask the students to work in small groups to match the following words with their definitions:
Match the words with their definitions:
| Words | Definitions |
|---|---|
| 1. to make ends meet 2. talkative 3. inquisitive 4. burden 5. compromise | a. load or responsibility. b. curious c. a solution to a problem in which you accept that you cannot have everything that you want; a concession d. a self-written account of one’s own life e. to be able to pay for the things you need in life, often with very little money |
Autobiography sample
Students read the following autobiography and answer the questions.
Read the following short autobiography and answer the tasks below:
(1) I was born on a beautiful summer evening in Madrid, Spain. I don’t have many early childhood memories, but my mother described me as a highly active, inquisitive, and talkative youngster. Even without waiting for the responses, I would ask dozens of questions per minute. This explains why my parents kept providing me with books and instructional videos since I turned five.
(2) Fortunately, when I was at school, my desire to learn continued. I had a strong interest in English, philosophy, and history. Because I was passionate about learning, I gained extensive knowledge in these fields. This also helped me get accepted to the college of my dreams. Today, I am enrolled in law school, and I couldn’t be happier about it. My degree will certainly be my ticket to a better tomorrow. I aspire to become a well-known attorney. I put a lot of effort into my studies and spend my leisure time reading academic articles and watching interviews with respected experts on the subject.
(3) I know that difficulties and problems are a necessary part of life and that it is not all sunshine and rainbows. Paying down my student debt has become a significant burden for me because my parents were unable to fully assist me with my education expenses. To make ends meet, I work a part-time job. I feel happy every month when I get paid and get to plan how I’m going to spend my money.
(4) In my opinion, success is determined mainly by two elements. The first is someone’s perseverance and will to succeed. Are you willing to make compromises to accomplish your objective, such as working and attending school at the same time? Are you ready to go past a failure and try again to reach your dream? Success is essentially impossible without strong personal motivation. The second factor that determines your success is relationships. Without the support of my family, I might have not been able to enroll in a law school.
Model text tasks
Questions
Complete the following chart with information from the text:
| Place of birth | ……………. |
| Personal qualities as a child | ……………. |
| Studies | ……………. |
| Life difficulties | ……………. |
| Life lesson | ……………. |
Complete the following paragraph with information from the text:
From the early years of my life, I was… At school, I was interested in… Now, I am… I want to become… However, I have a problem with… This led me to….. I know I will succeed thanks to…
After reading comprehension, it is high time for the students to practice some of the language resources they will probably use in their biographies, namely:
- Adjectives to
- Describe personal and physical traits.
- Describe feelings and places.
- Linking words.
Put the following adjectives in the appropriate column:
handsome – short – sad – happy – depressed – motivated – curious – classy – friendly – sunny – pretty – elegant – cozy – boring – crowded – quiet- modern – inquisitive – funny – contemporary – ancient – charming – bored – cute – sleek gorgeous – tall – enthusiastic – creative – hectic – lovely
| Personal qualities | … |
| Physical appearance | … |
| Feelings | … |
| Places | … |
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words from the chart above:
- I was a curious child. I was always eager to know more.
- Born on a warm sunny day in a gorgeous seaside town in Spain, I always felt that I was lucky.
- From the early years of my life, I was funny and had a good sense of humor.
- I was a classy girl. I used to always wear elegant clothes
- At school, I was friendly and was the most popular girl in school.
Put the following words in the appropriate column:
In addition – When I was… – In brief – Since – However – Consequently – Later – Ultimately – Moreover – For instance – As soon as – Nevertheless – But – Also – Whereas – Such as – Yet – Besides – Despite – After – Because – Finally – As a result- In a nutshell – For example – Today – Still – Subsequently
| Addition | ………………….. |
| Contrast | ………………….. |
| Examples | ………………….. |
| Cause and Effect | ………………….. |
| Concluding | ………………….. |
| Sequencing a story | ………………….. |
Process writing tasks
Writing
After doing the above practice activities, the teacher provides the topic of the writing activity:
You noticed that some of your schoolmates lack motivation. Write a short autobiography to be published in your school magazine mentioning how you managed to succeed despite the difficulties you encountered in your life.
Writing topic
Idea generation and outline
The teacher then asks the students to brainstorm ideas about their lives that they could include in an autobiography.
- Early childhood
- Physical and personal characteristics.
- Your passion.
- Difficulties you encountered.
- Schooling and hard work.
- Lessons learned from your experience.
They may use the same structure of the text. To do so they may be invited to complete the chart below:
| Place of birth | ………………….. |
| Childhood: | ………………….. |
| Studies | ………………….. |
| Life difficulties | ………………….. |
| Life lesson | ………………….. |
Drafting
They write a rough draft using the information in their answers.
This is their first attempt at writing, paying attention to the following points:
- The focus is on fluency.
- The students do not have to be preoccupied too much with accuracy.
Revising
Checking for grammar mistakes is not the principal aspect of revising. It is more of an assessment of the general organization and content of thoughts. The students decide whether their writing effectively conveys meaning to the intended audience. For instance, some ideas might be dropped while others might be improved.
Checklist for editing:
- Is the choice of vocabulary items appropriate?
- Are the verbs in the correct tense?
- Are the verbs correctly formed?
- Have you checked the subject-verb agreement?
- Have you used correct sentence structures?
- Are the prepositions correctly used?
- Have you checked the use of articles?
Editing
Then students work in pairs to edit the autobiographies. Provide a checklist for students to use for editing.
The focus is on elements like:
- Diction (choice of words)
- Grammar (tense, sentence structure, prepositions…)
- Mechanics (punctuation & capitalization)
- Linking words
Checklist for editing:
- Is the choice of vocabulary items appropriate?
- Are the verbs in the correct tense?
- Are the verbs correctly formed?
- Have you checked the subject-verb agreement?
- Have you used correct sentence structures?
- Are the prepositions correctly used?
- Have you checked the use of articles?
Follow up
Students exchange autobiographies. As homework, they read each other’s autobiographies and find similarities and differences between their own autobiographies and their classmates. A class discussion can be scheduled for the next session.
Note: Optionally, ask students to provide photos to use as illustrations.
You can get the writing an Autobiography Worksheet in PDF format for just $1