Biographies For Middle School Students
Odina Conkright
These middle school biography books are all stories of people who have done important things and made a difference. They're a great way to learn about what their lives were like and how they broke through barriers and persevered.
Middle school-aged students can read a variety of biographies from sixth graders reading Who Was? to advanced readers conquering even adult biographies. Some biographies or autobiographies my middle school students have read and loved are:
Our Biography Research Project will guide your students through Biography Research with ease. In addition, this unique research project helps them to learn more about important figures, as well as write and create some awesome biographies.
Furthermore, Canva has a plethora of resources students can use to create biographies, from a standard presentation to infographics to creating an eBook. Canva is an awesome resource. It contains varying fonts, pre-loaded graphics, and the ability to upload pictures online. Canva has become a favorite tool of our students here lately!
Writing a biography can be challenging but in a great way! Reading biographies such as picture books to novels, this readily prepares students to conquer biography writing. By presenting options such as activities or a detailed template for an essay, students can feel interested and ready to tackle the world of biographies.
Anna Julia Haywood Cooper, one of the first Black women to earn a Ph.D., knew that education is the gateway to success. Cooper is best known for her work as principal of the first public high school for Black students in Washington, D.C. Cooper advocated for classic literature, foreign languages, and advanced mathematics to be taught at the school so that it rivaled the private, all-white D.C. schools in academic rigor.
A group of students at George Street Middle School received a history lesson they will not soon forget when they wrote biographies of the first 52 of the 106 Great War names listed on the New Brunswick Provincial Cenotaph.
Biographies can provide powerful reading material for teens. For reluctant readers, biographies are a great way to immerse themselves in a true story. Reading inspiring books allows young adults to learn valuable life lessons that go beyond their own experiences. Learning about the successes and failures of others is important for what lies in the future for teenagers. Here is a list of 20 middle school biographies that teenagers would benefit from reading.
A perfect book for middle schoolers. No matter the size of your group, big or small, and whatever your goal is, Daniel Coyle takes you through the culture chemistry principles that can turn individuals into teams with the capabilities to create and accomplish great things.
While most school libraries can access online subscription services like encyclopedias and biography databases, many teachers still like students to get information from a book, especially at middle and elementary levels. If your content-area teachers regularly assign students a biography project, then reorganizing the Biography area into topical categories makes it more relevant to curricular needs and easier for students to find what they need.
Nonetheless, southern states continued to resist integration, and in 1959, Ruby attended a segregated New Orleans kindergarten. A year later, however, a federal court ordered Louisiana to desegregate. The school district created entrance exams for African American students to see whether they could compete academically at the all-white school. Ruby and five other students passed the exam.
Melissa Crotto-Young has been a middle school teacher for over 20 years. She has also worked with kids of all ages as a Girl Scout leader and camp counselor. She loves working at the Kids on Campus program because of all the fun and varied activities and great kids that she gets to meet. She lives in the Keene area with her two teenage daughters, husband, dog, two cats, and guinea pig. When not teaching, she enjoys international travel, running, reading, and cooking.
Amy Hinsley is the school counselor for 7th grade students. Her phone extension is #036, and her e-mail address is Amy.H...@cobbk12.org. Mrs. Hinsley is Native American and grew up in Northern Michigan, where she is a member of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indian tribe. She moved to Georgia to pursue a career in education. Mrs. Hinsley received her Bachelor of Science degree in Apparel and Textile design from Michigan State University and earned her Master of Education degree in School Counseling from Georgia State University. She has 14 years of experience in education as a teacher, school counselor, and academic advisor in higher education at Georgia Tech.
Lauren Oden is the school counselor for 6th grade students. Her phone extension is #035, and her e-mail address is Laure...@cobbk12.org. Ms. Oden earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Development and Family Science from Samford University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. She holds a Master of Education degree in School Counseling from the University of Montevallo. Ms. Oden also maintains the designation of National Certified Counselor (NCC) through the National Board for Certified Counselors. She has worked as a school counselor in many East Cobb schools and is passionate about helping students succeed during their transition to middle school. Ms. Oden is a K-12 graduate of Cobb County Schools and is proud to be a member of the Mabry family!
Liz Doerr has always been involved in education in some way. Graduating from Texas A&M with a degree in Geography, she then became certified to teach and taught at an outdoor residential program for troubled teens in Florida. She and her husband, Jeff, spent about 5 years as foster parents for troubled teenage boys. She then became a stay-at-home mother to two children and an active volunteer in the elementary and middle schools, following her children. After landing in the Cobb County area in 2011, Mrs. Doerr enjoyed volunteering at Mabry so much that she is now employed in the front office as a clerk.
Kim Morton is a 7th grade teacher. She was born in Marietta, Georgia and has always lived in the South. Mrs. Morton has a B.S. in Secondary Social Science from Kennesaw State University and is also certified in Middle Grade & Elementary Reading, Science, Language Arts, Social Studies and Special Education. She has been teaching since 1997 and has been at Mabry since 2000. Although she holds certification to teach elementary and high school students, she enjoys the challenge of working with middle school students. She is the faculty liaison for FCA.
COVER A WIDE RANGE OF TOPICS
Content is written explicitly for middle school students on a variety of topics, including government, U.S. and world history, geography, literature, science, and social issues.
Ms. Amanda Alter teaches Computer Science at the middle school education level. She was born and raised in Georgia. Ms. Alter graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in Finance. After graduation, she worked at Delta Air Lines in their Finance Department for several years. During this time, she helped create a company and developed entrepreneurship experience. She then shifted her career to education. Ms. Alter began her teaching career in 2006 at the elementary level where she taught computer techniques, software, and coding. In 2018, she moved to middle school and began teaching Business, Engineering & Technology, and Computer Science. Ms. Alter is trained and certified in Project Lead the Way programs of Automation & Robotics, Design & Modeling, and Computer Science for Innovators and Makers. She has created and maintained websites and apps for her previous school and school groups. Outside of school, Ms. Alter enjoys spending time with her family at the lake and traveling to new places.
Ms. Fredericks is the Business and PLTW teacher here at Mabry. She has taught at both the middle and high school levels. She received her B.S. and M.Ed. in Business Education and Adult Education Administration respectively from Florida A&M University. She also has an Ed.S, in Curriculum and Instruction from Nova Southeastern University. Ms. Fredericks is from St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, and plans to return after she retires. She loves music, singing, traveling, and spending time with her son.
Jennifer Stepp was born in Texas but grew up singing in Gwinnett County. After High School she attended Piedmont College in Demorest, Ga where she earned a BA in Vocal Performance and an MAT in Music Education. As an undergraduate, she participated in several performing ensembles including Opera Workshop. Her most memorable role was that of a middle school boy in Amahl And The Night Visitors by Gian Carlo Minotti. Mrs. Stepp began her teaching career at Mabry in 2008 and since then, the choir has grown to 300 students. She believes that if you can walk you can dance and if you can talk you can sing. Along with singing, she enjoys hammocking and reading Harry potter with her husband and son.
Vicki has been an educator in the Oshkosh Area School District for 21 years. She has taught high school social studies, middle school Gifted and Talented students, and has served as both a Peer Coach and Instructional Support Teacher. Vicki serves as an active member of the Wisconsin State Superintendent's Social Studies Advisory Committee and will present this summer at the Department of Public Instruction's Disciplinary Literacy in Social Studies Summit. Her professional passion is working with students and staff to build authentic disciplinary literacy experiences.
Matt has taught in public education for 16 years. He started as a fifth and sixth grade teacher in a country school outside of Wisconsin Rapids, WI. After seven years of teaching, Matt served as a dean of students at a junior high, which developed into an assistant principalship along with athletic director duties. Now, as a principal at Howe Elementary School in Wisconsin Rapids, Matt enjoys the curriculum, instruction and assessment side of education.
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