Notable New Zealanders

Notable New Zealanders

Pencil and paper
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Working with Students
Further Resources
This task is about taking notes to prepare for writing a biography.
Photos of famous New Zealanders
Choose a well-known New Zealander to do research on and write about. Carry out your research using the steps and questions in the table below.
Steps/questions to ask yourself Notes
Deciding: Who will I choose as a well-known New Zealander? What do I already know about this person? What do I still need to know?
 Look at the key research areas on the note taking sheet.
Finding: Where will I go for information?
Information about people can be found in all sorts of resources, such as books, videos, reliable internet sites, interviewing people.
Using: How will I select information and sources to use? How will I read efficiently?
Take a quick look at each resource. Use index and contents pages, and headings. If the resource doesn’t have what you need, don’t use it. When you find a useful resource, take a closer look. Read the last sentence in paragraphs and conclusions. Which bits of information are useful? You could photocopy the useful bits and highlight or underline keywords and phrases.
Recording: How do I take notes? How do I make notes?
 Use the note taking sheet. Remember, write in a shortened form. You can:

  • write briefly, using keywords, phrases (not full sentences)
  • use a method to organise your work (e.g., bullet points, lists, mindmaps, charts)
  • use abbreviations and symbols, e.g., imp for important, # for number
  • organise your notes so you can use them to start writing.
Presenting: What form will my writing take? How will I present my work?
A biography is a written narrative account of one person's life.  
Your work could be published within a video, infographic, speech, poster, or a slide show.
Evaluating: How will I evaluate my work?
 Find and read a biography. Make a list of the different structure and language features that authors use to write effective and engaging biographies. Consider which of these features you could use when you write your biography of a well-known New Zealander.
 
Taking notes
Use the following template to take notes in preparation for writing your biography of a well-known New Zealander. Remember to write in a shortened form. 
 
Person I am researching: _____________________________________
Their personal details: (e.g., birth date): 
 
Their early years: 
 
 
 
Important events in their life: 
 
 
 
 
Their achievements: 
 
 
 
How their achievements changed the lives of others:
 
 
 
List the resources you have used: 
 
 
 
Partner assessment
Ask a partner to use the following table to assess the notes you have taken. After they have completed their assessment, you might to go back and improve your notes.
 
  Yes No
Are the notes written in a shortened form?    
In writing in a shortened form, the writer has used:     

  • keywords/phrases (not full sentences)
  • bullet points/lists/mindmaps/charts
  • abbreviations/symbols like:
    
Do the notes cover all of the key information needed in a biography?    
Is there at least one main point made about each key area of information?    
Has the writer shown that they can expand on their notes?    
Could somebody else find the resources that are listed?    
What action should the writer take before writing their biography?
Task administration: 
  • Students follow a research process that is given with the resource.
  • A notetaking sheet, which outlines key areas for inquiry, is also included with this resource.
  • This sequential form for notetaking could be adapted and done as a mindmap.
  • On completing their research, there is a formative assessment point to ascertain whether or not the students' notetaking is sufficient for them to proceed to the writing stage.
  • Teachers can change the wording for students. It could be changed to suit a particular topic, e.g., for a Social Sciences study under the Continuity and Change strand about family histories, teachers could use this ARB resource to scaffold students interviewing elder family members. 
  • The publication of biographies to produce a class shared book or a school resource would create further positive spin-offs from such a study.
  • For a similar ARB resource, but with a New Zealand theme, go to Writing a biography of a New Zealander.
Copyright: 
Image sources: Alexander Turnball Library (Sir Apirana Ngata, Jean Batten | permission granted), Wikipedia (others). 
Permission granted: Ralph Hotere. Ref: 1/4-089482-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/23087504
Level:
3
Curriculum info: 
English, Creating meaning, Writing
Key Competencies: 
Using language, symbols, and texts
Keywords: 
biography, information skills, recount, self-assessment, note taking, structure and language
Description of task: 
Students research and take notes in preparation for writing a biography of a famous New Zealander. Supports for this process and formative assessment points are given.
Curriculum Links: 
This resource can be used to help to identify students’ ability to create texts to meet the writing demands of the New Zealand Curriculum.
 
Links to the Literacy Learning Progressions for Writing:
This resource helps to identify students’ ability to:
  • choose effective content, language, and text structure
as described in the Literacy Learning Progressions for Writing at: http://www.literacyprogressions.tki.org.nz/The-Structure-of-the-Progressions.
Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with
Writing meaningful text: text features, set 4
within the Writing Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Diagnostic and formative information: 
  • A sheet is provided for the formative assessment point when students complete their notetaking. This assessment could be done as a self- or a peer-assessment, or as a teacher assessment.
  • The purpose of this assessment point is to find out if the notetaking is going to be helpful for the student to proceed to the writing stage. If it is not, then the remedial action needed can be signalled to the student.
  • The success criteria and leaning intentions need to be shared with students before they begin writing.
  • Students write and assess their biographical recount using the assessment checklist: Writing a recount - Learning intention guide.
  • For the e-asTTle exemplars, rubic, and student exemplars, go to http://e-asttle.tki.org.nz/Teacher-resources/Marking-resources-for-e-asTTle-writing.
Students' biographical writing could be presented and assessed as an Oral Language assessment using: