Name:___________________________________________ Date:______________________

Block:_________

Snapshot Autobiography
What is history? Many people describe history as the study of the past, a huge
collection of names, dates, facts that you are expected to memorize. The goal of
this assignment is for you to discover other meanings of history and to recognize
why it is important to study history.

Your mission: In this project, you will think about the meaning of history by
describing and illustrating several events from your own life. You will then find a
witness to provide another description of one of those events. Finally, you will think
about the similarities and differences between the two descriptions.

STEP I: Rough Draft Writing

See Snapshot Autobiography: Rough Draft Writing Sheet
1. Complete About the Author section
2. Complete a short story about a favorite childhood memory.
3. Complete three short stories of other important events that shaped you as a person!
STEP II: Conduct an Interview
See Snapshot Biography: Another Perspective
STEP III: Final Copy- Construct a Brochure
1. Take a piece of paper and fold it accordion style, so that it forms 3 panels.
2. The front panel is the cover for your Snapshot Autobiography. Give your autobiography a title (for
example, Snapshots of Bens Life. Be sure to include an illustration!
3. On the back panel, place your final draft of the About the Author section.
4. In panel 3, include a story about a favorite childhood memory.
5. In panels 4, 5 and 6, include stories about 3 other important events that have shaped you as a person.
Dont Forget:

Be sure to include details!

BE CREATIVE! Illustrate each event with a small, hand-drawn picture.

Name:___________________________________________ Date:______________________
Block:_________

Snapshot Autobiography: Rough Draft Writing Sheet

Makesureyoudescribeeachofthesestoriesfromstarttofinish.Pretendthatsomeonewhodoesnt
knowyouwillbereadingyourstoryandtryingtounderstandit.Besuretoincludedetails!
AbouttheAuthor
Includeyourname,placeanddateofbirth,andanythingelseyouwantpeopleknowaboutyou.
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FavoriteChildhoodMemory
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Name:___________________________________________ Date:______________________
Block:_________

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ImportantEvent#1
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ImportantEvent#2
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Name:___________________________________________ Date:______________________
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ImportantEvent#3
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Name:___________________________________________ Date:______________________
Block:_________

Snapshot Biography Another Perspective

Now is your chance to talk to somebody else that remembers one of the important events you chose!
Directions:
1. Select ONE of the events you wrote about.

2. Find somebody who remembers that event. For example, your parents, siblings, or friends will
probably be familiar with some of the events you described.
3. Ask the person you chose to tell you their version of the story. In order to make sure that you are
getting their version, ask them an open question about the event, For example, Mom, do you remember
fifth grade when Jane and I stopped being friends? Can you tell me what you remember about what
happened?
4. Take careful notes of the interview. Which parts of their story differ from your own?

5. Make sure to thank the interviewee for their participation in this project!

Name:___________________________________________ Date:______________________
Block:_________

Autobiography Snapshot: Interview Sheet

Name of the person being interviewed: ____________________________________________________
Relation to you: ______________________________________________________________________
Event from Snapshot Autobiography they will be corroborating (Cross-checking):
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Interview Notes:
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What do the two stories have in common?
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Name:___________________________________________ Date:______________________
Block:_________

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What is different about the two stories?

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What does this activity teach us about the study of history?

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