Biography Projects

This biography project is part of Oswego's required district curriculum for writing. During 3rd quarter, each student will choose a historical figure (president, inventor, leader, etc.) from U.S. history to research for a paper and speech. Both the speech and the paper, which will be in the form of a five paragraph Expository Essay, will be graded. Although some time will be dedicated to working on this project in class, I will also schedule much of it for homework (I will take this extra work into account while scheduling other homework, though!). In order for students to be successful on this project, I have found that it is imperative that parents be involved by helping their child to stay on track with the deadlines, asking them questions about what they`re doing, and supervising during the paper writing, visual aid creating, and speech writing processes. Before each step of the project, we will spend ample time discussing suggestions and expectations in class.

Here are some websites you might find useful for research, especially if you`re looking for a different or unique source:


Research Famous Americans


United Streaming
On United Streaming you can view videos on famous people and events. When you go to the website, search for the topic you`re interested in and click on the video you want to watch. You then have two options: You can either play the video online or download it to watch later. (To play the video, click on the green circle with the white arrow in it. To downlowad the video, click on the picture that looks like a disc.)

Username: churchillstudent
Password: churchillstudent


e-Library
On e-Library you can search for magazines, newspapers, maps, pictures, and videos on any given topic.

username: wtldsremote
password: remote001


Gale Group Infotrac
This is also a database on which you can search for various topics. It would be helpful whenever you need to do research for a school project. After you log in, click on the "Student Resource Center - Junior" link. You can search for information in magazines, newspapers, primary sources, and many other places.

username: oswe26378
password: oswe_rpa


Ebsco
Ebsco is a search engine that can be used to reseach for school projects, including your Biography Project. In order to use the search engine, choose "Kids Search" or "Searchasaurus."

username: oswegohs
password: panthers