Creative Ideas for Biography Book Report

If your teacher has given the class leeway to write and design a biography book report that goes beyond the typical written pages, create an entertaining glimpse into the life of your historical figure, character, celebrity or sports hero. Combine craft supplies and written text to highlight the subject’s background, education and notable achievements in an eye-catching and engaging way.

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Present information about the book report’s subject by pretending to be a reporter conducting an interview. Create an assortment of questions to ask the subject, such as where she was born, what her family life was like, how much she liked school and how she became “famous.” Put the report together to resemble a newspaper or magazine article. Copy photos of the subject from books or magazines and affix them with a glue stick in random spots on a 22- by 28-inch piece of white or gray poster board. Output the text in narrow columns on white paper. Cut the columns out and affix the pieces around the photos atop the poster board with a glue stick.

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Design a mock photo album that captures the notable moments in the subject’s life. Draw and color pictures to represent significant events on 3- by 5-inch index cards to resemble snapshots. Use a glue stick or double-stick tape and affix four cards to a 12-inch-square piece of card stock sold at scrapbooking and craft stores. Write a caption beneath each picture that reveals its significance and the event’s importance in the subject’s life. Use a 12-inch-square piece of card stock to design a cover for the album that features a real photo of the subject. Create three holes along the left edge of the cover and each photo album page, ensuring that the holes on each page line up. Insert a metal brad through each hole to bind the report pages together, then spread the metal prongs open in back to secure them.

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Turn a recycled pizza box into a clever report that presents “slices” of the subject’s life. Cut a poster board into a circle that will fit inside the pizza box and use scissors to cut the circle into even slices. Use a pen to write a significant fact about the subject on one side of each slice and illustrate the text by affixing a photo or creating a marker drawing on the other side. Decorate the box’s lid with photos of the subject that have been output on a home printer or color copy machine.

Showcase the notable events in the subject’s life by gathering mementos to represent each moment. If you’re writing a report on a famous baseball player, for example, fill a sports tote bag with objects such as a postcard from his hometown, a trophy that represents his first little league win, a baseball to serve as a reminder of a notable home run or a jersey featuring his retired number. Write text to accompany and explain each item on a shipping tag sold at office supply stores. Tie each tag to the corresponding object with string.