African-American Achiever Report

Due Date: February 27

This project consists of a written report. Attached you will find the forms that you need to complete the
report on an African American Achiever. Use these forms and the steps below to have your report come
out beautifully and with as little trouble as possible.

Steps for completing your African-American Achiever Report:

1. CHOOSE A PERSON! You selected a person in class. Some of the most well-known African Americans
have purposely been left off the list (Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Martin Luther King Jr., and Rosa
Parks) because most students already know about these people. It is preferred that you research
someone you know little or nothing about.
2. GET YOUR RESEARCH! Get some information on the person you chose. You can go to the library, use
books from home, or use the internet. Just remember, you have to write down where you got this
information; make sure you are writing these sources in a bibliography sheet (including any websites’
addresses). You are required to use at least 2 different sources for your report. We ask that all sources
are elementary level texts. Sources could be: an article, a book, a website, or an encyclopedia. If you are
having a hard time finding enough information on the person you selected, you may select another African
American Achiever. However, you must have your new selection approved by February 6th.
3. COMPLETE THE “BIOGRAPHY FACT SHEET”. You are creating an outline – these facts can be notes and
do not need to be in complete sentences, as long as you can read them. This fact sheet must be turned
in with your final draft. In case you need an extra copy, a downloadable version of the “Biography Fact
Sheet” can be found on the Project page of the class website.
4. WRITE YOUR FIRST DRAFT ON LINED PAPER! Use your “Biography Fact Sheet" to help you write out
your report on a separate sheet of lined paper. At this stage, most students ask: How can I write my
report? On the “Biography Fact Sheet: each of the letters (A, B, C, D) is meant to be a new paragraph
(or two, depending on the amount of research you have). This is a guide for how your report should
flow (to help you figure out where to make new paragraphs).
5. CHECK YOUR FIRST DRAFT! Proofread it and have somebody else read it too (to check for spelling and
punctuation and anything that might be missing).
6. TYPE YOUR FINAL DRAFT. This is a great opportunity to practice necessary typing skills.
7. ADD PICTURES! Add at least 2 pictures. They can be printed from the computer or you can make your
own drawings/illustrations. Each picture must include a caption written by you in a complete sentence.
8. DO YOUR BIBLIOGRAPHY! The last page of the report will be your bibliography. Please write the name
of your sources, the author, and when it was published. If you are using the internet include each
website’s address.
9. PREPARE FOR AN ORAL PRESENTATION! This is your opportunity to teach your peers about the person
you selected. Your presentation should be between 2 to 5 minutes long. You may want to write out
index cards or a list of bulleted notes for your presentation. You will not be reading from your report.
Instead, you will tell others about your selected person and why he or she is considered an Achiever.
Please include interesting facts that you learned. You may also show the pictures and read the
captions.
10. TURN IT IN ON TIME! Submit all work on or before February 27th. Points will be deducted for projects
that are turned in late.
To summarize, the project includes the following:

1. Biography Fact Sheet

2. First Draft – handwritten in an essay format
3. Final Draft – typed and including at least two photos or drawings with student-written captions
4. Bibliography
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Rubric for grading report:

The following is the rubric that will be used to grade this project. It is going to be a project grade for Social
Studies and potentially a writing grade for Language Arts.

Area to be graded Did not achieve Achieved partial Successfully achieved

standard success standard
Biography Fact Sheet
Biography fact sheet is completed properly 0 1 2
Report
Introduction fully introduces subject 0 1 2

Report covers facts about the subject’s early life 0 1 2

Report covers in detail the major achievements of 0 1-3 4

the subject’s life
Appropriate conclusion wraps up report 0 1 2

Report is generally free of errors of spelling and 0 1 2

punctuation
Report is written neatly and presented in a manner 0 1 2
to demonstrate the importance of the project
Includes at least two pictures with captions written 0 1 2
by student
Bibliography is included and contains at least two 0 1 2
sources (all of which are elementary level texts)

Area to be graded Missing or Incomplete Complete

First Draft

Handwritten on lined paper in an essay format 0 5

Before you turn in your report, did you:

Grading scale:
23-25 points: A Check that your name was on the front of the report?
20-22 points: B Use the form that was given to you as a model for the report?
18-19 points: C Make sure you are using a report cover to protect your report?
15-17 points: D Include your first draft on lined paper in your handwriting?
Indent your paragraphs correctly?
below 15 points: F
Check that your report is free of spelling, punctuation and capitalization errors?
Add pictures and your own captions that help your report come to life?
Check that you included at least two sources in your bibliography?
Grade yourself based on the rubric above to make sure you’re not missing anything?

If the answer is YES to everything, then you did a great job and you are ready to turn it in!!!