After completing the book and the notes, you will write an essay to illustrate your understanding. Your essay will take the form of a biographical sketch that follows the five-paragraph (“popsicle stick”) method. (The sample essay on this page has been color coded to match this format.) Your essay should relate events from the person's life in chronological order. Here are the specifications for the paragraphs, each followed by a sample in italics:

Paragraph #1: Capture attention first. This paragraph should also include the person’s full name and an explanation of who s/he is and how s/he is well known. Introduce three important characteristics about the person that you will describe in the body paragraphs of the paper. From these three characteristics, develop a thesis statement about the person.

Example: Can you imagine being a child coming to America out of war-torn Israel during the 1950s with nothing but the clothes on your back and in twenty short years rising to a position as one of the most outrageous rock and rollers of all time? That's how it was for Gene Simmons, the tongue-wagging, blood-spitting bassist for the band KISS. Through his sheer determination to succeed, his complete lack of shame, and his skills as a businessman, Gene Simmons has become one of the most powerful forces in rock history. Although more people probably hate him than admire him, Gene Simmons is a living example of someone who refused to give up on his dreams.

Paragraph #2: This paragraph should contain a topic sentence that relates to the first main characteristic of the person. (The topic sentence does not have to be the first sentence, but it must appear somewhere, and the paragraph itself should prove this topic sentence with examples from the person's life. Include the person's date and place of birth, a description of the person’s physical appearance (if known) and personality, and an interesting event from the person’s early life that illustrates the first main characteristic. Information for this paragraph can be drawn from questions 2-6 of your reading notes.

Example: Gene Simmons was born Chaim Witz in Israel, where he was raised by his mother. Her original intentions for her son were that he should become a rabbi, and he was enrolled in Jewish schools until the aftermath of Hitler's holocaust forced them to come to America. Even from an early age, Chaim showed an independent spirit, learning English quickly, and falling in love with all things American...especially the girls. Being the only child of a working mother, Chaim had plenty of time to indulge in his favorite activities: going to the movies (especially horror movies), reading comic books, and watching the older girls jump rope in front of the school. He decided at the age of 12 that he could never be a rabbi, but he did have a burning desire to succeed, and he started a variety of small businesses among his classmates and neighborhood friends. He created and sold comic books of his own, as well as trading and bargaining to build his own growing collection of Batman and Superman comics. By the age of 15 he had picked up the guitar and discovered the joys of rock and roll. After seeing the thousands of screaming girls that mobbed the Beatles on their first trip to America, Chaim knew what he wanted to do with the rest of his life: He wanted to play in the biggest rock band on the planet. From the beginning, his determination to succeed and his refusal to give up even in the face of impossible odds helped propel him to stardom.

Paragraph #3: This paragraph should focus on the second main characteristic of the person. Include more interesting events from the person’s life and your explanation of why this person is worthy of having a book written about him/her. Information for this paragraph can be drawn from questions 3, 6, and 9 of your reading notes. (Also, don't forget your transitions!)

Example: As well as being extremely determined, Gene Simmons (as he