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Autobiography Format for Middle School

An autobiography is a story about you and your life. Structurally, it should have an introduction, a body and a conclusion. In terms of content, your autobiography should give facts about you while also sharing your thoughts, feelings and opinions about those facts. Use the memoir to tell the reader about your past, present and even your future.
  1. Introduction

    • The introduction of your autobiography should catch the reader's attention. For example, you can start with a question or a quote that relates to your story. Your autobiography should have a main point, and that point should be stated clearly in the introduction. For example, the focus of the assignment can be a lesson you learned, something you have discovered about yourself, or a person or experience that changed you. Having a focus will make your memoir more specific, unique and structured.

    Body

    • The body section of your autobiography develops and explains the main point. You can include a timeline and discuss the role of school, family, friends, sports and hobbies in your life. Bright Hub Education suggests writing about topics such as birth, heritage, education, community, leisure and life lessons. You can dedicate the first body paragraph to your past -- everything up until the current year. The second paragraph can talk about the present, including how your perspective or personality has changed from what it was in the past.

    Show Not Tell

    • Throughout the autobiography, and in particular in the body section, avoid making a list of dates and facts. Show the experiences and scenes by giving details using the five senses. This paints a more clear and interesting picture for the reader, and makes the autobiography more specific. For example, instead of saying that winning the spelling bee felt good, describe what that means to you. What sounds could you hear when you won? How did your body feel? What thoughts were in your mind? What emotions did you feel? Writing these details makes your autobiography stronger and more engaging.

    Conclusion

    • The conclusion of your autobiography is the end of your story, and it should reiterate the focus you stated at the start. The conclusion can also provide reflections on your future, including your goals, experiences to which you look forward and experiences about which you worry. A good conclusion will not simply repeat statements from the introduction, but will show the reader you have thought about your experiences and have drawn conclusions about why they matter.

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