Writing Obituaries

    Obituaries are biographies, brief life stories of interesting and noteworthy people who have died.  They are often fascinating, poignant and even dramatic.  Called "obits" for short, they are a great way to learn about people, events and eras and fill in the gaps in what you have learned in school. 

    Obituaries follow a particular format.  The first paragraph or two reports the death and the cause of death.  The first sentence answers the question, "Why is this obituary in the newspaper?"  The second sentence states the person's age.  Here is an example:

"Eugenie M. Anderson, who in 1949 became the first woman appointed a United States Ambassador, died on Monday at her home in Red Wing, Minn.  She was 87."

    When writing an obituary, include the following information:

• Age at and place of death

• Cause of death

• Date and Place of birth

• Education

• Important discoveries, theories and accomplishments

• Impact of scientific thought

• Career history

• Family (spouse and children) or surviving family members.
  

Read Charles Darwin's Obituary as it appeared in the London News

This format is adapted from Teaching With the New York Times by Robert Greenman

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