Okay, I am just going to say it, engaging students at the end of the year is just plain challenging. They are tired. I am tired. We have worked hard and pushed ourselves all year. The weather is getting warmer, the sun is shining through my classroom windows reminding us all of the summer fun that awaits us… if we can just get through those final weeks of school. So, what learning can really take place if we are all daydreaming about sleeping in and relaxing poolside all day? Let me first start with what not to do.
When I first started teaching 8th and 9th graders (many moons ago), I made the fateful mistake of ending the school year with a research writing project. I thought students would be so engaged in the topics I selected for them. As it would turn out, this was not the case. So, I began to think about what writing topics would actually engage my students, especially in those final weeks. As I looked around my classroom at my naturally egocentric student body, I realized that the topic they would be most interested in writing about was themselves!
I always start my writing units by exploring mentor texts, so we explore some quality memoirs (or excerpts of memoirs) as a reader. We simply read for understanding and enjoyment. Then, we jumped into my read like a writer strategy. Essentially, we explore this mentor text a second time thinking about the text as a writer. This is a scaffolded approach to support all writers but is especially effective with struggling writers. I recently presented at the Educators to Educators conference about this read like a writer strategy. This conference presentation is linked at the bottom of this post if you are interested in exploring this method further!
How do we make this process of reading like a writer more engaging? Stations and collaboration! I get my students up, moving, and talking during this process. They discuss the elements of a great memoir while looking at specific examples of that element in action by published writers. They have phenomenal discussions and these discussions lead to amazing memoirs.
Station Topics:
Organization in a memoir. I focus on developing ideas in chronological order with the use of flashbacks to give background to the memoir. I use an example from The Outsiders to show students how they can develop interest and background with a flashback, but still tell their story in chronological order.
Tone and mood in a memoir. This station focuses on helping students to develop an appropriate tone/mood for their writing. I use a short excerpt from The Things They Carried to help students see the tone established by Tim O’Brien. I also ask students to explore two short texts, both on the same topic. The topic I chose was the death of a child. The first piece of text is a nonfiction article written with little emotion about a young child who has died in an accident, and the other is memoir piece written from a mother’s perspective. This, of course, is filled with emotion. I provide guiding prompts and questions to help students discuss the difference between the tone of each piece, and ask them to begin to think about the tone of their own writing piece.
Establishing a clear purpose in a memoir. I use an example from Fahrenheit 451 and The Declaration of Independence to showcase a clear purpose. I also have students reflect on the book cover for I am Malala. Guiding questions help students to discuss the purpose behind each of these pieces.
Showing - not telling in a memoir. I use several short excerpts from texts to show students examples of showing language. My favorite is an excerpt from The Lord of the Rings.
Dialogue in memoir. The purpose of this station is to get students to use interesting and meaningful dialogue in their memoir to help tell the story. I use an example from Of Mice and Men with guiding questions to help students analyze the writer’s craft.
Focusing and narrowing a topic. The final station is actually a fairly independent activity. Students will receive their topic brainstorming and idea planning sheet to begin drawing out their ideas. The guiding questions will help them narrow their topic to a specific moment in their life - one that is truly memorable and meaningful.
Then comes the fun part. Students take time to write about a moment in their own life. No research necessary. No citing evidence, no formulaic essay structures. Just good ol’ fashion narrative writing about a real-life experience. I put on soft music, turn down the lights a bit, and let them express themselves. It is low key and low stress – which suits all of us just fine!
Are you distance learning/remote learning right now? This unit can still be successful and engaging while students learn from home. My memoir unit is digital for Google Apps so all of the lessons and graphic organizers still support students through this process. Stations are still a fun way to explore these mentor texts. I will have students meet with me in Google Meets or on Zoom in small groups. I then share the stations Google Doc with the group (all students working on the same document.) They can comment on the prompts within the stations both verbally and digitally as they work together. They get so engaged in the process, even though we are not together physically. I love that my students can then take these skills and apply them to their own life stories. Many of my students have chosen to write about their experience during this Covid-19 crisis as their memoir topic. They get a chance to express their thoughts, fears, concerns, disappointments, and moments of positivity freely in their writing. Many students have mentioned how cathartic this writing assignment has been for them. (No, they didn’t use that word!)
Want to grab this ready-made Memoir Writing Unit? Click on the image below to learn more.
Related Posts:
-Get Your Students to ‘Read Like a Writer.’ A Strategy for Using Mentor Texts in Writing Instruction.
-Virtual End-of-Year Activities and Ideas
Read Like a Writer Strategy from the Educators to Educators Conference:
Related Free Resources:
