1. Autobiographical Genres
Memoir
Autobiography
Biography
Personal Narrative

2. Autobiography Long story of ones life
History of a lifetime – Must cover entire life
Most important facts and events of someone’s life
Contains anecdotes, memories, trips and cherished moments
The person is writing about himself
1st person point of view
I, me, my, we,
Not always necessary to read in order

3. Biography Long story of ones life
History of a lifetime – Must cover entire life
Most important facts and events of someone’s life
Lots of research involved
Contains anecdotes, memories, trips and cherished moments
Is about another person
3rd person point of view
They, she, she
Not always necessary to read in order

4. Personal Narrative Short Autobiographical Essay
Focus is on a particular event in a person/writer’s life
1st person
Uses imagery and sensory details to express emotions that place the reader in the personal experience
Characteristics of Fiction
Must read in order
Theme or Moral the reader will imply

5. Memoir Autobiographical writing
Captures multiple highlighted or meaningful moments in one’s past
Significant aspects of those moments, are centered around a life changing event.
Much more emotional and connects the writer to someone or something that had and impact on their life.

6. Characteristics a Memoir
Focus on a brief period of time or series of related events
Narrative structure (storytelling elements like setting, plot, imagery, characterization, foreshadowing/flashback, and irony and symbolism)
Retrospective
Fictional quality
Higher emotional level/more personal reconstruction of the events and their impact

7. Memoirs – Another perspective
Explores an event or series of related events that remain lodged in memory
Describes the events and then shows, either directly or indirectly why they are significant
WHY do you STILL remember them?
Focused in time (not long)
Focuses on problem/conflict and its resolution and why the resolution is significant in your life

8. Characteristics a Personal Narrative
Focus on a single important event (short
Narrative structure (storytelling elements like setting, plot, imagery, characterization, foreshadowing/flashback, and irony and symbolism)
1st person point of view
Fictional quality
Told as a story reflecting on the author’s experience, feelings and personality

9. Characteristics an Autobiography
Covers the author’s entire life
Includes other people and events important to them
Retrospective
Nonfiction quality
Emotional elements are not as prevalent in the story
1st person point of view

10. Why we read Autobiographies, Memoirs and Personal Narratives…
BECAUSE GOOD READERS…
Make connections
Question
Visualize
Infer
Synthesize
…and these things expose essential truths and help us evaluate our own lives and the world around us!

11. Good Readers Make connections to books or works they read by:
1. Connect books they read by connecting it to another book (text-to-text)
2. Connect to something in their own life (text to self)

12. Writer’s Journal
What is your happiest family vacation or outing memory? Where were you? Who was there and how has it made an impact on your life?
Blue print
Diagram of the location 20 pts
4 panel memories from that day 20pts
4 paragraph memoir 40 pts
Decoration of the back of the blueprint 20pts