Memoirs Grade 10 Unit

What is a memoir? As a literary genre, a memoir (from the French: mémoire from the Latin memoria, meaning "memory", or a reminiscence), forms a subclass of autobiography – Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir, as you will see. The author of a memoir may be referred to as a memoirist. This first unit in grade 10 will see you all become memorists!

What makes a memoir a memoir? It focuses and reflects on the relationship between the writer and a particular person, place, animal, or object.  It explains the significance of the relationship. It leaves the reader with one impression of the subject of the memoir. It is limited to a particular phase, time period, place, or recurring behavior in order to develop the focus fully.  It makes the subject of the memoir come alive. It maintains a first person point of view.

Memoirs tell a good story. Most importantly… Memoirs tell a good story.

Memoirs come in many forms: Poems Songs Personal Narrative Essays Novels (Memoirs of a Geisha, Like Family: Growing up in Other People’s Houses A Memoir, Memoir of a Boy Soldier) Six Word Memoirs at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQT6PfISRoM

In the video you just viewed… The following memoirs were included: “ Slightly genius; worry won’t change the world” – Jacquie “My goal has always been retiremement” “ My best friend was a wallflower” - Chelsea “Live life while you have it” “A traveler homesick for bigger skies” “16 years with pencil in hand” – Wes Floyd “Donuts make life so much sweeter!” - Gracie “Never walked down life’s pathways alone” - Megan “ Sleeping in class is my forte” - Whitney

“ enjoy your worries; they’ll soon leave” - Cresse “ karma lever liked me very much” “Life should be walked through nature.” “ I am what I am: expressive” – Allison B “Let go of negative things today.” – Skirt “Been there, done that, got t-shirt” – Jake “ I think I thought too much” – Sunny Burell “Found happiness singing in my hairbrush” – Allison “ Missing: Crazy person with curly hair.” – Charlie “Happily ran away with my imagination.” – Junius Wright

Reading our first memoir: When reading, good readers make connections, question, visualize, infer, and synthesize. Good readers make connections to the books they read either by connecting it to another book they have read (text-to-text) or to something in their own life (text-to-self).

Connections: Does this story remind you of anything from your own life (text-to-self connection)? Does this story remind you of another story, movie, poem, song (text-to-text connection)? These connections are what engage good readers.

When reading memoirs as a writer we ask the following types of questions: Who is the story about? • What is the relationship between the subject and the writer? • What is the writer’s purpose? In other words, what does the writer want you to know about this relationship? • What is the one impression that the writer wants you to have about his/her subject? • How does the writer show you how important his/her subject is in the

piece? Through his/her thoughts? Through his/her feelings about the subject? Through the details and description? • Does he/she share memories of experiences or events that he/she shared with the person? • Where is this person now? • What are the writer’s thoughts or feelings about this person now? (These are his/her insights.)

What stories to you have to share? Atwells questions for memoirists (student handout). Journal activity (show my journal to students)