Memoir Writing Assignment



Name _____________

AP Language & Composition

Date: ______________

Memoir Writing Assignment, 2010 -2011 Total Points: 100 Points

Directions: You will be creating a memoir of your life stages. Each chapter will chronicle a different stage in your life. There will not be a length requirement; however, your chapters should paint a clear image of that time period. Enjoy! (

Grading Rubric

|100 |84 |69 |

|Clear organization |Organization exists |Missing Organization |

|Smooth sentence fluency |Most sentences are fluent |Sentences are missing fluency |

|Voice contains personality |Voice is apparent |Voice is missing |

|Strong mechanics |Mechanics exist |Weak Mechanics |

| All components |One component missing |Several components missing |

Childhood

Memoir Writing Assignment: Chapter 1 (Description R.S.)

Due Date: Next Class ( 25 Points

Chapter 1 (Childhood/Elementary School): Write about an childhood/elementary school experience. You may want to write about the following: first day jitters, fears, anticipation, learning to read and write, special friends, teachers, school programs (Did you play a tree in a school production?) Tell about where you lived during this time and the school you attended. Include favorite childhood activities you enjoyed during this period of your life. 3 Page Maximum Extra Credit: Gather early schoolwork or artwork to share with your writing group.

You must include the following:

Bring four copies of the writing assignment to class

Checklist for Writing your Memoir

Subjective or Objective: Give your purpose and audience; is your description appropriately subjective (emphasize feelings) or objective (unemotional)?

Dominant Impression: What is the dominant impression of your subject? If you haven’t stated it, will your readers be able to express it accurately to themselves?

Point of View and Organization: Do your point of view and organization work together to make your subject clear in the readers’ minds? Are they consistent?

Details: Have you provided all the details-and just those-needed to convey your dominant impression? What needs expanding? What needs condensing or cutting?

Specific and Concrete Language: Have you used words that pin down your meaning exactly and appeal to the senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell?

|25 |21 |19 |16 |

|Strong Dominant Impression |General Dominant Impression |Vague Dominant Impression |Weak Dominant Impression |

|Three detailed examples |Two detailed examples |One detailed examples |Minimal example |

|Concrete Vocabulary |Colorful Vocabulary |Abstract Vocabulary |Weak Vocabulary |

|Four copies: ready upon arrival |One copy: requires printing out |One copy: requires printing out |One copy: requires printing out copies at the|

|to class |copies at the start of class |copies at the start of class |start of class |

|Focused on Group |Focused on Group |Focused on Group & HW |Focused on Group & HW |

Middle School/Junior High

Memoir Writing Assignment: Chapter 2 (Example Essay)

Due Date: ______ 25 Points

Chapter 2 (Middle School/Junior High): Okay, you are not a “little kid” anymore. You are one of the “big kids.” How was your first day at Junior High School? How did you ever adjust from having one teacher in one classroom to having several and having to change classes? How did your relationships with your friends and the opposite sex change? Tell about your teachers, activities, successes, heartbreaks, accomplishments, etc. Resources: parents, friends, old pictures, junior high school yearbooks. 3 Page Maximum Extra Credit: Have one of your junior high teachers write a favorite memory of you to include in the book.

You must include the following:

Bring four copies of the writing assignment to class

Checklist for Writing your Memoir

Subjective or Objective: Give your purpose and audience; is your description appropriately subjective (emphasize feelings) or objective (unemotional)?

Dominant Impression: What is the dominant impression of your subject? If you haven’t stated it, will your readers be able to express it accurately to themselves?

Point of View and Organization: Do your point of view and organization work together to make your subject clear in the readers’ minds? Are they consistent?

Details: Have you provided all the details-and just those-needed to convey your dominant impression? What needs expanding? What needs condensing or cutting?

Specific and Concrete Language: Have you used words that pin down your meaning exactly and appeal to the senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell?

|25 |21 |19 |16 |

|Strong Dominant Impression |General Dominant Impression |Vague Dominant Impression |Weak Dominant Impression |

|Three detailed examples |Two detailed examples |One detailed examples |Minimal example |

|Concrete Vocabulary |Colorful Vocabulary |Abstract Vocabulary |Weak Vocabulary |

|Four copies: ready upon arrival|One copy: requires printing out|One copy: requires printing out|One copy: requires printing out copies |

|to class |copies at the start of class |copies at the start of class |at the start of class |

|Focused on Group |Focused on Group |Focused on Group & HW |Focused on Group & HW |

Old Friends

Memoir Writing Assignment: Chapter 3 (Compare & Contrast)

Due Date: Next Class ( Total Points: 25 Points

Chapter 3 (Old Friends): Tell about a childhood friend, neighbor, or teacher that you have no contact with but would like to see again. What was your relationship with this person like back then? What happened to change that? Why would you like to see this person now? What would you tell that person?

3 Page Maximum

You must include the following:

Bring four copies of the writing assignment to class

Checklist for Writing your Memoir

Subjective or Objective: Give your purpose and audience; is your description appropriately subjective (emphasize feelings) or objective (unemotional)?

Dominant Impression: What is the dominant impression of your subject? If you haven’t stated it, will your readers be able to express it accurately to themselves?

Point of View and Organization: Do your point of view and organization work together to make your subject clear in the readers’ minds? Are they consistent?

Details: Have you provided all the details-and just those-needed to convey your dominant impression? What needs expanding? What needs condensing or cutting?

Specific and Concrete Language: Have you used words that pin down your meaning exactly and appeal to the senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell?

|25 |21 |19 |16 |

|Strong Dominant Impression |General Dominant Impression |Vague Dominant Impression |Weak Dominant Impression |

|Three detailed examples |Two detailed examples |One detailed examples |Minimal example |

|Concrete Vocabulary |Colorful Vocabulary |Abstract Vocabulary |Weak Vocabulary |

|Four copies: ready upon arrival|One copy: requires printing out|One copy: requires printing out|One copy: requires printing out copies |

|to class |copies at the start of class |copies at the start of class |at the start of class |

|Focused on Group |Focused on Group |Focused on Group & HW |Focused on Group & HW |

Influential Person *

Memoir Writing Assignment: Chapter 4 (Cause & Effect)

Due Date: Next Class ( Total Points: 25 Points

Chapter 4 (Influential Person): Write about the most influential person, other than your parents, in your life. I know this is difficult to do, but don’t waffle here and try to select more than one. Do some soul searching and choose ONE person who has been the MOST influential. Explain why you chose that person. ( 3 Page Maximum

You must include the following:

Bring four copies of the writing assignment to class

Checklist for Writing your Memoir

Subjective or Objective: Give your purpose and audience; is your description appropriately subjective (emphasize feelings) or objective (unemotional)?

Dominant Impression: What is the dominant impression of your subject? If you haven’t stated it, will your readers be able to express it accurately to themselves?

Point of View and Organization: Do your point of view and organization work together to make your subject clear in the readers’ minds? Are they consistent?

Details: Have you provided all the details-and just those-needed to convey your dominant impression? What needs expanding? What needs condensing or cutting?

Specific and Concrete Language: Have you used words that pin down your meaning exactly and appeal to the senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell?

|25 |21 |19 |16 |

|Strong Dominant Impression |General Dominant Impression |Vague Dominant Impression |Weak Dominant Impression |

|Three detailed examples |Two detailed examples |One detailed examples |Minimal example |

|Concrete Vocabulary |Colorful Vocabulary |Abstract Vocabulary |Weak Vocabulary |

|Four copies: ready upon arrival |One copy: requires printing out |One copy: requires printing out |One copy: requires printing out |

|to class |copies at the start of class |copies at the start of class |copies at the start of class |

|Focused on Group |Focused on Group |Focused on Group & HW |Focused on Group & HW |

*This assignment may have been completed during the Description Rhetorical Strategy.

High School

Memoir Writing Assignment: Chapter 5 (Ages 14-18) (Narrative R.S.)

Due Date: Next Class ( Total Points: 25 Points

(Freshmen Year) “Want to buy an elevator pass, kid? Take this up to the pool on the third floor. ( Remember those days when YOU were the new kid and it seemed as if everyone else was a whole foot taller than you? (This never changed for me.) ( Remember coming to the BIG school and thinking you would never find your way around? How was your freshman year? What were some of your anxieties? How was the transition from junior high school to high school? What were some of the myths you had heard about high school? Were any of them true? How did you manage to fit into high school life—pep rallies, ball games, homecoming, clubs, new subjects, teachers, new building? Resource: No one likes to do it; however, go back to your freshman yearbook and look at your picture.

Or

(Sophomore/Junior Year) Write about your sophomore or junior year. Is there a story that stands out between these two years? You are moving up the didactic ladder; however, you are still experiencing ch…ch…changes. (

Or

(Senior Year) Write a reflection of your senior year—sitting for your senior portrait, paying all those fees, applying to college, ordering graduation invitations, getting measured for your cap and gown, being the school leader, etc… How did it feel to go through all those lasts?? Was it everything you expected or a little different? How did YOU treat this year’s freshmen? 5 Points Extra Credit: Have a parent/adult write a brief description of the past twelve years.

Checklist for Writing your Memoir

Subjective or Objective: Give your purpose and audience; is your description appropriately subjective (emphasize feelings) or objective (unemotional)?

Dominant Impression: What is the dominant impression of your subject? If you haven’t stated it, will your readers be able to express it accurately to themselves?

Point of View and Organization: Do your point of view and organization work together to make your subject clear in the readers’ minds? Are they consistent?

Details: Have you provided all the details-and just those-needed to convey your dominant impression? What needs expanding? What needs condensing or cutting?

Specific and Concrete Language: Have you used words that pin down your meaning exactly and appeal to the senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell?

|25 |21 |19 |16 |

|Strong Dominant Impression |General Dominant Impression |Vague Dominant Impression |Weak Dominant Impression |

|Three detailed examples |Two detailed examples |One detailed examples |Minimal example |

|Concrete Vocabulary |Colorful Vocabulary |Abstract Vocabulary |Weak Vocabulary |

|Four copies: ready upon arrival |One copy: requires printing out |One copy: requires printing out |One copy: requires printing out |

|to class |copies at the start of class |copies at the start of class |copies at the start of class |

|Focused on Group |Focused on Group |Focused on Group & HW |Focused on Group & HW |

Name_______________

Buckley _______

AP Language

___ May 2011

Carpe Diem Letter

Directions: Write a letter explaining what your life will be like in 2021. This assignment will be in an envelope; it is submitted with the memoir.

Suggested Format:

Rubric (This is included in your portfolio.) (

|A |C |D |F |

|Central Idea |Vague Main Idea |General Main Idea |Missing Main Idea |

|Three detailed examples |Two detailed examples |One detailed example |Minimal example |

|Three transitions |Two transition |One transition |No transitions |

| | | | |

-----------------------

Title Page (Sally’s Memoir)

I. “How to Be” ______________

II. Foreword: My Heritage (One paragraph)

III. Timeline: Birth-Today Home locations and/or Events) (Quick Sketch)

IV. Family Tree: Grandparents, Parents, and You

V. Chapter 1 Elementary School (Description Essay)

VI. Chapter 2 Middle School (Example Essay)

VII. Chapter 3 Old Friends (Compare & Contrast Essay)

VIII. Chapter 4 Influential Person * (Cause & Effect Essay)

(*This essay was completed during the first semester.)

IX. Chapter 5 High School (Narrative Essay)

X. Carpe Diem (Mixed Methods: Definition & Cause/Effect)

Scrapbook Page (Optional)

“What Lies Behind Us And Lies Before Us Are Tiny Matters Compared To What Lies Within Us” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Introduction Paragraph

Current Life Situation

Body Paragraph 1

Family Status and Friends

Body Paragraph 2

Job, House, and Car Situation

Body Paragraph 3

Vacation and Hobbies

Conclusion

Restate your thesis. Summarize your ideas from Body Paragraphs 1, 2, and 3

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