Descriptive Memoirs

Students will choose a moment in their lives that they remember specifically and write about it. Students will write at least three drafts of their paragraph, which should be at least 8-10 sentences long. The final draft will be typed into the comments section of this post. The teacher will then grade it and post it online as a public comment. Students do not have to identify themselves by name in the online comment. They can use a pseudonym.
See examples of other students' memoirs. (National U. Classmates: See examples of other students memoirs, and make a comment on them on this post. Follow the instructions at the bottom of the assignment. Or just comment on my blog. Thanks!)

Brainstorming and Initial Drafts:
This assignment will begin in class. Your teacher will help you choose three such moments, and then you will pick one -- the one that resonates the most with you and which you can write about with the greatest detail.  Use strong, active verbs and adjectives. Include lots of sensory details, such as how you felt, what the scene looked like,  the sounds you heard, and tastes and smells if there were any. Your first draft will be written longhand, double-spaced, in class. You will show this draft to another student for peer editing.



Peer editing:
Peer editors must point out as many errors as possible and give the student verbal feedback on the content of the paragraph. (Feedback should be specific. For example: "I liked this sentence because you made me visualize what that scene really looked like." Saying something is good or bad is not sufficient.)
The writer will take notes, or write comments in the margin of the paper, reflecting what their classmate told them. I must see notes in the margins for you to get full points on the draft.


Second Draft:
At home, you will rewrite your draft for review by your teacher, reflecting the comments made by your classmate. You can write it by hand or type it. In either case, please double-space so the teacher has room to edit and write comments. Staple the new version to the front of the first draft and submit. Your teacher will then copyedit your memoir and hand it back to you.

Final Draft and Posting: 
Type your final draft in a Microsoft Word document on a computer that has internet access. Writing it first in Word will give you a chance to use spellcheck and grammarcheck and to proofread your final draft in a stress-free environment. Once you are satisfied with your memoir, cut and paste it into the comment box at the bottom of this post. See instructions above re. using your real name. The teacher will grade the version in the comment box.
Due Thursday

Comments:
You must read the paragraphs written by other students. You must write a comment responding to the paragraph of two other students. Begin each response with a line that refers to the memoir you are responding to. Use Re., which stands for "Regarding." For example: "Re. Joanna Jones' Memoir. "Then everyone knows who you are responding to. While you can include criticism in your comment, it should be constructive (that is, it should refer to a way the person can improve what they wrote). Make sure to write at least one positive comment. You must use your real name for your comment. If you aren't willing to stand by your opinion publicly, then it is probably inappropriate.

Calif. 9th-10th Grade English Standards
Writing Application 2.1:  Students write biographical or autobiographical narratives. c) They make effective use of descriptions of appearance, images, shifting perspectives and sensory details.

Writing Strategy 1.0: The writing demonstrates the students' awareness of the audience and purpose.