This Lesson's Title:

Memories that Inspire your own Moment Like This

memoir writing inspired by Milkweed's powerful first chapter

This lesson was built for WritingFix after being proposed by Nevada teacher Amy Maniscalco at an AT&T-sponsored inservice class.

The ideal "mentor text" that can be used when teaching this on-line lesson is the chapter book Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli. Before writing, students should listen to and discuss the writing style of this book's author, especially from chapter 1 of the book.

Click here to view this book at Amazon.com.

If you are a Washoe County teacher, click here to search for this book at the county library.

Three-Sentence Overview of this Lesson:

"Our memoir will come not only from our memories but also from our imaginations."

--Lucy Calkins

After discussing memories and memoir writing by discussing chapter one of Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli, students will plan their own memoirs based on a specific memory from their past or current life. Word choice and details will be brainstormed before students begin drafting. Teachers: click here to read the entire lesson plan.

6-Trait Overview for this Lesson:

Students will focus on the traits of word choice and idea development. Students will use the lesson's graphic organizer to brainstorm sensory details and pre-plan the words they will use in their writing. The graphic organizer will also help students focus on how they specifically felt, and what they thought in the particular moment.