Memoir Study

Memoir Study
Author(s): Amy Parrish and Lindsay Hall
Grade Level: Kindergarten
Timeframe:
We plan on implementing a memoir study into our kindergarten classroom. We intend on this study taking 7-10 days, but could go longer or shorter depending on how the students react to it. We will focus on the study during writer’s workshop every day throughout the 7-10 days for 30-45 minutes.
Lesson Description or Explanation
Overview:
Our study in writing workshop will be focused on how to write a memoir. We will focus on a variety of memoir texts and focus on the following guiding questions:

1. What kind of books are typically memoirs?
2. How do writers of memoirs develop their stories?
3. How are memoirs crafted in ways that make them interesting to readers/peers?

Expectations:
By the end of our study, our students will publish at least one piece of memoir writing. They will publish their memoir using Microsoft word including both text and clip art. They will be immersed in a variety of memoir texts in the beginning of the study in order to begin to understand what a memoir is. Throughout the study, they will begin to be able to distinguish fantasy from reality and see themselves as authors of non-fictional text. They will also need to pay attention to the conventions of writing and begin to see themselves as writers/readers.

Indiana Curricular Standards

READING: Comprehension and Analysis of Literary Text
Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Literary Text
K.3.1 Distinguish fantasy from reality.
WRITING: Applications (Different Types of Writing and Their Characteristics)
K.5.1 Draw pictures and write words for a specific reason.
K.6.2 Spell independently using an understanding of the sounds of the alphabet and knowledge of letter names.
LISTENING AND SPEAKING: Skills, Strategies, and Applications Comprehension
K.7.1 Understand and follow one- and two-step spoken directions.
Oral Communication
K.7.2 Share information and ideas, speaking in complete, coherent sentences.

ISTE Standards
1. Communication and Collaboration:
a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.
b. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
c. Contribute to project terms to produce original works or solve problems.
2. Digital Citizenship:
a. exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity.
b. Exhibit leadership for digital citizenship.

Assessments
Formative: Through kidwatching, we will assess our students to see if they understand what they are supposed to be doing in writer’s workshop. We will also assess their concepts of memoirs through our discussions at the beginning of each writer’s workshop.
Summative: As a form of summative assessment, we will have writing conferences at the beginning and end of our memoir study. We will assess them in the beginning as a way to track their progress throughout the study.

Prior Knowledge
Curricular Knowledge or Skills:
Our students have been working on writing in writer’s workshop all year long. Several of them are able to write all of their letters, although the spelling is not always correct. We have a few students who do not know how to write all of their letters and make the connection between letters and their sounds quite yet. We think however, that constant practice is the only way they can succeed.
Technology Knowledge:
Our students have also been working on the computer using various websites for letter games all year (pbskids.org and starfall.com). They understand how to type on the keyboard and have been briefly introduced to Microsoft word. We will do a few mini-lessons on Microsoft word and allow the students to explore before publishing their final pieces.

Technology

Internet Resources: (please list URLs) N/A

Hardware: N/A

Software: Microsoft Word

Procedure
Day 1: We are going to read aloud When I was Little- A Four Year-Old’s Memoir of her Youth by Jamie Lee Curtis. We will talk about memories they have to get them thinking about memoirs. We will also begin a chart on books that are considered memoirs and include the ones we read aloud each day to this chart. We will ask them to start thinking about memories they may want to write about while they are writing during writer’s workshop.

Day 2: Read aloud No David!, by David Shannon. Ask students if they made any connections with the book that we read yesterday. Explore the different memoirs in the text set. Read, Read, Read. We want students to begin noticing what makes a memoir.

Day 3: We will read aloud The Hello Goodbye Window by Norton Juster. Talk about what makes this a memoir. We will ask the students to share one memory that they have been considering writing about. They do not have to stick with this memory, but we want them to start narrowing down their ideas for the published piece of writing. We will make a list on paper, so everyone can view each other’s memories. After our list is complete, we will take the class down to the staff work room to use the chart maker. The chart maker is a piece of technology that takes a regular size piece of paper and scans it. The chart maker then turns the paper that was scanned into a large chart. We will ask the students to start writing or drawing about your memories during writer’s workshop.

Day 4: Read aloud Shortcut by Donald Crews. Share why the author wrote about this memory, which is included in the cover of the book. Start writing or drawing about their one memory that is special to them during writer’s workshop.

Day 5: Read aloud with My Mama had a Dancing Heart by Libby Moore Gray. Talk about the book and what makes it a memoir. Have students really focus on memoirs during writing workshop. Students will be asked to share part of their memoir during share time after writer’s workshop.

Day 6: Read aloud The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant. Talk about the book and what makes it a memoir. We will have students continue working on their memoir during Writer’s Workshop. We will have the students partner up with somebody and share their memoirs with each other.

Day 7: Read aloud I Love Saturday’s y Domingos by Alma Fior Ada. After having the read aloud we will ask the students to start working on their published pieces. We will have the student’s start focusing on their one memory during writer’s workshop. We will also begin having conferences with the student’s to help guide them into making their published pieces. Mini-lesson on Microsoft word for those students who are ready to begin publication.

Day 8: Read aloud Fireflies by Julie Brinkloe. During writer’s workshop we will have the student’s start focusing on the piece they would like to publish. We will help guide our student’s by having writing conferences. During these conferences we will ask our students to explain to us what memory they have chosen to write about. Also during this time, we will ask the student’s to show us their books up to this point, so we can begin to assess them on how they have grown as readers and writers with using memoirs. Mini-lesson on Microsoft word for those students who are ready to begin publication.

Day 9: Read aloud Thank you Mr. Falker by Patricia Pollocco. We will continue to help the student’s work on their published pieces. We will also continue to assess the student’s on where they have come as writers and readers during the Mini-lesson on Microsoft word for those students who are ready to begin publication. memoir study. (By the end of day 9 we will have conference with all students).

Day 10: Read aloud David Gets In Trouble! by David Shannon. After the read aloud we will have the student’s really start finishing their published piece. During writer’s workshop we will work with each student to make sure their memoirs are ready to be published. We want the students to feel like each of their memoirs is very special, so we will also have a share time at the end of writer’s workshop to allow for each to share their memories if they choose. All students should be finishing their publications by today. Extra time will be given if necessary.

Differentiated Instruction

ESL We have two ESL students who need extra support. We will allow them to use the translation accessories on Microsoft word to aid them in their published piece if necessary. We have also included a diverse set of culturally acceptable books in our text set.

Challenge/Extend
We have created a text set with a diverse set of books to support all levels of readers in our classroom. We have books to challenge our students who need more challenging books and just right books for our students who are just beginning to form words.

Special Needs
We are reading aloud a memoir children’s book every day at the beginning of our writing workshop. This is to aid our students who may not be reading quite yet, but also the students who benefit more from auditory processes. We will also make charts of our books and memories as a collaborative class to aid our students who are visual learners. We will also immerse them in the study by allowing all students to read and look at any books provided in order to appeal to our visual and tactile learners. The writing workshop will appeal to our tactile learners also as a way for them to get their hands on something and create a publication.
Amy Parrish and Lindsay Hall
Technology Lesson Plan