Teachers want students to discover their author’s voice.  It is a little difficult to discover your author’s voice when you are trying to makeup a story to fit into a board prompt. When students write personal stories, they own the story.  They are willing to use what they learned. The students want their audience to see and experience their story.

Arnberg used children’s literature to hook her students. The students  researched the definition of memoir and created a criteria. The students owned the whole lesson.  Their writing was phenomenal. They attempted different writing styles, wrote in first and third person and imitated the craft of a favorite author.  As the students practiced writing in different styles, they gained a greater insight into author’s purpose. Author’s purpose became more than to entertain, inform or persuade the reader.

My favorite part of the article “…writers might choose to write in third person so they have the chance to step away from the memory.” I believe the students would not have discovered the ‘author’s purpose’ if they had not been writing their memoir or small moment. 

I want to try a memoir project with my students in the future.

I am hardworking and hungry for knowledge.
I wonder about lands and rivers I have yet to see.
I see my future changing.
I walk 20 miles to borrow one book.
I am hardworking and hungry for knowledge.

I desire to be more than a poor pioneer like my father.
I feel embarrassed by my lack of education.
I touch people’s hearts with my fairness and honesty.
I worry about my ability to speak properly.
I celebrate my newly improved speaking skills.
I am hardworking and hungry for knowledge.

I understand the law because I taught myself.
I say education is important for all people.
I believe that true liberty will not permit slavery.
I hope the Emancipation Proclamation strengthens this great nation.
I am hardworking and hungry for knowledge.

Text:

Hansen, Sarah. Abraham Lincoln: Our Sixteenth President

Rappaport, Doreen. Abe’s Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln

Winters, Kay. Abraham Lincoln:The Boy Who Love Books

Everyone knew but me. How could I not know?

Study, I did not study. Aaaah…

Today is not going to be a good day.

I am from a village of women.

Confident,  Unique,  Brillant

Love & Laughter

Creative,   Freedom

Discover Family History

The leaves’ shape is created by color words. The stem of each leaf names the tree where the leaf can be found.

Front of invitation

You are invited to live like writer! You may laugh, cry, scream or giggle inside your writer’s notebook. You are invited to tell funny stories, describe creepy crawlies or keep secrets inside your writer’s notebook. When you accept my invitation, you will begin an exciting journey.

I included a watermark of a young boy writing in his journal.  The picture caught my attention because the little boy has the expression I have seen on relaxed young writers. He is relaxed and appears to enjoy what he is doing. Also, it represents my desires for my students as they write.

The back of the invitation

Purpose: Your writer’s notebook is a place for you to write. You can write about friends, family or your pets. You can write about events that you experience or things you see. Your writer’s notebook is a safe place for you to write. Please, do not worry about how much to write or spelling all words correctly–just write!

Assignment: Date your entry, write about the things you love, just write!

I have created the slogan JUST WRITE!. Actually, I borrowed the idea from Nike’s Just Do It! It is simple and conveys the messege. I believe it will help the students remind each other to write without pressure.

The concrete poems told a story with words and shape. The poem’s shape added an extra element of emotion. I believe the poem written ‘normally’ would not have the same impact.

The African acrostic poems describe animal’s habitat, looks or behavior. I read the book before I read article Extending Acrostic Poetry into Content Learning. I thought it could introduce an animal unit by capturing the students’ attention.

I agree writing informational Acrostic Poetry provides an opportunity for the student to take ownership of the topic. The students bring to poem what they find interesting and important. The students use higher level thinking as they evaluate and judge what to use in the creation of the Acrostic Poem.

My class is studying soil and decomposition. I believe writing an acrostic poem will create an interesting learning experience.

I see the writer’s notebooks with new eyes. A writer’s notebook is an idea keeper, an emotion holder or a word vault.  The writer’s notebook becomes a place to catch and hold thoughts, sights, sounds or smells until the writer is ready to expand on the idea. 

Janet L. Elliott quotes Paula W. Graham in chapter 13.

…A journal at its best should be a completely free and open conversation with yourself…

I believe the quote explains my new understanding of a writer’s journal.

The Autumn Spider

So much depends upon

your late August arrival

whispering summer’s end

cool night breezes

 rich autumn colors

broken web,

autumn is here