6 WORD MEMOIRS

WAIT… FIRST THINGS FIRST

• WHAT IS A MEMOIR?

• A RECORD OF EVENTS WRITTEN BY A PERSON HAVING INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE OF THEM AND BASED ON PERSONAL OBSERVATION.

• IT IS A TRUE STORY, SIMILAR TO AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY OR A BIOGRAPHY, BUT IT IS A STORY.

• IT HAS A PLOT.

FOR EXAMPLE

• BLACK AND WHITE: MY BRAIN’S RIVALRY

• MY CHILDHOOD PAST IS HAUNTING ME

• BREAK DOWN MY WALL, DISCOVER ME.

• DIFFERENT WORLDS SEE THE SAME SUNSET

• PERIODICALLY GET ABDUCTED BY AFTERNOON NAPS

• DANCED IN THE FIELD OF INFINITE POSSIBILITIES

• FEARLESSNESS IS THE MOTHER OF REINVENTION

• LIFE TEST: MANY ANSWERS, ENDLESS QUESTIONS.

• BROKE UP, STILL IN LOVE. WHY?

1. Choose a 6 word memoir. 2. Find the most impactful, or

powerful word in that memoir.

3. List that words synonyms. 4. Pick one synonym and do

a small connotation chart. (Which word has a positive

connotation and which word has a negative

connotation?5. Think outside of the box. If

you replaced the impactful word with the new

synonym, how does meaning of the whole

memoir change? (Think about the advertisement work you did yesterday.)

SO… 1. WE READ AND WRITE WITH AN UNDERSTANDING OF VOCABULARY

(DENOTATION). SYNONYMS CAN HELP US STUDY VOCABULARY.

2. OUR OWN EXPERIENCES APPLY A SECONDARY MEANING TO WORDS, PHRASES AND IDEAS. (CONNOTATION)

3. AS A WRITER, I HAVE TO KEEP THE CONNOTATION OF WORDS IN MIND IN ORDER TO SHAPE MY MESSAGE.

4. AS A READER, I NEED TO KEEP THE CONNOTATION OF WORDS IN MIND IN ORDER UNDERSTAND THE AUTHOR’S MESSAGE.

NEXT• WRITE A BIOGRAPHY ABOUT A PEER AT YOUR TABLE.

• MAKE SURE YOU GET A STORY.

• HOW OLD IS HE/SHE?

• WHAT ACTIVITIES DO HE/SHE PARTICIPATE IN?

• WHAT IS ONE INTERESTING THING THAT NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT HIM/HER?

• WRITE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY

• NOT FROM BIRTH TO NOW.

• TELL ME ABOUT ONE ASPECT OF YOUR LIFE

• YOUR HOME, SCHOOL, SPORTS, WORK, DREAMS, HOBBIES

IMPORTANT DATES• MONDAY 11/16 NOTEBOOKS DUE

• MONDAY 11/16 READING PRETEST

• TUESDAY 11/17 WRITING PRETEST

• WEDNESDAY 11/18 ESSAY PRETEST

• THURSDAY 11/19 PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES

• FRIDAY 11/20 PUTTING NOTEBOOKS TOGETHER