Personal+Narrative+Memoir

Lynn Mayberry-Burke Grade 2
 * __Lesson__:** When I Was Little: A Four-Year Old’s Memoir of Her Youth


 * __Standard/s__:** 1a, 2b

by Jamie Lee Curtis
 * __Materials__:** Book __When I Was Little: A Four-Year Old’s Memoir of Her Youth__


 * __Time__:** 45 minutes


 * __Goals__:** Children will develop an understanding of their personal traits and emotions


 * __Describe Lesson Steps__:** The teacher will gather the students together in the gathering area. Ask the children to think about when they were younger and what they were like (What kinds of things did they like to do? What kinds of things were they allowed to do? What kinds of things were they able to do?). Have the students share these memories with their shoulder partner. Tell the students that you are going to read a book about the changes a little girl notices as she grows up. Ask the kids to think about what changes they have noticed as they have grown up (What are things they can do, what things do they know now, How do they feel now about themselves, etc.). Stop periodically while reading the story, to ask the children to share their connections and feelings about the book. This is a book that primary kids love reading because they make a lot of connections and come to realization about how much they have grown up. At the end of the book, ask the children to share their connections and thoughts of the book.

Another follow up activity could be writing a personal narrative or memoir. The kids could choose one major event from their life that they would like to write about. The brainstorming and the prewrite could be done as homework as well. The children could ask their family members to help them with generating an idea and the details. This is a writing activity that is included in the Houghton Mifflin Reading Program in Theme 5 Family Time for second grade. Teachers can use the Houghton Mifflin writing resources for strategies, tools, and rubrics. Children love sharing their personal stories. This is an activity that my children loved. However, it was difficult for them to think of one special event that they could generate meaningful details to describe. There were so many ideas that they wanted to include! This is where the family can help support the child. It also is a wonderful way to encourage conversations with family members. My students really enjoyed sharing their stories with the class,
 * __Activity/Assessment__:** As a follow up to the story, the children can create a personal timeline. This could be a homework assignment that the children complete with the support of their family. This timeline could include photographs or drawings showing the major events in their life starting with their birth (first learned to walk; loss of first tooth; learned to ride a bike; went on first airplane ride; started school, etc.). The kids could share their timeline with the class or with a partner. Then the timelines could be posted on a bulletin board.