Narrative Writing Unit: Memoir
Mentor Texts-- "Saturdays and Teacakes"-- vivid & specific sensory details, come back lines, purposeful dialogue, logical progression of events "Thank You, Mr. Falker"-- Striking Leads (interesting/memorable beginnings) "Fireflies"-- Memorable endings, purposeful dialogue, specific events, elements of plot "House on Mango St." Excerpts "Hair" & "Eleven" "Papa Who Wakes Up Tired in the Dark" Craft Lessons-- Reading your writing like it's GOLD-- oral presentation/writer's workshop (Lucy Calkins) How we will use mentor texts-- looking for things that stand out and stay with you (Lester Laminack) MORE on memoir… What is a memoir? This sentence has 5 words… Grammar Lessons--(to be modeled with mentor texts and reinforced with No Red Ink and writers' workshops) *complex/compound sentences *varying sentence structure *phrases and clauses (and their functions) *strong verbs *verb types (action vs linking) *SPECIFIC nouns (common vs proper) *proper internal punctuation |
Mining for ideas about which we will write
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Small Moments…
NARRATIVE WRITING – Memoir
6-Trait Writing Unit Goals & Objectives Ideas Ø Clear, definite focus on a snapshot of writer’s life Ø Carefully selects only the necessary details to bring the snapshot to life Ø Selected sensory details are vivid and clearly serve the narrative Organization Ø Unforgettable lead and enlightening conclusion Ø Sequences narrative to show logical progression of events Ø Well-crafted transitions embedded in text Voice Ø Showing vs. Telling Ø Writes with authenticity – voice is as individual as a fingerprint Ø Natural, purposeful dialogue enhances story and hooks reader Word Choice Ø Uses precise nouns to add specificity Ø Incorporates strong verbs Ø Includes memorable words and phrases that linger with the reader Ø Everyday language used in original ways Sentence Fluency Ø Purposeful sentence beginnings (S-V, Phrases, Clauses) Ø Effective variety in sentence lengths (short, long, fragment) Ø Experiments with a wide variety of sentence structure Ø Conversational flow and rhythm; reads like a lively script; a joy to share aloud Conventions Ø Proper nouns Ø Action verbs vs. Helping/Linking Verbs Ø Correctly punctuates dialogue Ø Ready to publish – only the pickiest editors will spot errors. |