Exploring Moments in our Lives: Memoir Writing for Elementary Students

Janée Gregory, Fourth Grade, JH Gunn Elementary School

Curriculum Unit (pdf)

Synopsis:

Writing curriculum and instruction is scarcely experienced within the elementary school classroom. This curriculum unit will make a contribution to the English Language Arts and writing curriculum formerly established within the elementary school classroom. Within the unit, students will research events from their life in order to produce a written and digital publication. In this unit students will think back on their young lives, write from their own experience, and develop their voices through the craft of writing for an audience. This unit explores using mentor texts and mentor authors to develop clear a writing voice communicating with an audience effectively. Through this unit, the writing process will be taught with flexibility instead of each individual part taught in isolation as traditionally taught within an elementary classroom. The unit includes lesson in writing instruction students will apply and develop a memoir of an even from their life for a particular audience. The lessons are flexible and able to be shortened or expanded to fit the needs of your own classroom.  Differentiated instructional suggestions are within the unit lesson outlines. The lessons offer opportunities for small group instructional practices in order to provide students with guided instruction differentiated for their independent working level.