Lesson Plan: Understanding Memoir

Course: English Thematic Unit: Creative Nonfiction

Topic: Memoir Length of Class: 60 min (2 class periods)

Objectives: At the end of this class, students will be able to:

-describe the components of their chosen task.

-present their topic utilizing creativity and originality.

-be able to recognize creative nonfiction criteria in the subgenre of memoir.

Resources and Materials: Pens and paper, copies of Eudora Welty's One Writer's Beginnings

Procedures: Students will look over choices in tier 2 the previous day and list their preference 1-4. Teacher will form groups accordingly for class with no more than three to a group. In class, groups will then choose a topic from tier 1 and then work together to produce their Tier 2 task the following class period.

Tier 1: Choose task A, B, C, or D.

A. Describe an event in your life using at least 5 literary devices.

B. Describe an event in your life using 5 instances of veracity.

C. Describe an event in your life using 5 instances of personal presence.

D. Describe an event in your life showing a self exploration from beginning to end.

Tier 2: Choose task A, B, C, or D. (Each task should be 5-10 min).

A. Skit

B. Musical

C. Interview

D. T.V Commercial

Independent Practice: After students have presented their task on Day 2, class will read the first two pages of One Writer's Beginnings by Eudora Welty. Students will be instructed to highlight each criteria of creative nonfiction they encounter, color coding each criteria. (Highlighting personal presence as blue, literary devices as orange, and so forth).

Closure: Teacher and students will discuss how their skits/musicals/interviews/commercials acted as memoir by utilizing a criteria of creative nonfiction. Class will also discuss how memoir fits into creative nonfiction and what criteria seem most prevalent.

Assessment: Groups will be graded on their use of the creative nonfiction criteria defined in their chosen task and if they participate in their chosen task. If both are present, each student receives full credit.