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Genre Project--Clarifying "Genre Study" and Identifying Teaching Points for ELA Genre

"Memoir vs. Personal Narrative " Staff Developer, Linda Bausch explains the difference between the personal narrative genre and the memoir genre.

The difference between a memoir and personal narrative

One of my favorite genres in childrens' literature is memoir. I only recently learned of the power and beauty of memoir. Five years ago, I had the privilege of spending two weeks in New York City at Columbia University. It was there at Lucy Calkin's Teacher's College Writing Project for teachers that I learned of the power of this genre.

Books by reading level, topic, genre

An elementary school's poetry page with a lot of adaptable resources for older kids

"The Writing Workshop, similar to the Reading Workshop, is a method of teaching writing using a workshop method. Students are given opportunities to write in a variety of genres and helps foster a love of writing. The Writing Workshop allows teachers to meet the needs of their students by differentiating their instruction and gearing instruction based on information gathered throughout the workshop."

The Writing Workshop, similar to the Reading Workshop, is a method of teaching writing using a workshop method. Students are given opportunities to write in a variety of genres and helps foster a love of writing. The Writing Workshop allows teachers to meet the needs of their students by differentiating their instruction and gearing instruction based on information gathered throughout the workshop. This page gives a basic overview of the Writing Workshop.

Students compose found and parallel poems based on a descriptive passage they have chosen from a piece of literature they are reading. They pick out words, phrases and lines from the prose passage then arrange and format the excerpts to compose their own poems. This process of recasting the text they are reading in a different genre helps students become more insightful readers and develop creativity in thinking and writing.

Interactive Writer's Models Analyze the elements of good writing with these interactive writer's models. Each model includes annotations and tips to help you be a good writer yourself. Middle School Grade 6 Grade 8 * Comparison-Contrast Essay * Descriptive Essay * How-to Explanation * Informative Report * Literary Comparison-Contrast Essay * Personal Narrative * Problem-Solution Essay * Short Story * Supporting a Position Grade 7 * Business Letter * Comparison-Contrast Essay * Complex Process Essay with Word Processing Features * Descriptive Essay * Informative Report * Literary Comparison-Contrast Essay * Personal Narrative * Persuasive Essay * Problem-Solution Essay * Short Story * Supporting an Interpretation * Business Letter * Character Analysis * Comparison-Contrast Essay * Informative Report * Instructions for Operating a Tool * Literary Comparison-Contrast Essay * Personal Narrative * Problem-Solution Essay * Review of a Novel * Short Story * Supporting a Position High School Grade 9 Grade 11 * Analysis of a Poem * Analysis of a Short Story * Autobiographical Narrative * Comparison of a Play and a Film * Comparison of Media Coverage * Description of a Place * Nonfiction Analysis * Persuasive Cause-and-Effect Essay * Persuasive Essay * Research Paper * Short Story Grade 10 * Analysis of a Short Story * Autobiographical Narrative * Biographical Narrative * Comparison of a Play and a Film * Comparison of Media Genres * Description of a Person * Persuasive Essay * Problem-Solution Analysis * Research Paper * Short Story * Analysis of a Novel * Editorial * Historical Research Report * Reflective Essay * Short Story Grade 12 * Analysis of Literature * Comparison-Contrast of Literature * Descriptive Essay

Activity 1: Introduction to the Genre of Memoir: Writing a Comparison/Contrast Essay, ONCE I WAS; NOW I AM (adapted from BEAT NOT THE POOR DESK, by Marie Ponsot and Rosemary Deen, Boynton/Cook Publishers, Portmouth, N.H., 1981).

In this unit, students will explore the genre of memoir. They will see that writers write about the ordinary happenings of their lives and that their own lives are packed with meaningful experiences and memories that can form the basis of their own writing. Students will be encouraged to reflect upon the significance of remembered events and to keep a notebook of their thoughts and feelings.

Writing Fix website is a fantastic resource for mini-lessons for writing workshop, mentor texts, units of study and genres, and 6 Trait materials.

Finding and selecting a book to read

Dave Barry's site full of commentaries (mentor texts) for the grade 7 unit

Feature articles by teens

Commentary Unit

Read Memoir Click on a column heading to sort by student name, state or title. Click a title to read the selection.

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