Name: _______________________ Date: _______ Period: ____

1. Directions: Brainstorm three experiences that have helped make you the person you are today. For every experience, list the effects this experience had on you. Scratched head continuously, and teacher called me on it. Got head lice. Felt isolated. All my friends stayed away from me. Started to feel like I was disgusting from comments classmates made. Cause (an experience): Name: _______________________ Date: _______ Period: ____

2. Starting Your Memoir: As you think about writing your memoir, remember that the beginning should catch the reader’s attention and make an impact. There are several ways to start. Go back to the beginning of “Dreams from My Father” (page 830) to see how Obama started his memoir. Here are a few ideas: • Start by setting the scene. Example: “The sun beat on my back. The waves soothed my ear...” • Start at the very beginning (chronological order). Example: “I woke up to find my house empty…” • Start with a reflection, and then flashback to what happened. Example: “When I lost my front tooth playing dodge ball, I lost all confidence in myself. I remember it like it was yesterday…” Now, it’s your turn to write a starter for your memoir. Choose one of the above options and write out your opening. You should have at least eight sentences.

3. Memoir Outline: • Beginning: Story Starter (1st Paragraph) • Middle: Tell the story. Share the experience and all of the effects it had on you that made you who you are today. Remember that is a story—not a list. Write like you’re sharing your experience with all of the descriptive details, imagery, figurative language, active verbs, and dialogue that an effective story-teller would use. Don’t forget to look at your rubric for the requirements! • End: Conclude your story, and share final reflections on how this experience shaped who you are today.

4. Memoir Outline:Directions: Briefly write out your ideas for your beginning, middle, and end. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________