1. Reflective Writing

2. Introduction • Marking Period’s Essential Question • To what extent are our identities shaped by our relationships to people, places, and things? • Texts • Night by ElieWeisel • excerpts from Maus by Art Speigelman • "Etched on a table" by Peter Orne • "Hansel and Grethel" by the Brothers Grimm • excerpts from Antigone by Sophocles • Memoir/Reflective Writing Unit

3. Reflective Writing Assignment • Prewriting #1: Special People • Students participate in a looping prewriting assignment where they list people who’ve had a positive impact on their lives and a list of the people who impacted them negatively. • Assignment Sheet • After prewriting #1 I introduce the assignment. Reflective Writing Assignment Handout

4. Prewriting #2 • Prewriting #2 Document • Begin by looking closely at the pictures in front of you. Then, write 2-5 entencesdescribing the moment that was captured. The descriptions should be sensory and concrete. • BE DESCRIPTIVE. • Be specific. For example, if you are writing about your grandmother’s death, don’t write “My grandmother died when I was sixteen.” Instead, look for an anchor, a specific memory, an object, a focal point. • Example: • You might want to write: I learned how to Scuba Dive in a pool, it was fun. • Instead write: • We trained, not in a pool, but in a warm pond with no visibility. My first experience with a scuba tank and mask took place in muddy darkness.

5. Now you write! • In your notebooks, spend 1-2 minutes for each photograph. • Share • What, if any, did these stories have in common? Think about theme, ideas, people, etc.

6. Detailed Reflection • Choose only 1 photo/memory • Answer the questions in your notebook, trying to flesh out as many ideas, thoughts, and details as possible.

7. Partner Up! • Find a partner and share your story and a few of the details from your questionnaire. • Partners should ask questions about clarification or about the event itself. Closing: • Find 1 thing that you had in common with your partner and 1 significant difference . (avoid simply saying I wrote about my dog and he wrote about his sister)