Activities
What’s Your Story?
One of the greatest challenges for student writers is determining a topic to write about extensively. Some students commonly stare into space and struggle to begin writing during a writer’s workshop or journaling time. Sometimes they choose topics that are difficult to give descriptive details because they have little background knowledge on what they are writing about. At the beginning of this unit, we will complete activities that will help students determine a personal story to write. First students will make lists to help them brainstorm a story in their lives to write about. Next, students will discuss with buddy something from the list. Then, they will write journal entries to help them brainstorm ideas. The activities below are flexible and can be used more than once as needed. For instance, teachers can have students complete different list on different days or complete all them at once.
List ideas
- Make a list of five or more of your favorite things to do.
- Make a list of times you t.ried something new.
- List situations when you accomplished something that made yourself proud.
Turn and Talk/Journaling
Here students can pick a topic on their lists and share about it with a partner.
What’s the Problem?
Narrative stories have a conflict or problem. After analyzing the problem in Chapter 7 “Fufi”, students will identify their own conflict in their stories.
Guiding Questions
What is the major problem in the story? How does Trevor feel? How do you know? What was the climax of the story? What events made the problem/conflict worse?
Mentor Sentences
A South African Childhood, Allusions in a Landscape
“In the part of South Africa where we lived, we had not only fire under our feet; we had too, a complication of tunnels as intricate as one of those delicate chunks of worm cast you find on the seashore.”
“Streams oozed down from the hills and could be discovered by the ear only, since they were completely covered by low, umbrella-shaped trees…”
Long Walk to Freedom
“Within twenty feet or so of the gate, the cameras started clicking, a noise that sounded like some great head of metallic beasts.”
“The driver was meant to turn right and skirt its edges, but instead, he inexplicably plunged straight into the sea of people.”
“Immediately the crowd surged forward and enveloped the car.”
“I walked out onto the balcony and saw a boundless sea of people cheering, holding flags and banners, clapping, and laughing.”
It’s Trevor Noah: Born a Crime
“Since I belonged to no group I learned to move seamlessly between groups. I floated.”
“I was everywhere with everybody, and at the same time I was all by myself.”
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