Write a Memory Poem

1. Write a Memory Poem • Objectives: • To write a poem inspired by a childhood memory using a “six-room” (or more) format. • To explore multiple sensory images related to a single childhood memory. • Focusing Question: • How do you write a poem based on a memory? http://www.writingmatters.org Focusing Question | Mini Lesson | Writer’s Work Time | Lesson Summary

2. Mini Lesson • Do you remember a “first time” memory: the first time you rode a bike; the first time you went to school, etc.? • Can you think of a “small moment” memory: the smell of cookies baking in your kitchen; the squeak of a floorboard on the stairs, etc…? • Do you remember any happy traditions or memories around a special occasion like your birthday or a family holiday? • Do you have a memory inspired by a person who was/is important to you? Handout 2.2a: Memory Poem Focusing Question | Mini Lesson | Writer’s Work Time | Lesson Summary

3. Writer’s Work Time • Watch DD’s Think Aloud: Writing a Memory Poem in Step 2 of the Online Classroom. • Re-read your writing from all rooms and create a poem that uses some or all of the information you compiled. • Use sensory details to describe the memory and your feelings. • Rearrange the order of the rooms so that the poem makes sense. • Eliminate rooms, words or sentences that don’t add to meaning. You can also add words. Focusing Question | Mini Lesson | Writer’s Work Time | Lesson Summary

4. Lesson Summary • How do you write a poem based on a memory? • Share your writing with a partner: • What do you like about your partner’s poem? • What images stand out? • What does the poem reveal about the memory? Focusing Question | Mini Lesson | Writer’s Work Time | Lesson Summary