Peace.Love.LanguageArts

Monday, May 13, 2013

Author's Craft

When you read WDM what do you see? What are his signature "moves" as an author?

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

WDM Podcasts

Walter Dean Myers, the author, poses with books.

Walter Dean Myers really enjoys meeting the kids who read his books — he frequently visits schools and juvenile detention facilities to talk with young readers

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Author study!

What Walter Dean Myers title is your book club reading?

Publish a chapter of your memoir by Thursday (section A) Friday (sections B/C/D/E)

Chapter should be 1-2 pages and include:
Appropriate graphics/illustrations
Unique title
Font style that fits with themes in writing
At least 3 craft elements reviewed in class (see chart below)

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Rehearse your drafts OUT LOUD!

Students spent part of today recording themselves as "storytellers" to encourage them to put more of their own personalities into their memoir writing.

We used modern technology to get back to our roots as "storytellers."

Reactions can be very telling!

Authors use the reactions of other characters in a memoir to help emphasize the significance of the events within a chapter.

Friday, April 26, 2013

Shocking!!

Another way to "add pizzazz" is by including a shocking one-liner to peak the interest of the audience to foreshadow or "tease" a major event.

Jeanette Walls uses this technique really effectively in her memoir The Glass Castle.

Spring can bring wacky weather....

Thursday, April 25, 2013

and all that Jazz....

How do writers spice up their memoirs?

Here are 2 ways to "add pizzazz," and there will be many more to come =)

Crafting a Memoir

Writers use many different techniques to successfully put together a page-turning memoir. Over the course of this unit, we will add many of them to our own writing toolboxes. Here are the tips and tricks we discussed today...