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Descriptive Memoirs
By Ellen Rawson
Overview This lesson plan, an "Into" activity, will introduce students to memoirs prior to reading Almost a Woman
by Esmeralda Santiago. They also will recognize the importance of descriptive writing in a memoir and write their own short memoir as a descriptive essay. The students will read Santiago's prologue to
Almost a Woman, "Martes, ni te cases, ni te embarques, ni de tu familia te apartes," examine it for its essay format and descriptive writing, and write a descriptive essay about their own memory.
Objectives
- Examine critical essays and reviews written by Willa Cather and identify Cather's early opinions about art and the artist.
Read the prologue to Almost a Woman to learn about descriptive writing and memoirs.
- Demonstrate how descriptive writing must appeal to the senses and emotions.
- Review various poetic terms, such as simile, metaphor, personification, etc.
- Determine the purpose and point to Santiago's prologue.
- Analyze Santiago's descriptive writing.
- Brainstorm ideas for and descriptions of their own memoirs.
- Write a descriptive memoir in essay form.
Skills Attained
- Able to read texts closely.
- Comprehend descriptive writing components.
- Use brainstorming techniques.
- Understand purpose and point in literature.
- Write a descriptive memoir.
- Collaborate in a group.
- Edit/revise peer writing.
- Develop thesis statements.
Lesson Outline I. Anticipatory Set
Have students discuss their childhood memories, then gradually lead them to think about places in their childhoods. Is there
any special place that stands out in their memories, even to this day? Did they ever move? Is there a place, or something about that place, that they recall vividly? What do they miss? It could be almost
anything: the home they moved from five years ago, the old rocking chair where their mother rocked them, the tree that was cut down two summers ago, the smells wafting from the bakery two doors down from their
apartment building, the kindly old neighbor and babysitter who died when the student was six, etc. Then, ask students to write down ideas that
come to their heads about what they remember. How would they describe this place, person, experience, etc. to someone else? What words would they use to describe the bakery's odors, the neighbor's warm smile, etc.?
Give them time to brainstorm in writing.Ask students to share their ideas with the class, while you jot down ideas, using a chalkboard or an overhead projector, to see what each group found.
Discuss with the students the elements of good descriptive writing and discuss how the writing should appeal to the senses and emotions. Then, distribute a list of poetic/figurative language terms (including simile,
metaphor, personification, etc.) and discuss how they are necessary in descriptive writing.
Lesson Outline
1. Using the Book: Explain that Santiago's book is a memoir of her years in junior high, high school, and shortly thereafter. Distribute
copies of Almost a Woman
to the class or merely pull out one copy for yourself. You will then basically introduce students to the book via the prologue. Either have students read it on their own in class (it's short), or read it aloud yourself so that the students can hear the description.
2. Ask the students what they see, hear, taste, smell, and feel after hearing or reading Santiago's prologue and have the class discuss their responses. Some answers may include the smell of the
flour and yeast, the city, and the flowers or the vision of the suitcases and boxes, neighbors, apartments, graffiti, way people dressed, the people--including the family, landlords, neighborhoods--the childhood
home and everything about it; etc. 3. Make sure students also recognize the emotions involved --how it feels to leave behind what you love, to go someplace new on your own, to feel outcast, or to feel as if
you don't own anything or belong anywhere. 4. Have the students review and recognize the poetic techniques Santiago uses, as well as different aspects of poetic language, simile, metaphor, and
personification. 5. Writing a Memoir: Explain to the students that, although the prologue is designed to lead readers into the memoir, it also is an essay and a memoir in its own right. How can they write their
own brief memoir? 6. Have the students brainstorm again: what memory about their earlier years really stands out? What do they want to describe? What impressions do they want to give their readers? What should
their readers sense and feel? What is the overall effect they want to have? Next, have them form small groups to answer these questions based on Santiago's work, then share the responses with the entire class and
compare and contrast their reactions. Later, have them ask themselves, on their own, the same questions and write down their responses as part of their own brainstorming. In other words, make sure they understand
that they merely can't describe the kindly old neighbor who babysat them or the wonderful tree they played under as a child. Rather, they must have a point, just as Santiago did, that leads them to a thesis
statement. Students need to understand that descriptive essays, of course, can't just be "laundry lists" of what the writer saw or felt; the writer uses description to help him or her make and prove the point. 7.
Remind students, even though they probably have written numerous essays already, that all good essays include the following: Introduction: It is a well-developed paragraph that includes a strong thesis
statement, necessary background information, and support for the thesis. It should start with a "hook" or "grabber" for the reader. Point out that Santiago's opening line draws attention because of the number of
moves she made. Body: It must include several well-developed paragraphs that specifically support the thesis statement. If the student is pointing out how the kindly old neighbor taught him to understand and
appreciate his mother, then he or she must go into detail about how that happened. Conclusion: It must draw the essay to a close and clarify the entire paper's overall significance. The memoir should,
in some way, reflect on or analyze the importance of the person or event. The student must not leave the reader with a déjà vu feeling at the end; neither, of course, should he or she leave the reader hanging. In the case of a descriptive essay, make sure students have appealed to the readers' senses and emotions, without, of course, overdoing it. Give students class time to peer edit and/or revise and
work with the teacher, as necessary. Encourage them to share their drafts with as many readers as possible to obtain input and constructive criticism.
Assessment
You should develop your own rubric for scoring essays, checking, of course, for all of the items above, grammar, and mechanics. Have students
turn in all drafts and brainstorming exercises to demonstrate how they developed the essay from the start. Students could share their essays/memories with the rest of the class to close the lesson before reading the
rest of Santiago's book.
Suggested Related Works Numerous memoirs and autobiographies, as
well as short stories, novels (or novel excerpts), and poetry employing memories, could complement this lesson. A few suggestions follow:When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago
"Marigolds" by Eugenia Collier "Like Mexicans" by Gary Soto To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody The Joy Luck Club
by Amy Tan "Incident" by Countee Cullen "The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst American Hunger by Richard Wright Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
This lesson was submitted by Ellen Rawson, a teacher at Boulder High School in Colorado. |
