Autobiography, Biography, Personal Narrative, and Memoir
Lesson plans and teaching ideas, page 2

Memoir
Follow links to three approaches to writing a memoir and a link on writing leads.

Memoir: The Stuff of Our Lives
In this extensive unit students explore the genre of memoir. They will see that writers write about the ordinary happenings of their lives and that their own lives are packed with meaningful experiences and memories that can form the basis of their own writing. Students will be encouraged to reflect upon the significance of remembered events and to keep a "notebook" of their thoughts and feelings.

Memory Archive
Click on "For Teachers and Students" to learn how to contribute a personal narrative to this online archive wiki.

Picturing the Past: Writing Memory Stories from Meaningful Photographs
"Students consider family photos brought in by their peers. They then individually consider a significant personal photograph and write a memory story about it."

Portraits: Written and Visual
In this unit plan students study the life of Louisa May Alcott and Mark Twain using a portrait from the Smithsonian's National portrait Gallery, a commemorative stamp from the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum, a piece of autobiographical writing, and an abridged passage from a novel. This lesson from the Smithsonian Institute is designed for upper elementary students. It can be adapated for study of a different author.

Senior Memory Book
A 16-week unit resulting in an autobiography. This project is designed for seniors but could be adapted to other grade levels. Click on the title for details.

Teaching Through Biographies
Some ideas for interdisciplinary approaches, including rubrics.

This I Believe
A teacher's guide to writing the personal essays that form the NPR series.

Voices from the Field
This collection of first-person narratives from Peace Corps volunteers comes with lesson plans designed for grades 7-12. This is an outstanding set of materials!

Writing a Character Sketch
This activity includes a model and graphic organizer.

Writing Personal Narrative Essays
There is no mystery in writing personal narratives if you follow these easy steps.

Writing Portfolio
These 55 outstanding reflective writing prompts are designed for high school sophomores. Most are autobiographical in nature. They are presented in 3 formats: Web page, MS-Word document, and PDF file (requires Adobe Reader for access).

Writing Prompts for Personal Narratives
Twenty wide-ranging prompts.