http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/exploring-power-language-with-30701.html
Print This Page
LESSON PLAN
Exploring the Power of Language with Six-Word Memoirs
Grades
9 – 12
Lesson Plan Type
Standard Lesson
Estimated Time
Three 50-minute sessions
Lesson Author
Cathy Allen Simon
Urbana, Illinois
Publisher
PREVIEW
OVERVIEW
What do the words we write really have to say about us? In this lesson, students examine the power of word choice as
they write six-word memoirs of their lives. After manipulating the language of their memoir with an interactive tool,
students reflect on synonymous words that they have explored and choose the best one to use to tell the story of their
lives.
FEATURED RESOURCES
Word Matrix: This interactive allows students to explore the similarities and
differences among words typically considered synonyms and encourages more
precision in word choice in student writing.
FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE
In "Register and Charge: Using Synonym Maps to Explore Connotation," Darren Crovitz and Jessica A. Miller argue that
students' typical understanding of the word synonym as meaning "'a word that means the same as another word'" is "at
best an oversimplification and at worst a way to end thinking about what words actually signify" (49). They advocate
for investigations into language and word groups to allow students to discover that "the subtlety of just how and to
what extent [words are] similar makes all the difference when it comes to choosing the best word for a given purpose"
(49). This lesson encourages students to explore the subtleties of shifting connotation and meaning affected by word
choice.
Further Reading
Crovitz, Darren, and Jessica A. Miller. "Register and Charge: Using Synonym Maps to Explore Connotation."English
Journal 97:4. (March 2008): 49-55.
STANDARDS
NCTE/IRA NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
1.
Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of
the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and
demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction,
classic and contemporary works.
2.
Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many
dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
3.
Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on
their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of
other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound–letter
correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
4.
Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to
communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
5.
Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately
to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
8.
Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks,
video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
9.
Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across
cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.
11.
Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy
communities.
12.
Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning,
enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).
RESOURCES & PREPARATION
MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY






Word Matrix student interactive
Video: Six-Word Memoirs: The Video Story
Video: Six Word Memoirs by Teens
Video: Six-Word Memoirs, the book
Video: “Six Tips for Writing Six-Word Memoirs”
Computers with Internet access
STUDENT INTERACTIVES
Grades 6 – 12 | Student Interactive | Learning About Language
Word Matrix
Explore the similarities and differences among words typically considered synonyms with this tool that allows middleand secondary-level students organize groups of words by connotation on one axis and by register on another.
PRINTOUTS

Choosing the Best Word: Six-Word Memoirs
WEBSITES



Six-Word Memoirs at SMITH Magazine
This site includes six-word memoirs written by a variety of authors on life stories. Also included are videos
about the memoirs and information about Six-Word Memoir books.
SMITHTeens
On this site, students can explore memoirs and join thousands of storytellers to have a chance to be in a future
book of Six-Word Memoirs.
Six-Word Memoir Wiki
This wiki includes six-word memoir films created by students, for students.
PREPARATION
1.
2.
o
o
o
o
3.
4.
5.
Locate one or more copies of the Six-Word Memoir books. Familiarize yourself with the content
within the book(s). You may wish to choose a few memoirs to share with and/or point out to
the students.
Preview the following videos and decide which you will show and/or are appropriate for your
students:
Six-Word Memoirs: The Video Story
Six Word Memoirs by Teens
Six-Word Memoirs, the book
“Six Tips for Writing Six-Word Memoirs”
Test the Word Matrix student interactive and make sure that you have the appropriate software
installed for it to run effectively. You will need computers with internet access for each student
to use this interactive. If computer accessibility is a problem, print out paper copies of the
interactive and make enough copies for each student. If you need additional help with this
interactive, please visit our Technical Help page.
Photocopy the Choosing the Best Word: Six-Word Memoirs handout for students.
Familiarize yourself with the ideas of synonyms, connotation, register, and
sound/rhythm. Additional teacher information on synonyms and language can be found in a
variety of articles from English Journal, Vol. 97, No. 4, March 2008, with the issue theme
“Teaching Spelling and Vocabulary in High School.”
INSTRUCTIONAL PLAN
STUDENT OBJECTIVES
Students will:



define synonym and consider the implications of multiple word meanings for authors attempting to
choose the most effective word in a given situation.
investigate the similarities and differences within word groups on the basis of connotation and
register.
create, reflect on, and revise a memoir, taking into account word choice and message.
SESSION ONE
1.
2.
3.
o
o
o
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
o
o
o
9.
Begin a class discussion with students about memoirs and their “life stories.” What do students
consider to be their “life story”? Would they need to write a novel to explain everything, or
could they tell about one event that helped shape them as a person? Explain to students that
they are going to be writing memoirs of their lives, but there’s a catch—they only have six words
to portray themselves however they wish and to get a message across.
Introduce the idea of six-word memoirs by projecting the video Six-Word Memoirs: The Video
Story for students to see (alternate/additional videos that can be shown include Six Word
Memoirs by Teens and Six-Word Memoirs, the book). You may also wish to have some Six-Word
Memoir books available for students to peruse after the video to see more examples.
To get students thinking about their own memoirs, have a class discussion that includes the
following questions (adapted from the Teaching Guide for I Can’t Keep My Own Secrets):
After reading/seeing some six-word memoirs, what surprises you about this form?
What’s the difference between a story and a memoir? Why do we tell stories? Who knows your
story best?
How is it both possible and impossible to distill the essence of who you are into six
words? Which author do you think does the best job of it and why?
Again, explain the parameters of the assignment: students must write a personal memoir in only
six words. To give students a bit more information about what’s required, show students
the “Six Tips for Writing Six-Word Memoirs” video. Allow for students’ questions and then ask
that students spend some time brainstorming and writing down different possibilities for their
own six-word memoir. Eventually, ask students to choose one memoir that they deem their
“favorite” and they would like to use for the remainder of this lesson.
Ask students to write down a definition of the word synonym and provide several examples.
Arrange students in small groups to share their definitions and examples. As they share, ask
them to look for similarities and differences in their definitions and examples. Have groups
share their findings with the entire class and create a class definition of the word synonym, to
be written on the board or chart paper.
Facilitate a discussion on how a poet or author might choose the "best word" for their piece of
writing when there may be several words in the English language that express the same, or
nearly the same, idea or concept.
Guide students to an understanding that synonyms do express similar meanings but they also
vary according to connotation, register, and sound/rhythm. You may wish to write these
definitions on the board or chart paper for students to refer to in later activities.
Connotation: the emotional or personal associations the word carries, beyond its literal
definition.
Register: the level of formality or informality associated with the word.
Sound and rhythm: the way words sound and scan contribute to their appropriateness.
Remind students to keep the memoir that they chose to use for the remainder of this lesson. If
they wish, they may continue brainstorming and working on their memoir outside of class, as
long as they bring their chosen memoir to the next session.
SESSION TWO
1.
o
Give each student a copy of the Choosing the Best Word: Six-Word Memoirs handout. Ask
students to take another look at the six-word memoir that they chose to use for this
activity. Ask student to choose one “focus word” from their memoir for which they will explore
possible synonyms. Ask students to write that focus word on the handout. As students record
their focus word, walk around the classroom to review students’ choices, making sure that their
word choice will work for this activity (for instance, they shouldn’t choose the word “the” or
“and”).
Note to the Instructor: Synonyms can be any part of
speech (e.g. nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs orprepositions), as long as both members of the
pair are the same part of speech.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Give students a few minutes to make their list of synonymous words (they may use a thesaurus if
necessary) and think about how they actually differ in regard to connotation and register. Ask
students to share examples and explain the differences they see.
Inform students that they will be using an online tool to explore the ideas of synonyms,
connotation, and register further by arranging words that have the same meaning as their focus
word but vary according to connotation and/or register.
Direct students to the Word Matrix tool online and ask them to select the option to organize
words by connotation and register. Students will need to create a new concept that includes
their focus words and the synonymous words in their list. You may wish to model this process
before having students work independently.
After creating their concepts, each student should arrange their words according to relative
charge in connotation and formality of register. Point out that there are not right or wrong
answers to this activity. More important than where the students end up putting words is the
explanations they write about what the words mean and how they relate to each other. They
should indicate their thinking by double-clicking each word and writing a brief justification for
its placement.
Explain to students that they can access online resources and get more information about
connotation and register by clicking on the orange question mark within the tool. They should
use the back navigation within the tool (not the back arrow in the browser) to get back to their
work within the matrix.
Have students print their completed matrices. Review them before the next session to gauge
student understanding of connotation and register.
Ask students to rewrite their six-word memoir by substituting each synonym in the place of the
focus word that they originally chose. Thus, they should have multiple examples of the same
six-word memoir with a different synonym replacing the focus word in each example. Students
should complete this activity before the next session.
SESSION THREE
1.
2.
3.
4.
o
o
o
5.
Ask students to take out their list of memoirs within which they substituted different synonyms
for their focus word. Have them take a moment to review the different memoirs and how they
changed the meaning of the memoir.
Have students take out their Choosing the Best Word: Six-Word Memoirs handout, on which they
originally wrote their focus word and their synonyms. Ask them to reflect on how their word
choice affected the meaning of their different memoirs. They should write about their thoughts
and the memoir they prefer (with reasoning) on the handout under the Reflection Question.
After all students have completed the handout, have students take turns sharing their
experience. They should share their original memoir, what their synonyms were, and the final
memoir they decided on (along with their reasoning). Allow for other students to ask questions
about the students’ word choice if they so choose.
Finally, have students post their final memoir to share with their classmates. Choices for
sharing include:
create a class book of memoirs;
produce a video of your students’ memoirs, much like the videos they watched at the beginning
of the session; or
have students submit their own six-word memoir at www.SMITHteens.com.
Allow students time to study their classmates’ memoirs and ask questions to get to know each
other better and build a stronger classroom community!
EXTENSIONS


Make six-word memoirs a part of your classroom routine. Do warm-ups or exit slips that ask
students to write six-word memoirs. You’ll be amazed at how much you’ll learn about students
based on their memoirs!
Present other short form writing choices for students to experiment with such as Haiku. Have them
follow the same steps of substituting different synonyms into their writing to focus on word choice.



Expand on the idea of a six-word memoir while still focusing on word choice and story
elements. Have students increase the length of their memoir by writing an Espresso Story.
Connect six-word memoirs to a literature activity by having students write literary characters’ sixword memoirs.
Have students produce a video of their memoirs to post to You Tube or another video site. Use the
video as an electronic scrapbook of the students in each class.
STUDENT ASSESSMENT/REFLECTIONS


Provide formative feedback through the completed matrices, synonym lists, and any other student
work prior to the project.
Evaluate students’ understanding of the project and completion of all of the steps during and after
their oral presentation of their findings.
RELATED RESOURCES
LESSON PLANS
Grades 9 – 12 | Lesson Plan | Minilesson
Manipulating Sentences to Reinforce Grammar Skills
Students manipulate sentences from books or magazines to examine changes in meaning and parts of speech.
Grades 9 – 12 | Lesson Plan
Choose, Select, Opt, or Settle: Exploring Word Choice in Poetry
Students investigate the effects of word choice in Robert Frost’s “Choose Something Like a Star” to construct a more
sophisticated understanding of speaker, subject, and tone.
Grades 6 – 8 | Lesson Plan | Minilesson
She Did What? Revising for Connotation
Did she walk, skip, amble, dance? In this minilesson, students explore connotation by acting out and revising the simple
sentence "She walked into the room."
Grades 9 – 12 | Lesson Plan | Unit
Family Memoir: Getting Acquainted With Generations Before Us
Creating a memoir of an older family member allows students both to learn more about their own backgrounds and to
learn the power of storytellers.
Grades 9 – 12 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Finding Poetry in Prose: Reading and Writing Love Poems
After reading several poems that expand the definition of love poetry, students compose found poems based on a
personal memoir—either their own or a love story of another writer.
STUDENT INTERACTIVES
Grades 6 – 12 | Student Interactive | Learning About Language
Word Matrix
Explore the similarities and differences among words typically considered synonyms with this tool that allows middleand secondary-level students organize groups of words by connotation on one axis and by register on another.
PROFESSIONAL LIBRARY
Grades 8 – 12 | Professional Library | Journal
Expanding Vision: Teaching Haiku
Despite common misconceptions about haiku, there is a lively and vibrant haiku community throughout the United
States and many other countries. Read this article for further discussion on the use of haiku in your own classroom.