Memoir Book Project
1. This project will consist of two parts:
 A visual: the one-pager: due Thursday, March 3
 A oral presentation to the class: due Thursday, March 3
2. Each part will be fifty points of your total grade.
Part One—the visual one pager
1. What is a one-pager? In case you don’t remember from last semester, a one-pager is
a single page response to your reading. It is a way of making your own pattern of
your unique understanding. It is a way to be creative and experimental. It is a way
to respond imaginatively and honestly. It is a way to be brief and compressed in a
world drowning in paper. A one-pager is a valuable way to own what you are
reading. We learn best when we can create our own patterns.
Directions
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On notebook paper, brainstorm a list of all the major events in the memoir
from beginning to end. Create a time line of these events and write a short
description of what happens for each event. Identify the time of each event
with dates, seasons, etc.
Use unlined paper for your visual.
Pull out three quotations and write them on the paper. Use them as a
springboard to explore your own ideas.
Use a visual image or images, either drawn or cut out from magazines to
create a central focus to your page.
Cluster around this image or images dominant impressions, feelings, or
thoughts regarding what you have read.
Make a personal statement about what you have read. What is the author
trying to teach you about life? What was their message for you?
Ask a question or two and answer them.
Incorporate your time line into your one-pager somehow.
Create the one-pager in such a way that your audience will understand
something of your thinking about what you have read.
Feel free to use colored pens, pencils, crayons, markers, etc.—the more
visually appealing, the more your peers can learn from your pattern.
Part Two—Oral Presentation
Directions
1. Your next job is to appear on Thursday, March 3 or Friday, March 4 as the person in your
book. You should try to use props and costumes to make your person come to life. After
reading the memoir, you should be familiar with his or her life.
2. Create a list of ten questions to be asked of your memoir’s author. These questions will be
used as your interview questions.
3. Remember, you are the person you read about, and you will be answering questions as if
you’re that individual. Be sure your answers are thorough and contain brief anecdotes that
serve as examples. You will not be given credit for repeated answers.