Memoir Narrative Assignment
Remember the time you spilled an entire gallon of milk on the kitchen floor and it
leaked all the way through to the basement, causing your mom to yell at a volume
equal to that of a jet engine? Or when your dad brought you to the Museum of
Modern Art in New York City where you touched a painting by Pablo Picasso worth
millions and the guard almost had a heart attack? Or the time you were too sick to
go out on Halloween and you were going to dress up as an army guy and your mom
cried because you were lying under the covers in your fatigues with a fever of 102?
No? You don’t remember those things? Well, that’s because those are my memories,
so it would be weird if you did. You also have memories that are just as vivid,
whether they are from last week, last year, or ten years ago. And you are going to
write about one of them. Here’s how it works:
● You’ve already brainstormed some memories on your handout and in your
writer’s notebook.
● You are going to choose ONE memory (remember our discussion on
FOCUS)…
● …and write a LOT about it (remember our discussion on CONTENT).
● Your paper should be between one and three pages, typed, double spaced,
12-point font (either Times New Roman, Cambria, or Calibri).
● You and I will conference along the way, as you are
writing. Then we will have peer revision, which, by
the way, is anonymous.
● You will have three days of writer’s workshop in class.