This I Believe: Exploring the Beliefs that Have Shaped Your Life
Through Concision, Anecdotal Evidence, and the Power of Empathy
Teaching Demonstration by Erica Mead
2010 Upper Peninsula Writing Project
5 July 2010
Grade Level: 5th grade – Collegiate level and beyond
Grade Level Content Expectations:
7th Grade:
 W.PR.07.01 set a purpose, consider audience, and replicate authors’ styles and patterns
when writing a narrative or informational piece.
 W.PS.07.01 exhibit personal style and voice to enhance the written message in both
narrative (e.g., personification, humor, element of surprise) and informational writing
(e.g., emotional appeal, strong opinion, credible support).
High School
 1.2 Use writing, speaking, and visual expression for personal understanding and growth.
 1.3 Communicate in speech, writing, and multimedia using content, form, voice, and
style appropriate to the audience and purpose.
 2.3 Develop as a reader, listener, and viewer for personal, social, and political purposes,
through independent and collaborative reading.
Objectives:
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Students will learn how to use anecdotal evidence to validate a position
Students will learn how to write for concision
Students will learn how to appeal to a broad audience, both through their writing and
orally
Students will investigate specific writers’ techniques that were used to produce an
effective “This I Believe” essay.
Students will build a community with one another, based on mutual respect
Materials:
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www.thisibelieve.org
“This I Believe” brochure
Essay “Always Go to the Funeral” http://thisibelieve.org/essay/8/
o Annotated copies for each student to mark up.
o Have this ready in podcast format as well.
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Highlighters for each student
1 red and 1 green slip of paper for each student
Belief Clichés overhead
Professional Resources:
Hicks, Troy. The Digital Writing Workshop. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2009.
Methods:
1. Hand out Belief Quotations to each student - 5 min.
a. Have students perform a Quickwrite about the quote they were given.
Encourage them to relate it to themselves personally.
2. Explain to the students that they will be executing a personal essay, formally titled the
“This I Believe” essay - 5min.
a. Explain the differences between a personal essay and transactive writing.
b. Explain to students that the type of personal essay writing they will be doing is a
“This I Believe” essay.
c. Hand out “This I Believe” brochure and discuss the format.
3. Listen to “Always Go to the Funeral”. Then Re-Read , followed by a Text Annotation –
15 min
a. Highlight words/phrases that stood out to you as a reader. What made you
emote? What were you able to relate to? Picture in your mind?
b. How did this author share her unique voice?
c. How was concision used throughout this piece?
d. How were you as a reader able to relate to this piece?
e. How did the author move from the specific, to a broader appeal?
f. How did the author employ the five senses?
g. What was the author’s main idea?
h. How did the podcast add to your understanding of the piece?
4. One at a Time, Reveal and Discuss 5 Belief Clichés – 15 - 20 min
a. Have students raise a green or a red slip of paper to indicate agreement (green)
or disagreement (red)
b. After each “vote”, ask one or two students to share why they maintain this
position about this particular belief, focusing on a particular anecdote or pivotal
event that sparked his or her position.
5. Discuss the Power of Anecdotal Writing – 5 min.
a. How do anecdotes help get a point across? Help others understand?
b. In what type of writing would it be appropriate to implement an anecdote?
c. Transition—now we are going to do some brainstorming to help you think of
some possible subjects and subsequent anecdotes you could you use for a “This I
Believe” essay
6. Ask students to brainstorm 6 beliefs they had as a child – 5 min.
a. Create class list, asking each student to share one.
7. Ask students to brainstorm 6 beliefs they had as an adult —5 min
a. Create class list
b. Note: This activity often takes a full class period. The students and I categorize
the beliefs at each age, often by generating a table. Typically during childhood,
most of the beliefs are centered around “Fairytales”, “Holidays”, “Family”,
“Cultural” and “Social”, whereas adult beliefs venture more into “Political”,
“Religious”, more in-depth “Social”, “Relationships”, etc.
8. Discuss the differences in beliefs at each age and how they have been shaped. – 5 min.
a. Ask students if any of the beliefs they have as an adult were different when they
were a child. Was there a pivotal moment when this belief shifted? Do any of
the pivotal moments in their life match up with a core belief that they have?
9. Have students look over their list of beliefs – 3 min.
a. Is there one they feel strongly about (from either the student’s individual list or
the class list)? Is there one that has a powerful or humorous anecdote that can
help others understand their belief? Is there one moment in their life that they
would like others to understand? Is there a lesson to be learned from this
moment?
10. Have students choose one belief from their list to write about - 15 minutes.
a. If none of your beliefs are sticking out, start listing the pivotal moments in your
life. Did these moments teach you to believe in something? Often times when
writing a “This I Believe” essay, I start with the story first, then figure out what
I’ve learned from it.
b. If there is a belief you feel strongly about, but haven’t been able to narrow it
down, start clustering—what are some words, moments, people, places you
associate with this belief? Remember, you’ll eventually need to broaden your
story to appeal to the masses. Perhaps this is where you can start.
c. Tip For Personal Essay Writing: DRAPES
D Dialogue: “If you can’t say something good, don’t say anything at all,” my
mother warned me throughout my childhood.
R Rhetorical Question: “When you are eighty years old, what will you regret that
you didn’t do?”
A Anecdote: A short story or incident that shaped your belief
P Personal Experience: An overall experience that happened to you that affirms
your belief
E Example: A personal or world example that exemplifies why your belief is
important
S Statistic Facts or figures that support your belief
d. Remind students that they should focus on finding an anecdote today.
11. When the 15 minutes is up, students will condense the anecdote you have written
into one strong sentences or highlight the one phrase or sentence they would like to
take away from the writing. – 5 min.
a. This helps drive home the point of concision with students.
b. Often students will want to write their entire life story, but this essay focuses on
one STRONG and CONCISE example, from 300-500 words.
12. Sharing of strong statement – 3 min.
13. Student samples of “This I Believe” essays. – 5 min.
Assessment:
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Students will have a meaningful, in-depth discussion about their beliefs and relate to
one another, even if their beliefs do not align
Students will be able to construct a strong, specific anecdote related to a belief
Students will be able to recognize techniques used in effective essays and employ
those techniques in their own writing
Extra Assignments/Extensions to Consider
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Student Listening Activity:
o This is an activity I always do with my students at the beginning of this
assignment.
1. Visit www.thisibelieve.org and search the essay database for submissions
from your city or state or for essays on a theme of interest to you.
2. Skim quickly through the opening paragraphs of several of these essays
and print copies of 2 you’d like to read.
3. Read through each essay the first time listening for the author’s unique
voice. What experiences have shaped the lives of each? How does each
respond, physically or emotionally, to these experiences?
4. Without attempting to indicate your agreement or disagreement with the
essay, write a 1–2 paragraph summary of the author’s core belief and the
way this belief has shaped his or her life in the past or present. How do they
establish their own unique voice through each essay?
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Each summary should be accurate in recording the philosophy that guides
the life and choices of each author.
5. Bring the essays and your summaries to class and be ready to discuss the
original ways these writers responded to the assignment. How do they
establish their own unique voice through each essay?
Group Storytelling:
o Choose a belief that is common to all group members. Record your common
belief. Then each member of the group should tell a story that either shows the
belief in action or explains why the storyteller believes what (s)he does.
Seeing is Believing
o Create a poster showcasing your belief both literally and metaphorically. Display
in classroom and do a gallery walk.
From Big to Small
o I know many educators that have their student write a 1500 word essay, then
whittle it down to 300-500 words. Students are really forced to focus on word
choice and concision through this practice. Students may complain at first, but
the difference and progress in their writing from 1500 to 300 words is
considerable.
Educator Resources
o The “This I Believe” website has educational curriculum packets for middle
school through high school students. I utilized and modified many of their
activities, and found many of their general writing hints very easy to understand
and helpful
o http://thisibelieve.org/educators/
Podcast and Submissions
o Once your students have gone through the revision process with their pieces, I
would encourage you to try creating podcasts with them. This is a major
component of the “This I Believe” assignment, and it is a great way to implement
technology in your classroom. In addition, students are encouraged to develop
their pieces to appeal to not only readers, but listeners as well.
o Writers of all ages are also encouraged to submit their pieces to the “This I
Believe” website—publication is a great goal to work for even at the youngest
age! You could also create a class website that makes both the podcasts and the
text available for everyone to enjoy.
Other Content Areas
o There is a huge variety of “This I Believe” essays on the website. You can adapt
this assignment to focus on a variety of topics. For example, there are entire
collections devoted to “environment”, “science”, “community”, “war”, “popular
culture”, “Holocaust”, “social justice”, “music”, “government & constitution”,
and essays from the original 1950s broadcast. Browse the tab labeled “Themes”
and see what you can find!