Honor Narratives
MS. PANKEY
8 TH G R A D E L A N G U A G E A R T S
AUBURN JUNIOR HIGH
THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN
UNIT
What does it mean to honor someone?
 Honor – (verb) to regard with great respect; admire.
 Honoring someone means that you recognize
someone who deserves respect and admiration.
Many people have done valiant, good things in their
lives but have never been honored or recognized for
them.
The Five People You Meet in Heaven
 In the dedication of The Five People You Meet in
Heaven, the author, Mitch Albom, says he wrote the
book as a wish “that my uncle, and other like him –
people who feel unimportant here on earth – realize,
finally, how much they mattered and how they were
loved.”
 Albom’s book honors his uncle Eddie, who felt he
had never done anything important with his life;
Albom disagreed.
Assignment
 Your job with this assignment is to honor someone
that you know.
 Think about people that you know. Who do you
admire? Why? Brainstorm a short list of people that
you admire and why.
 These people might have: made sacrifices for you or
their family, fought in war, been faced with tough
decisions, taken a stand for the “right” thing, etc.
Choosing Someone to Honor
 Narrow it down to one person that you would like to
honor.
 This person needs to be someone that you could tell
a story about.
 You will have to interview this person very soon, so
you need to have a way to contact them. If you
choose someone is deceased, then you must be able
to interview someone who knew them well and
would know stories about their life.
 This needs to be someone you know personally.
Choosing Someone to Honor
 After you have narrowed it down to one person you
want to honor, you should start brainstorming what
you want to focus on to honor their life.
 Hopefully, you will be able to choose one story from
their life that shows your readers this person’s
character and the honorable things they have done in
their lives.
 In order to receive information about their life, you
will conduct an interview with them.
Interviewing
 I am giving you a list of ten questions that you must
ask the person you are going to interview.
 You may certainly ask them more than just these
questions – in fact, you should!
 The interview should be conversational. This means
you should ask them questions about any details you
want when they tell you their stories.
 If you already know a good deal about this person’s
life stories, ask them to re-tell it to you with the most
details that they can remember.
Interviewing
 Be sure to ask politely if you may interview this
person and explain what this assignment is for.
 **IMPORTANT: When interviewing, you must take
notes of the person’s answers.
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You can either write their answers down on a separate sheet of
paper
OR You can record the interview (on your phone, on your
computer) and type up the questions and answers later.
To record an interview with your computer, search for the
program called “Audacity”!
 DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS!!! Get as many as
possible.
DUE DATE!!!
 A “transcript” of your interview is due on
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2014!!!!!
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Transcript means that you need to turn in a complete record of the
questions and answers of your interview. Do not leave out
ANYTHING!!!
Example:
http://www.u.arizona.edu/~kimmehea/purdue/421/exampleintervi
ew.htm
 Include your name, the name of the person you
interviewed, and the setting (date, time, place) at the
TOP of your paper or Word document.
 If you are recording the interview, you will have to save
it, then go back later and listen to the interview while you
type up exactly what was said by both you and the other
person you interviewed.
What’s Next?
 When you turn in your interview transcripts on
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2014, we will talk
about how to write a narrative to honor your person.
 REMEMBER: Your goal is to tell a story about this
person’s life that you think shows why they are not
just an “ordinary” person, but someone who should
be honored because of sacrifices they have made,
obstacles they have overcome, etc.