Life Maps

A Procedural Mini-Lesson on How to Brainstorm Ideas for Narrative & Reflective Writing

By: Amy Carol Wilkins

______________________________________________________________________________

Purpose:	This procedural mini-lesson is intended to give students strategies for brainstorming ideas when trying to decide on topics to write about when composing personal narratives.
Time:	30 Minutes
Materials:	Drawing paper, colored pencils/crayons/markers, magazines, glue sticks
Objectives:	8^th Grade North Carolina Competency Goals 1.01: The student will narrate a personal account which: Creates a coherent, organizing structure appropriate to purpose, audience, and context Uses remembered feelings Selects details that best illuminate the topic Connect events to self/society National Standards for English Language Arts 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. 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. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information). This procedural mini-lesson, “Life Maps,” is intended to be used in the English/language arts classroom before students begin to write personal narratives. It is my suggestion to use this mini-lesson after the teacher teaches their class about what a personal narrative is and right before assigning the class a personal narrative essay to write. A life map is a great tool to help students reflect on the highlights and critical moments of their lives. It is my goal that by having students complete these life maps that they will be able to pull one significant event from their life map that they would like to expand upon to create a personal narrative.
Script:	“Today we will be creating life maps. Does anyone know what a life map is (wait for student response and go from their responses into your explanation of a life map)? You all were right when you said that a life map is a pictorial representative of significant events in your life. A life map is much like a time line and it can be used as a strategy for brainstorming ideas on topic to write about when composing personal narratives. On your life map, you will include any events that you feel are significant in the make-up of your identity and your life. (Student asks what are some examples of things to include on their life map). That’s a good question. Examples of items that you could put on your life map include but are not limited to births, deaths, friendships, school, sports, religious events, events like getting braces or glasses, even relationships with your significant other. Here is an example of my personal life map. You can use this to help guide you in making your own life map, but do not feel confined to the format that I used and feel free to be creative. Drawing paper and colored pencils are up front for you to use if you choose, or you could go to the magazine box and get old magazines to cut out pictorial representations of the events of your life that you wish to include on your life map.” Allow students to have time to finish their life maps and then ask for volunteers to share their life maps with the class. “Now that each of you are wrapping up your life maps, is there any volunteers who wish to share their life maps with the class?” After having students share, then talk about ways that they could use their life maps to brainstorm ideas for their upcoming personal narrative. “Okay, now that you have your life maps, I want you to sit and think about which one of the events on your life map you think you would like to reflect on further by writing a personal narrative. Remember what we learned about personal narratives last week, and make sure you select an event that is not a too large block of time. Your personal narrative will be best if you could select an event that was brief but significant, that way you can capture the memory more effectively. For example, if I were to choose to write about my experiences at Chewning Middle School, I would not write about the whole three years I was there. I would probably chose to write about when I first walked through the doors of my middle school, or what was my first impression of Mr. Monsien’s Social Studies class. Therefore, once you select one event from your life map, sit down and reflect on your experiences with that event, and narrow your focus down further to a particular aspect of that event. Would someone like to share with the class which event from their life map that they are thinking about writing about?” (Mary: I plan on writing about when my baby sister was born three years ago) “Okay Mary, that’s a good start, why are you interested in writing about that event?” (Mary: Well, it was important to me because I was not the baby in the family anymore.) “Well that is most certainly an important event and I think you feel strongly enough about the event to write about it, but what particular aspect about your sister’s birth are you planning on writing about?” (Mary: I am thinking about the day they brought her home from the hospital.) “Okay Mary, that’s a start on narrowing down your topic, but can you narrow your focus down even further so that there isn’t so much of a time period involved? A day is a long time to write about.” (Mary: Um, I’m not sure how to narrow it down any further.) “Okay well let me see if we could help you narrow your focus. Can anyone else think of a way that Mary could narrow her focus down so that she wouldn’t be writing about an entire day? (Classmates: Mary could write about the first time her mother walked through the door with her baby sister) “That’s a great suggestion, how do you think you would like writing about that Mary?” (Mary: I think that’s a good idea.) “So, does everyone have a better idea about how to narrow your focus down to write about a personal event in your life (Wait for student responses an answer any further questions)? Okay then, for the rest of class I want you to start your first draft of your personal narrative.”