Do I need a title for my memoirs?
No, you don’t need one, but if you want to title them,
that’s fine.
What format should it be in?
The only formatting I am looking for is your name and the
class info in MLA at the beginning of the paper. After that, the only
formatting I want is for you to somehow make it clear that you are shifting to
a new story. You can do this by quadruple spacing between stories or drawing a
line.
What font should it be in?
Courier New 10-12 pt. font, or Times New Roman 10-12 pt.
font. Double space the entire paper.
What stories should be in it?
Elementary memory, Junior High memory, High School memory,
and College thoughts. The first three should be stories. That last one is
ruminations…what are you looking forward to in college? what are you dreading
in college? What do you want to get involved in while in college. What new
areas would you like to explore? What groups and activities can you see
yourself being a part of? What do you need to do to prepare now? What do you
need to learn (laundry, keeping a checkbook, managing a credit card, how to
prioritize, how to study well…)?
How long should each story be?
Minimum per story is 1 page, so you need to think about
whether you need a minimum grade or whether you should try harder…while quality
is more important, a good story isn’t necessarily the shorter story (see Life
of Pi).
How will my memoirs be assessed?
`1. Ideas and content: Focus on one incident, strong
supporting details. An “A” paper will have a very clear main idea/event, stay
on topic, be interesting and original, and my supporting details will fit with
the main idea.
2. Organization: Logical sequencing, use of transition
words, sentences organized into manageable paragraphs. An “A” paper will have
ideas that flow, a very strong organization plan, excellent sequencing, well
used transitions, and reasonable/clear paragraph breaks.
3. Voice: An “A” paper will show me that you really CARE
about this story.
4. Effective Use of Language: Word Choice, Sentence Fluency.
An “A” paper will demonstrate accurate word choice, with descriptive and
imaginative word choices. It will use figurative language (similes and
metaphors, etc.) to make the descriptions more exciting, and the sentences will
be varied in structure, Length and style.
5. Conventions: Spelling, Punctuation, Capitals.
An “A” paper will show excellent spelling skills, capitalization and punctuation
will be well used. Errors will not interfere with the reading of the
piece. Little to no editing, revising,
or correcting will be necessary.
