Madeline M. Craig
Content: Poetic and Prose Selection
To understand identity and voice, reflecting on our past, lived experiences can be a useful tool for self discovery. The following section of the writing workshop will be centered around reflecting how past experiences have shaped our perspectives and identity, in both positive and negative ways. To embrace how past mistakes and failures teach us more about ourselves than our successes, I have selected the following mentor texts.
Nothing Extraordinary (2020) by Jennifer Kim is written as a nonfiction, narrative essay. In her essay she reflects on her feelings of shame and alienation during an outing to an upscale mall with her working-class, Asain American mother.
Gift of Grace (2020) by Mahogany L. Browne is a poem written about themes of seeking forgiveness and acknowledging you made a mistake. It delves into the feelings of loneliness one feels when burdened with the knowledge they have hurt or disappointed another human being.
A Me-shaped Box (2020) by Olivia Gatwood is a poem that highlights the restrictions surrounding identity and the limitations of stereotypes students feel as they grow up. However, the poem ends with the feeling of joy one experiences when they let go of the expectations set by society.
Instruction: Student-led Discussions
Using the aforementioned texts, students will have a plethora of topics to discuss after analyzing the mentor texts. A written recording of student observations, comments, and provoking thoughts will be kept in the previous section of their writer’s notebook as a running record of possible inspiration or ideas for this new workshop week. Although they have facilitated their own conversations the previous week, middle grade students may still be hesitant to begin conversation or need guiding questions to help them remain focused on the topic. Possible guiding questions are as follows:
- What similar aspects do you see between the overarching themes in the prose text and poems? Do they contain more similarities or differences?
- Why might the authors feel internally obligated to share these experiences? What insights did we learn from them out of these short pieces they have shared?
- How might you or your peers connect to or find meaning in these texts?
Writing Prompt: Amending Our Past
Though students have the freedom to use their writing time to produce whatever forms of nonfiction narratives they desire, it is important to provide them with a prompt to help struggling writers. Prompts can also give successful writers a challenge or new direction to fuel their creativity. For this section, I wanted to include a prompt to have writers think on the theme of amending past misconceptions:
Consider how we often need space and time away from past events to fully put them into perspective. Recall a past experience you have had with a close friend or family member that was impactful to you. Include how you felt in that moment, the context that surrounded that moment, and details on the insight you have looking back on how it shaped who you are right now.