- Recall a time when you watched someone do something skillfully like prepare dinner, fix a car, get family groceries, write a letter or walk a dog. Consider what their fingers were doing. How were they moving?
- Reflect on why the person you chose was doing what he/she/they were doing. What was the point of their activity?
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For example, look at this piece of writing about a spindle from Kyrgyzstan from the Cabinet project, which shares biographies of objects from Soviet Central Asia.
One can endlessly watch a grandmother’s skillful hands effortlessly turning sheep’s wool into woolen yarn...The woolen yarn would be then used for making the majority of items needed for supporting life. The spindle played an important role in the household economy, especially given the deficiency of consumer goods in the Soviet period. Dowry for daughters was made by hand with a spindle. Knitting clothes, making carpets, weaving straw mats, ropes for horse gear, parts of a yurt, ribbons for fixing the yurt, etc, all started with a spindle. Thus women supported the economic foundation of the family. Everything was made by hand, and the skills were passed on from generation to generation...Traditionally, a Kyrgyz spindle is formed of a dome shaped rock and a wooden stick.12
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Examine the qualities of the writing:
First the writer describes a memory of motion of a spindle ‘she can endlessly watch a grandmother’s skillful hands.’
Then the writer identifies the specific items in their memory ‘a spindle…turning sheep’s wool into woolen yarn.’
Next the writer discusses what the yarn is used for ‘making the majority of items needed for supporting life…given the deficiency of consumer goods.’
Here is a list of things made from hand spun yarn: a daughter’s dowry, clothes, carpets, mats, ropes for horse gear, fixing the yurt.’
Finally the author discusses the origins of the spindle, giving us historical context, then sharing how she came upon the spindle.
- Sentence starters:
‘_____________ was always part of ___,________ life especially in ___________
A _________ person with a _________ personality, my_________ was known as __________. The ____________ in the photo belonged to ____________. My ____________ raised ___________ children. She cooked ______________. Her children would play __________ all day. At the end of the day, ______________, my mother would ______________. ____________ spent many evenings ____________. After __________ passed away ____________
Experiment with these writing methods in class, using different objects written to create object biographies. Once student writing is completed and edited, collect this writing and the objects represented to help students curate, then organize and present an authentic exhibit of personal objects and writing.
