This document appears to be a lesson plan for an 8th grade language arts class focusing on memoir writing. It includes learning objectives, essential questions, vocabulary terms to define, examples to analyze, and writing activities. The teacher provides structure and guidance for students to develop their understanding of key concepts like author's purpose and perspective, setting, sensory language, and writing an original reflective memoir from their own life experiences.

1. Ms. Mills
8th Grade Language Arts

2. 1. I will be able to determine an author’s purpose and
perspective in a text.
2. I will be able to understand how an author uses sensory and
specific details to create a setting.
3. I will be able to write a clear and original reflective memoir
that indicates their perspective on a particular time/place in
their life.

3. Essential Questions
At the end of our studies can you answer the following questions based
on real life experiences and support from our literary selection
 How do sensory  How does an author’s
details improve the perspective impact his
trait of IDEAS? or her writing? And
how does the setting
help reveal an author’s
perspective?

4. Building Academic Vocabulary
Set Up your BAV
notebook for the
following terms:
-Memoir
-Author’s Purpose
-Author’s Perspective
-Setting
-Anecdote
-Sensory Language
-Annotation

5. Is this an example of an anecdote?
"I could hear the buzz of voices as I walked up the stairs to the function room. A
glance at my watch showed that it had already been in progress for about forty
minutes. I figured about two hours would see me out; then I could escape. The
first half hour was pretty much as I expected: handshakes, smiles, a bit of talk
about work; the usual enquiries after family and so on, while I moved around the
room. I happened to be looking at the door when Jenny walked in: a splash of
bright color in her red dress. I remember that red dress so well! She paused and
looked around uncertainly. I couldn't remember seeing her before – was she new?
What the heck, I thought – I might as well go and introduce myself. I made my
way over to her and smiled. "Hello," I said. "I haven't seen you around here before, have I?
My name's Mark Smith."
She smiled back, and I think she won me over in that instant. Jenny has the best smile
you ever saw: it lights up her whole face. "Hi," she said, offering her hand. "I'm Jenny.
Actually, I started here only three days ago."
After meeting Jenny, I went from looking at my watch every ten minutes, waiting until it
was time to go, to not even noticing how quickly the time flew by. I think it was an hour,
maybe an hour and a half, later that she said "I think we've put in enough time here. Want to
find somewhere quiet to get a drink?"
"You don't need to ask twice!" I told her, and we left.
That was twelve years ago, and now Jenny has been my wife for eleven and a half of those
years."

6. Is this an example of an anecdote?
"I walked into the room and thought it would be
the same old meet-and-greet type of function that I'd
been to dozens of times before. I planned to spend
no more than a couple of hours there, then leave.
Then I spotted Jenny. She had just walked in the door
and was looking around as though she didn't know
anybody. She looked nice, so I went over and started
talking. And that was it. We left together after an
hour and a half and found a wine bar; six months
later we were married."

7. 1. Brainstorm a list of favorite places
2. Rally Robin the places you love with your shoulder
partner
3. Rally robin again, Yellow + Red Green + Blue to
share the places you love

8. Cynthia Rylant is an award winning children’s and young
adult author. She has written over 100 books of various
genres, including non-fiction and poetry. When I was
Young in the Mountains is her first-ever book,
published in 1982. She wrote it from her experiences
living in West Virginia with her grandparents after her
mother left her at their doorstep at age nine. It is a
Caldecott Honor Book.

9. Features to notice…
 1. Sensory details
 2. Alliteration
 3. Setting
 What is annotation?
 What is the author’s purpose for writing this piece?

10. Let’s Annotate
 Skim the literary piece  Put a squiggly line under
examples of Repetition
?
and place a above any
unfamiliar words  Place a square around
examples of Alliteration
 Pairs Read Aloud
 Circle any examples of
 Teacher Read Aloud, this the Rule of Three
time underline any
details you can taste,
touch, smell, hear, see

11. Think-Pair-Share
 Author’s Perspective: How would text have changed if
the person was from the city?
 Author’s Purpose: Using clues from the text,
brainstorm ideas of why Cynthia Rylant wrote this
piece. What is her perspective?

12. On a sticky
Exit Ticket
note, explain
why Cynthia
Rylant wrote
this piece. Use
details from the
text to support
your opinion.
Place your sticky
note on the door
when exiting
class today.

13. Simultaneous
Round Table
1. Teacher assigns a topic or question and provides think time.
2. All four students respond, simultaneously writing their own response.
3. The teacher signals time.
4. Students pass papers to one person clockwise.
5. Students continue, adding new thoughts and ideas to what the previous
student wrote.

14. Simultaneous Round Table
1. What is the author’s purpose for saying, “When I was
young in the mountains, I never wanted to go to the
ocean, and I never wanted to go to the desert…I was in
the mountains.”
2. What would be another good title for this piece?
3. Locate a sentence that incorporates sensory details.
What details did Rylant include?

15. Grammar Review
Go to pages 75 and 81 in your grammar workbook. Complete 1-10 odds only.

16. Simultaneous
Round Table
Grammar Review-
Can you identify 8 verbs from Rylant’s literary piece?

17. Trait of IDEAS

18. Writing opportunity
 Use the sensory detail chart to draft a MEMOIR of
YOUR experience in the style of Cynthia Rylant’s
When I was Young in the Mountains.
Sight Sound Smell Taste Touch

19. Student Sample
When I was young at the races When I was young at the races,
The freshly painted drag cards were among cars revved up to go down the track,
the attractions, as the fans raced to see John “VROOOOOOOM!”
Force speed down the track. The people placed bets on who was going to
The twisted metal of the car crashes collided win the race.
with the wall, fire raging from the jet Vendors tried to sell you merchandise
engines. as the motorcycles passed you by.
When I was young at the races When I was young at the races,
the sticky asphalt of the track prevented the The greasy burgers from the vendors,
tires from spinning out. the monster energy drinks that gave me the
The smoothness of the paint, aroma of fresh biggest BUZZZZ ever, the chips from home
tires, and hot engines after a run was and the BBQ ribs for dinner, made my
overpowering. stomach ache in a wonderful way.
When I was young at the races, When I was young at the races
the alcohol fuel and burnt rubber was an I never wanted to go home
every Saturday thrill I never wanted to stop
The fresh burgers and fries, And I never wanted to leave the track
the exhaust from the cars made me never I was young at the races, and that was always
want to go anywhere else. enough.

20. Student Sample
When I was young at the beach, When I was young at the beach,
I soared out of the car, salt controlled the air
onto the hot sand. Sour fish mixed with sunscreen
and formed a new scent,
With this I entered a new world,
Sometimes you would even breath in
filled with nothing by freedom. the sweetness of a child’s ice cream.
Stress melted out of my body like a popsicle on
a summer day When I was young at the beach,
the salt made its way into my mouth
leaving a slight tang on my taste buds
When I was young at the beach,
and then my throat would dry up,
My feet would be swallowed by sand, leaving me coughing or choking.
hot and dry, or cool soothing mud. But I always begged for more.
The greenish-blue water
might as well have been clear as ice. When I was young at the beach,
the moonlight would glisten on the water,
And like ice, the coldness would slip away.
the waves would control the shape of the sand.
and the water would allow you in. White sea salt raced across the waves.
When I was young at the beach, When I was young at the beach.
the waves roared in my ear, I never wanted to go to the mountains,
I never wanted the summer to end,
inviting me to join in.
I never wanted to go anywhere eels
The seagulls screeched on, encouraging me. I just wanted to be at the beach, because that
The people already in, laughed was always enough
And made it hard to resist.

21. Memoir Rubric
Did you… Self Peer Peer
Evaluation Evaluation Evaluation
Write in the 1st Person (I, Me, We)
Use lots of Sensory Details (see,
taste, touch, smell, hear)
Use PAST tense verbs only
Use an anecdote (short story)
Use at least 1 example of
Figurative Language (simile,
metaphor, personification)
Include the Rule of 3
Include Alliteration (peter piper
picked pickles)
Include Repetition (When I was
young in…)
Use a Thesaurus to improve word
choice
Check for correct spelling /
grammar

22. Exit Ticket Directions: Please go to our classroom blog.
All classes must respond to both questions in your blog . Follow blog
rules.
Periods 1,2,5,7 you must also respond to one other persons blog
response stating if you agree or disagree. Give details supporting your
thoughts.
How do sensory details improve the trait of IDEAS?
How does an author’s perspective impact his or her writing?