TPT/ Six-Word Memoir | Narrative Writing | Fun Activity for ELA

Looking for a standards-based low-key activity that will help you get to know your students while sharpening their writing skills?

This six-word memoir lesson will get your classes analyzing mentor texts, reflecting on their own lives, utilizing scaffolding to bring their writing to the next level, and experimenting with revision—all while having fun.

These lessons make great choices for starting a unit on narrative writing, personal writing, or non-fiction. Books that pair well with these lessons include Night by Elie Wiesel, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls, and Fairwell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston. 

Students will first be inspired to write by the engaging prompts that will get them thinking about their lives. 

Then, they’ll work together using the provided questions to examine samples of six-word memoirs, including some by celebrities. 

When they go on to write their own memoirs, the specific suggestions for writing and revision will empower your students with the confidence to try new writing techniques and to experiment with word choice.

Finally, your students will appreciate their classmates and strengthen their connections when they share their stories and learn a little more about each other.