Mt. Nebo Writing Class: Writing (History Week)

Writing

1. Read through chapter 6 of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Lightning Thief." by Rick Riordan

Write this paragraph from the book in your notebooks. Use your best handwriting. Notice all the use of dashes. Make sure you copy it the same way it is written here.

Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood.

If you’re reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to live a normal life.

Being a half-blood is dangerous. It’s scary. Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways.

If you’re a normal kid, reading this because you think it’s fiction, great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened.

But, if you recognize yourself in these pages—if you feel something stirring inside—stop reading immediately. You might be one of us. And once you know that, it’s only a matter of time before they sense it, too, and they’ll come for you.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

(Chapter One, I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher)

2. Writing an Autobiography!

Hurray! We get to learn about your life story!

"The broad genre of autobiography stands among the most robust categories of nonfiction writing. Bestseller lists show that readers love to learn about the lives of their fellow humans, particularly those with distinguished personal stories. A biography written by its subject is known as an autobiography. As a firsthand account of the author’s own life, an autobiography offers an unmatched level of intimacy to readers of the wider biography genre."

What Is an Autobiography?

An autobiography is a non-fiction story of a person’s life, written by the subject themselves from their own point of view. Autobiographies are a sub-genre of the broader category of biographies, but a standard biography is written by someone other than its subject—most commonly a historian—whereas an autobiography is written by the subject.

Here is some more information on what an autobiography is and what it is not.

Autobiography vs. Biography

Whereas biographies are written about someone other than the writer, autobiographies take a more introspective approach. Famous biographers include Doris Kearns Goodwin, who has written about Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt, and Robert Caro, who has written about Lyndon Johnson and Robert Moses. Biographers are known for developing great expertise about their subject. By contrast, an autobiographer only needs total expertise on one subject: themselves.

Autobiography vs. Memoir

An autobiography is closely related to the nonfiction format known as a memoir, but the two forms are not identical. Most notably, an autobiography is a first person account of its author’s entire life. A memoir does not document the memoirist’s entire life story but rather a selected era or a specific multi-era journey within that author’s life. Alternatively, a memoir may concern its author’s entire life, but present it through a particular lens—perhaps highlighting the events leading up to and surrounding their professional career. As such, a memoir is comparatively focused when considered side-by-side with an autobiography.

For instance, a professional athlete may document her entire life in her autobiography, while giving special emphasis to an era she believes will grab the reader’s interest, such as the summer she competed in the Olympic Games. If that same athlete had opted for memoir writing instead, she may have focused the entire memoir around those Olympic games. Rather than function as the story of the author’s life from birth to the present, her memoir would focus on retelling the period in her life for which she is most known.

Reference:

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-write-an-autobiography#6-things-to-include-in-an-autobiography

OK: Now you have learned about what an autobiography is. Now you get to write your own. We will follow 8 steps. This week we will start with the first 2 steps. I realize that you guys are young, but I know you've had some fun and interesting things happen in your lives. Make a list your fondest memories to help you create a great story about your life. Remember, this should be real information.

Step 1. Start by Brainstorming.

The writing process begins by compiling any and all life experiences that you suspect might be compelling to a reader. As you sort through your own memories, be sure to cover all eras of your life—from childhood to now. Include things like your earliest memory, your best Christmas/Birthday present ever, when you learned to ride a bike, your first job and the episodes in your life you are most known for. Many of these episodes won’t make it into the final draft of your paper, but for now, keep the process broad and open.

Step 2. Craft an Outline.

Begin to organize a narrative around the most compelling episodes from your brainstorm. If you pace your life’s important events throughout your paper, you’ll be able to grip your readers’ attention from beginning to end. Your paper should be at least 3 pages. You may make it longer if you would like.

3. Gratishift: Make sure you are doing your gratitude lesson, statement, and journal worksheet each day if you made the commitment. Or, make the commitment now! This is a personal choice to do this or not. However, Sister Monsivais will have a pizza and dance party for everyone that completes the 30 days. So, if you want to be a part of the party, you will need to complete 30 days. If you already started, keep going from where you are. If you haven't started yet, you still can. Do your best! If it's overwhelming, remember you don't have to fill out every line on the journaling pages, just do what you can, or just read the gratitude statement. You have until February 20th to get through the 30 days. She will have more info at class.

4. Write 2 pages in your handwriting books. Remember, you are working to improve your handwriting in these books.

5. Practice these spelling words!

academy - a place of study or training in a special field.

dangerous - able or likely to cause harm or injury.

probation - the release of an offender from detention, subject to a period of good behavior under supervision.

dodged - avoid (someone or something) by a sudden quick movement.

revolutionary - involving or causing a complete or dramatic change.

something - a thing that is unspecified or unknown.

shriveled - wrinkled and contracted, especially due to loss of moisture or old age.

compartment - a separate section of a structure or container in which items can be kept separate from others.

appeared - come into sight; become visible or noticeable, typically without visible agent or apparent cause.

guacamole - a dish of mashed avocado mixed with chopped onion, tomatoes, chili peppers, and seasoning.

interrupted - stop the continuous progress of (an activity or process).

thunderclap - a crash of thunder.

muscular - having well-developed muscles.

deliberately - consciously and intentionally; on purpose.

dissolve - (with reference to a solid) become or cause to become incorporated into a liquid so as to form a solution.

disintegrate - break up into small parts, typically as the result of impact or decay.

vaporize - convert or be converted into vapor.

straight/strait - extending or moving uniformly in one direction only; without a curve or bend./ a narrow passage of water connecting two seas or two other large areas of water.

primitive - relating to, denoting, or preserving the character of an early stage in the evolutionary or historical development of something.

prohibition - the action of forbidding something, especially by law

academy