Here's an idea for any of you Writer's Craft teachers out there who are interested in doing a memoir-writing unit that includes a connection to your community.
A few years ago I and my writer's craft students were lucky enough to get a chance to participate in one of Nora Zylstra-Savage's Storylines programs for Alzheimer's patients. Over a course of 15 to 20 classes, the students went to a nearby nursing home and wrote a book of memoirs for a senior with whom they were partnered. It was a fabulous, inspiring experience for everyone who was involved. I can't recommend it enough. Here's a video of a group of students experiencing the program.
Unfortunately, it takes a great deal of time and some financial resources that are not always available. So, what I've done is adapted Nora's program in a very small way for Writer's Craft students and non-Alzheimer's seniors. Click here for a five-day memoir-writing exchange that might work for you and your Writer's Craft students.
This sort of community connection is an real opportunity to step outside of our comfort zone as teachers and offer our students and ourselves a life-changing experience.
A few years ago I and my writer's craft students were lucky enough to get a chance to participate in one of Nora Zylstra-Savage's Storylines programs for Alzheimer's patients. Over a course of 15 to 20 classes, the students went to a nearby nursing home and wrote a book of memoirs for a senior with whom they were partnered. It was a fabulous, inspiring experience for everyone who was involved. I can't recommend it enough. Here's a video of a group of students experiencing the program.
Unfortunately, it takes a great deal of time and some financial resources that are not always available. So, what I've done is adapted Nora's program in a very small way for Writer's Craft students and non-Alzheimer's seniors. Click here for a five-day memoir-writing exchange that might work for you and your Writer's Craft students.
This sort of community connection is an real opportunity to step outside of our comfort zone as teachers and offer our students and ourselves a life-changing experience.
2 comments:
Mel,
That video brought tears to my eyes! Thanks for sharing.
To further comment, I find this activity to be especially useful in teaching teens to truly listen when others are speaking. How many times have we, as teachers, sensed that students aren't fully listening when we are sharing an anecdote or giving instructions? The memoir-writing activity shifts teens' focus outward, and forces them to put aside their 'me-centric' thought process and direct their attention to someone else's experiences and opinions for a change.
The activity is ambitious and clearly works best with small senior-level classes such as Writer's Craft. I especially liked your idea about expanding the timing and having students visit with seniors once per week for four (or five, six, seven...) weeks. Meeting weekly (as opposed to daily) may help students to form a stronger bond with their senior, and the senior would get to see the teen grow and mature over that four-to-eight week period.
Memoir-writing could also be excellent for a senior-level Religion or Sociology, or even History class. The advantages of this activity are endless, and the memories students have of their encounter with the senior will help to shape and form their social consciousness for years to come.
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