Every life has a story. What's yours?

the assignment:
Frederick Douglass's autobiography starts from when he was very small and progresses to the most important turning point in his life: obtaining freedom. You, too, will write an autobiography, similarly scoped -- including information from the beginning of your life and current events as well. Read and think about the six topical requirements below. You do not necessarily need to include them in your autobiography in sequential order, but topics should flow easily from one to the next. Remember, Frederick Douglass told us of the good times (without making us envious) and the bad times (without seeking pity). Thus, your autobiography should not be boastful nor should it be an opportunity to "throw a pity party." You are merely, objectively, telling a story -- a story of your life. It may be humorous (appropriately so) or serious (without being boring). The main premise behind this assignment: you have a story within you -- so tell it and tell it well.

the details:
We will be completing two copies of this autobiography. One will be considered a rough draft (due Monday, 18 September at the end of the period) to be returned to you by Wednesday, at the beginning of the period, and one will be considered the final copy (due Friday, 22 September at the beginning of the period). A "rough" copy does not constitute including every grammatical error known to man without a penalty. It should be as complete and correct as possible. I will mark "kinds" of errors only once in a paper (i.e., if you do not capitalize the first letter your sentences, I will mark the first sentence and no subsequent sentences).

I hate to attach a word count to this kind of writing, because I do not wish to hinder creativity -- but the risk of "cutting corners" and writing the "bare minimum" remains as well. Therefore, I'm asking you to write a [non-negotiable] minimum/maximum of 500-750 words for this paper -- easy, considering you have no research to do; you're writing about something you should know very much about: yourself.

To review my requirements for formal writings, visit the link below. http://english9h.blogspot.com/2006/08/format-of-formal-writings.html

extra help:
If you feel like you need help beyond what is available in the classroom, I will be available after school Monday 9/18 in my classroom until 4:30pm; Tuesday 9/19 in Benjamin's Learning Center (located on the first floor behind the cafeteria) until 3:45pm; Wednesday 9/20 before school 6:45-7:25am; Thursday 9/21 in my classroom until 4:30pm; and Friday 9/22 before school 6:45-7:25am. I also check my email daily and may provide assistance this way as well.

the content:
It may be helpful to think of a theme for your autobiographical piece. If we had to attach one word for Fred's story, it might be "freedom" or "education." Keeping a theme or overall idea in your head before you write will help to focus your writing and prevent too many side-stories which do not directly relate to your autobiography. Include in your autobiography all six points listed below. Again, this is not necessarily in the order listed.

• your beginnings: Include all of the following. Your birth--you know the date, but you may need to check with your family about the time and the place, and special events. Your first steps OR your first word. Your parents--or whoever was closest by at the time--can give you the date and details on this.
• your good times: A very happy event you remember from your life so far. If you're lucky, you have quite a few to choose from! Maybe you got a puppy, learned to ride a bike, got a good grade on a hard project--any happy event will do. Pick one, and check with your family, friends, or teacher to figure out the date and place.
• your not-so-good times: A sad event from your life. Here's hoping you don't have too many of these. Moving, getting in an argument with a friend, or having a death in your family are all guaranteed to make you sad. Choose your event and track down the key data.
• that part of you: Include one of the following. How did you discover what you like to do in your spare time? How did you meet your closest friend? What was a life-changing event for you?
• other events: Two more important events from your life. You pick! These can be things you remember, or things that happened when you were very small ... or one of each.
• a world event: For one of the above, an event that happened in the world around the same time. Use the Internet to find information for this part of your autobiography.

the presentation:
Oh, and we will be presenting these to the class. Your presentation should be short, sweet, and to the point. I'm looking for 2-3 minutes, tops -- do not plan on reading your entire story to us. Summarize the beginning, read a paragraph or two, and summarize the end. This is nothing too formal; however, speeches are a requirement of the Department of Education for the State of Indiana. I'm looking for eye contact, volume, and the ability to summarize your paper adequately and understandably. I would suggest planning ahead of time what you're going to say -- use notecards, if necessary, highlighting the points you want to discuss. Time yourself, so you don't stop at thirty seconds or babble on past five. Consider bringing personal artifacts for enhancement of your presentation. (No posters please.)

the values:
rough copy of autobiography -- 25 points
final copy of autobiography -- 100 points
presentation of autobiography -- 25 points

resources:

Sample autobiography (correct):
http://english9h.blogspot.com/2006/09/sample-autobiography.html

Source of the Topical Requirements:
http://piotech.wsd.wednet.edu/techoneunits/2internetbrowsing/task4/autobiography/amazingautobiographies.htm
Autobiography Project
http://autobiographyproject.com/

Revision Checklist from the Autobiography Project Website *great checklist!
http://benfranklin300.org/autobiographyproject/02_get_started/getstarted03.htm

Biography Maker
http://fno.org/bio/biomaker.htm

Indiana State Academic Standards met by this project: 9.4.1, 9.4.3, 9.4.13, 9.4.10, 9.4.11, 9.4.12, 9.5.1, 9.6.1, 9.6.2, 9.6.3, 9.6.4, 9.7.3, 9.7.4, 9.7.5, 9.7.6