•                           Kids' Memoir Writing
     
       "Memories just may be the most important possession any writer has.  As much as anything else, our memories shape what we write.  Memories are like a fountain no writer can live without.  I believe that my best writing springs from that fountain.
       As a writer, you need to connect yourself with your own unique history.  Claim it as your own."
                                            - Ralph Fletcher, A Writer's Notebook: Unlocking the Writer Within You, p. 86
     
    Our kids in fourth grade are writing family memoirs.  Check them out!
     
    The pieces below are unedited beginnings!
     

     

           Phillip Tracy (my great-great-great-great grandfather) was about 30 years old when he was killed in the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War. He is buried in Arlington Cemetery. He was married and had one son, William Tracy, whose mother died young. William was raised by his grandparents and was a young man when he moved to Ohio where he married Samantha (Cork) Tracy (my great-great-great grandmother).

                         - Jaime Swank

     

    Mom Memoir

     

    My mom was born in Hungary.  Like her family.  Her mom had 7 kids their names were (in order of their appetence) Dooly, Louise, Louie, Joan (My Mom), Dave, Helen and Ann Marie.  My mom’s Grandparents came to the U.S in the early 1900’s.  Her Great-grandmother came to the U.S on a ship when she was a teenager. (Age: About 13or14.)  All Holidays her family eats a lot of Hungarian food like: Stuffed Cabbage, Sausage, Sauerkraut and a Poppy seed Roll.  They also celebrate religious holidays like: Christmas and Easter by going to church and singing songs.  My mom wasn’t named after any ancestors, but in her family there are a lot of common names like: Stephen, Helen, Louis and Gizella.  My Grandpa was a WWII hero; he served in the Philippines and Japan.  He loved nature, animals and he loved his family.  He especially loved his Grand-Daughter Lia.  My mom won 3 things, a pizza pan when she was a little kid, a bicycle as a teenager and a spelling bee in 8th grade!  Her best luck was when she adopted her daughter Lia.  In Hungary, where a little girl; in a restaurant was eating sweet and juicy Sauerkraut.  There lives a little girl.  She looked like a little girl, talked like a little girl, but everyone who ever met agreed, she that she loved her family like an angel. 

                                          - Lia Chak

     

     

    Diwali

     

    Diwali is a holiday what we Indians celebrate. It means festival of lights. So there are ten days of diwali. On those ten days you have to put different color lights around your house; that is why we call it festival of lights. There is a god we pray to on diwali, her name is Laxmi. We mostly celebrate the holiday on the first day one of the diwali days is called Rangoli. And on rangoli day you use color powder and make a beautiful design with it. And you can’t lift your hand up until you’re done. I bet your hands hurt after you’re done. Well that’s all I know about diwali, But I have one more thing to say... it is an awesome holiday. I’m happy I celebrate it.

     

     

    Nagisha Devala

    11/9/05

     

     

     

    SNOW DAY

    On Friday my brother Thomas jumped on my bed and told me it was a snow day. I was excitedly excited when I walked into my mom’s room. I peeked out the window and the snow flakes were as big as golf balls. Big, hard and pelting! We ran down the steps as fast as we could go. We put our snow stuff on and ran outside we played outside all day except the time we had to go to Jason’s party and when I ate lunch and breakfast. I also found a way to get on a really cool island - I call it Steven Island. After that, me and Thomas went up to Ryan’s house and made a little fort. Then one of Ryan’s friends came and asked use if we.....

                    -  Steven Hanna

     
     
     

    James

    It all begins in the hospital. He was born. It all began while his belly button corn disconnected. He was bleeding badly.  And he had brain damage which he still has it now.

    For his Christening he screamed. But I don’t think he liked the priest, Father Dunleavy. We had a party it was amazingly amazing fun.  We were run, run, running while we were play freedom.

         Now he

    One time I was watching him and I was on the computer he hit a brick and he started screaming. It must have hurt. Then my dad came over and took him.

    He Is crawling.  Our whole family was proud and loud and cheerful for james. We put out the sun chips bag and he would go crawling all over the place to get the bag.  He is trying to grab my dad he moved and James stood up for a second and fell down. 

    He his eating level 2 baby food. He is amazingly amazing doin’ well. He is a monster.

       - Michael Pyrih