The Written Autobiography for Middle Schoolers
Students Use Memories to Write a Comprehensive Life Story
Nov 13, 2008
It is important for students to know their personal as well as familial histories. Autobiographies often only include details about the student's past. However an autobiography should include information about who they are now. It is also fun to include dreams and aspirations for the future and how the student envisions what his/her life will be like someday.
Chapter 6: All About Me
This chapter concerns personal information about the student now. It includes what he/she looks like and things he/she currently like doing. This chapter could include a map of life. A map of life starts with a map of the United States. The student colors areas of the map to represent where he/she currently lives, where he/she has lived, where he/she has traveled, and where he/she would like to travel.
Chapter 7: Being Me
This chapter is a series of categories that the student writes things into. The categories can include: I love it, I hate it, Cool Stuff, and Stupid Stuff. The student gets to decide what things he loves or hates and what he thinks is cool and what is stupid. It gives a glimpse into the personality of the student at the time as well as providing a glimpse of what the world is like.
Chapter 8: Who I Might Be
This is the chapter for the student's dreams and aspirations. It should include the career the student sees himself pursuing as well as where he will live. The student should also be asked if he sees himself married and how many children he will have. The student could describe his dream life in detail right down to a description of the house he will live in and the car he will drive.
Publishing the Finished Product
These chapters could be combined with those found in the article titled Writing an Autobiography. The finished chapters should be proofread by the student as well as one or two other people (parent, teacher or peer). Once everything is written the way it should be, the chapters could be typed on a computer. Pictures from the student's life could be scanned into the computer and inserted into the paper or simply glued right to the finished copy.
Once the paper is printed from the computer it can be turned into a book. A cover page with a catchy title that includes the student's name should be created and can again utilize pictures. The book should be bound together. A report cover is one easy way to bound the book. Another is to glue the cover page to cardboard and create a cardboard back and sew the the book together with a needle and yarn. Stapling the book together could be used as a last resort.
The autobiography is now complete. The child has potentially included information about his past, present and future. The book has been bound together and beautifully presented. It will make a wonderful keepsake which can be shared with family members in the future.
