Introducing The Last Project of 1999 Creating A Personal Memory Book

What Are We Doing? Creating a short series of written memories and reflections of our past histories Collecting a variety of writing samples Finishing off the current school year with style, fun and flash Taking a closer look at our heritage and family customs

Project Description Your memory book will be divided into 8 chapters. Each chapter has a unique set of questions and memories to highlight Most require little or no research beyond actively searching your memory or interviewing a parent or relative

Project Details You can work on the chapters in any order you wish but you must work on this project daily in class We will alternate between classroom and computer lab for word processing Final copies of the memory book will be bound in a spiral binder for long term keeping You may revise any existing writing samples you have on file

More Details Look for old school photos, family photos, etc. that can be scanned into your presentation Consider creating a time line of real life events that parallel your life

A Look at a Sample

Personal Memory Book Chapter 3: “Suddenly I Became Me” Some of my earliest true memories center around disasters. I can clearly remember being on a bus in Japan during an earthquake. I can still see the ground nearby opening and slamming shut as the tremors slid across the meadow.

Early Memories I also remember the trip home from Japan at the end of the occupation. First we traveled on converted B-52 bombers. My brothers got to leave their seats and shoot pool. My mother pretended to be asleep and wouldn’t let me out. We had a real ‘box lunch’ for dinner: cold fried chicken, fresh rolls and cookies wrapped neatly in a box stored under our seats until we were ready to eat.

Traveling Home Once we landed in California, we transferred to the Silver Streak for the rest of the ride home. This train was all stainless steel. Quite impressive to a five year old.

Finding Family I got to sit in the rumble seat of my uncle’s car for the ride to Grandma’s house from the train station. This is the first time I remember meeting my grandmother, aunt, uncles and cousins.

Now It’s Your Turn…. Read the overview page and the chapter descriptions and start planning your memory book.