From our whole group memoir mini-lessons and from our independent reading immersion and close study of chosen memoirs, we've created this noticings chart of the memoir genre.

Class Memoir Noticings Chart

*Title of the text, "The Most They Ever Had" made me want to read it. 

(Memoir writers craft titles that are intriguing that make the reader want to pick it up.)

*Hyphenated words, "waist-length hair, red-skinned men, trash-strewn highway)

(Writers often hypenate or combine words in order to create a description in a concise way.)

*In "All Over But the Shoutin'", Rick Bragg gives ordinary objects life-like characteristics.  Ex:  "white socks peeking out from black dress pants.

(Using personification helps the reader infer the author's meaning.  It allows the writer to use description in a creative way without having to spell out the meaning.  Connotation.

* In "Just the Two of Us" the author used bold words throughout the text.  When you combine all the bold words in the text in chronological order, it turns into a rap song the author wrote. 

(Some writers use bold words to add emphasis)

*In "The Circuit" the author used Spanish words in conjunction with the English text to add meaning to the work. 

(Some writers use other languages and dialect to add meaning to their text that wouldn't be there without it.)

*In "Chicken Sunday" the use of Miss Sheila's dialogue really creates her character and shows the affection the children have for her. "Even though we've been churchin' up like decent folks ought to," she'd say, "I don't want you to step in front of those way too fast cars..."

(Some writers use authentic voice in their character's dialogue to help create a more authentic character)

*In April's memoir she worked on in class, she drew a detailed map of her neighborhood to accompany her memoir about summers spent at home when she was young. 

(Some writers use visuals like maps in thier books to add additional detail to their story)

*Imagery

Memoir Noticing Chart

Someday by Alison McGhee

recommended by Kim Sutherland

• about love of your child 
• sequences events of your daughter growing up
• repetition (you dream and I dream too
• child like written ( very casual style)
• repeating word someday
• uses alliteration 
• simile
• analogies of playing to real life
• mother growing old