Shaping Texts: From Essay and Narrative to Memoir

Time and again, we have found that something profound happens when you give young people an opportunity to work deeply and closely together to help each other author memoirs. Time and again, we've seen this unit become a defining force in the lives of fifth-graders. You'll see that this unit gives your students a chance to define themselves, a chance to author life stories that they can take with them as they leave the safety of childhood and head out into the world. -Excerpt from "Welcome to the Unit", Shaping Texts: From Essay and Narrative to Memoir