AB #9 Special Times

“The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it.” Richard Bach

Every childhood includes special times, whether they are holidays, family celebrations or other occasions. Write about the special times in your life, past and present.

Getting Started

  1. What was the best gift you ever received when you were young? What was the best gift you ever gave?
  1. What are some of your family traditions? For example, do you always cut your own Christmas tree, go to Grandma’s for Thanksgiving dinner, camp in the mountains on Memorial Day weekend or attend community festivals like Cinco de Mayo, Chinese New Year’s or Oktoberfest? Is there a particular holiday you remember well?
  1. What birthday do you remember best? Why?
  1. Does your family take vacations together? If so, where have you gone? How did you get there? What was the most fun? What was not fun?
  1. What do you like to do on holidays or special occasions, like the Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, etc?
  1. Were you ever in a wedding? Whose was it? What did you do? What did you wear?
  1. What “firsts” so you remember so far in your life – first airplane ride, first communion, first time you rode a bicycle, first time you went to the movies, etc.? Describe these firsts.

AB #10 A Few Memorable Dates

“When a dog bites a man, that is not news… But if a man bites a dog, that is news.”

John B. Bogart

All of us are a part of history. National and world events affect our lives – sometimes directly, and sometimes indirectly. Below are some dates in history that have had an impact on people. Choose at least two of the dates and write about their effects upon you and people you know. (Or feel free to add other significant dates not listed below. You may want to include dates that affected only your region of the country, your state, or your city.)

-Give a synopsis of the event and include responses to all 6 questions below in your paragraphs.

1-Where were you on those dates?

2-What were you doing?

3-What were your thoughts?

4-How did you react to the news on those dates?

5-How did you feel?

6-How did the news affect your thinking or view of the world?

  • August 23, 2005 – Hurricane Katrina
  • November 4, 2008 – Obama is elected President.
  • January 15, 2009 – Flt. 1549 hits geese
  • January 20, 2009 – Obama sworn in as the President.
  • May 26, 2009- Sonia Sotomayer was nominated for the supreme court which makes her the first Hispanic judge
  • June 25, 2009 – Michael Jackson dies.
  • April 28, 2009 – First outbreak of Swine Flu
  • October 1, 2009 - Obama passed a law making being on your phone and driving illegal
  • January 12, 2010 – Haiti Earthquake
  • February 27, 2010 – Chile Earthquake
  • April 20, 2010 – Oil spill in Louisiana
  • October 12, 2010 – Chilean miners trapped
  • March 11, 2011-9.0 Earthquake hits Japan with Tsunami
  • May 2, 2011-Death of Osama Bin Laden
  • July 27, 2012- Summer Olympics opened in London
  • October 24, 2012- Hurricane Sandy
  • November 6, 2012- Obama was re-elected president
  • December 14, 2012-Sandy Hook school shooting
  • April 15, 2013- Boston Marathon bombing
  • October 1, 2013- 16-day shutdown of the federal government ;a move that closed national parks, and disrupted agencies that serve businesses and consumers
  • June 8, 2014-Officer Beck and Officer Soldo were shot at Cici’s pizza
  • June 10, 2014-Isis seized large regions
  • July 3, 2014-Israel conflicts with Hamas in Gaza
  • July 17, 2014-Airplane with 298 on board was shot down over Ukraine
  • July 30, 2014-Ebola Virus Outbreak
  • October 1, 2017-Route 21 mass shooting at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas

AB #11 Your Family

“Big sisters are the crab grass in the lawn of life.”

Charles M. Schultz, Peanuts

Family life is one of the strong glues of our society, yet every family is different from every other family. Describe your family. (If you live part of the time with one parent and part of the time with another, you may choose to write about either or both family situations.)

  1. Who do you live with? Who are the people in your family? How do you think your family is like most families? How do you think it is different?
  1. Who is your mother? What does she look like? Describe her personality and your relationship with her. What does she do for a living? What are her hobbies? What do you remember most about her from when you were very small? What have you learned from her so far?
  1. Who is your father? What does he look like? Describe his personality and your relationship with him. What does he do for a living? What are his hobbies? What do you remember about him from when you were very small? What have you leaned from him so far?
  1. Who are your brothers and sisters? Tell their names and ages, and describe each of them. What are they like? What do you like to do with each of them? To whom do you feel closest, and why?
  1. Does anyone outside your immediate family live with you? How does that work out?
  1. Who is your favorite relative outside the immediate family, and why?
  1. If you have stepparents, describe them. How have you adjusted to having them in your life?
  1. Do you have stepbrothers or stepsisters? Half sisters or half brothers? How have you adjusted to having them in your life?

AB #12 Family Life

“If I am in harmony with my family, that is success.”

Ute proverb

All families are different, but they have one thing in common: they have a big effect on out lives. Write about you life in you family. (If you live part of the time with one parent and part of the time with another, you may choose to write about either or both family situations.)

  1. What is life like in your family? What makes you a family? How do you all manage to get along?
  1. How would you describe your family’s “personality”? For example, is it noisy, active, quiet, calm, strict, friendly, loving, formal, informal, etc?
  1. What makes your about your family?
  1. What values are important to your family? Fore example, honesty may be very important, or doing well in school. Perhaps sharing time with relatives is especially important, or spending time on church activities. What is especially important to your family? How do you show that it is important?
  1. Tell some family stories. Did you ever share and adventure? What funny things have happened to you? What frightening things? Can you describe a family hobby, sport or other activity you enjoy together?
  1. Are animals or pets a part of your family? If so, explain. Can you tell any interesting animal or pet stories involving your families?
  1. Do you spend a lot of time with grandparents, aunts, uncles and/or cousins? Have you had any unusual, special, funny or exciting family get-togethers?
  1. How does your family get all the chores done? Does everyone have special responsibilities? What do you have to do?