My Life in Stories

My Life in Stories

Journal Writing Book

Level 3

Created by: Jessie M. Hayden

Week 1-- Who do I want to be?

Do you ever think about your future? Do you ever ask yourself who you will become as you grow older and as your life changes? Today, you are going think about these questions and try to answer them.

Try to answer the question Who do I want to be? Write a list of things you want to be. List as many things as you can think of in about 15 minutes. As you write, remember that anything is possible. Here’s an example list to help get you started.

Example: Who do I want to be?

1. I want to be someone who helps people.

2. I want to be someone who isn’t afraid to dream.

3. I want to be someone who makes people laugh.

4. I want to be someone who has interesting ideas.

5. I want to be someone who creates with words.

Who do I want to be?

1. I want to be someone who ______

______.

2. I want to be someone who ______

______.

3. I want to be someone who ______

______.

4. I want to be someone who ______

______.

5. I want to be someone who ______

______.

6. I want to be someone who ______

______.

7. I want to be someone who ______

______.

Week 2-- The Story of My Name

Our names are special. They are given to us when we are born. They are part of who we are. Every name has a story. What is the story of your name? Answer the questions below.

1. What is your name?

2. What does your name mean in English?

3. Who gave you this name?

4. Why were you given this name?

5. Do you like or dislike your name?

6. If you like your name, why do you like it?

7. If you dislike your name, what name would you like to have?

8. Are you called by other names? If yes, what are they?

9. What is special about your name or any name?

Now, write the story of your name. Just rewrite your answers [to the questions above] in complete sentences.

My name is ______. My name means ______

in English. ______

______

Week 3-- My Heroes and My Sheroes

A hero is someone who is admired for doing something that is very courageous (like a police officer) or good (like someone who helps poor people). Most people think of male heroes when they see the word HERO, so we can use the word SHERO to think about female heroes.

Who do you admire for their courage or goodness? Write about your heroes and/or sheroes. You can write about one person or several people. Explain the reasons that you admire this person or these people. Explain what makes this person or these people a hero(es) or shero(es). Try to write for 15 minutes without stopping.

My hero / shero (circle one) is ______because

______

Week 4-- My Dream

Do you remember your dreams? Today, you are going to write a story about one of your dreams. You can write about any dream that you remember. For instance, you could write about your favorite dream, your scariest dream, your funniest dream, your strangest dream, or a dream that came true. If you don’t remember your dreams, create a dream today on this paper. Read the example below, and then write a story about your dream.

Example:

The Strangest Dream

When I was about 12 years old, I dreamed that I was playing outside with my friends and the sun exploded like a bomb. Suddenly, everything went black even though it was the middle of the afternoon. I was so scared. My mother came outside and told me to come into our house. She told me that we could never go outside again because the sun had disappeared forever. It was a terrible dream, and I have never forgotten it.

My Dream

______

Week 5-- Star Light, Star Bright

People have been looking at stars for thousands and thousands of years. Today, you are going to think and write about the stars. As you think about stars, answer the questions below.

Why do people look at the stars?

Do you look at the stars? Why?

If you look at stars, where do you go to look at them?

How have people used stars in the past?

Do people use stars today? If yes, for what purposes do they use the stars? If no, why don’t people use the stars today? What’s your opinion about this?

Have you ever seen a falling star? How did you feel when you saw it falling in the sky?

Do you have a favorite star?

What do stars mean to you? How do they make you think or feel?

Now write a paragraph using the answers that you wrote to the questions above. Write complete sentences. Add more details to make your writing fun and interesting. (If you need more space, use the back of this page.)

Week 6-- A Hard Time

In our lives, we all experience hard times, and we have all had to learn and grow from these difficult experiences. What’s something difficult that you have had to experience in your life? For example, maybe you failed a test that was important for you to pass, or maybe you moved into a new city or neighborhood, or house, or maybe you had an illness or injury that took time to recover from. How did you learn and grow from this experience? If this topic is too personal for you and you would rather not write about yourself, you can write about someone you know who had a difficult experience. How did this person learn and grow from their experience? Read the example below.

Example:

A Hard Time

When I was 17 years old, my grandmother died. I loved her very much, and when she died I felt like part of me died with her. I remember wondering what my life would be like without her. Then, a few weeks after she died, I had a dream about her. In the dream, she said, “Don’t worry. I’m still with you. I’m watching you from above.” When I woke up, I felt much better. I realized that my grandmother was not lost to me. She was still with me, and her love for me was still alive. I felt like a bigger person after that dream because I knew I wasn’t alone. I learned a lot about life, love, and death from this hard experience.

A Hard Time

Week 7-- My Earliest Childhood Memory

How far back can you remember things from your childhood? Can you remember something from the time that you were one, two, or three years old? What is your earliest childhood memory? Read the example below, and then write about your own earliest childhood memory. Begin with the phrase I remember...

Example:

I remember my father’s garden behind the house that we lived in when I was only 1 1/2 or 2 years old. It seems to me that it was a really big garden, but I was very small, so maybe it wasn’t really that big. I remember the flowers he grew in his garden, big yellow sunflowers, and I remember the big red tomatoes. I also remember watching a frog eat flies outside the door to our house. I was really afraid of that frog. I thought that the frog was going to eat me. I probably wasn’t much bigger than that frog! I remember playing on a playground near our house. I remember swinging and playing with water. I don’t have any memories of inside things. I only remember things that were outside.

My Earliest Childhood Memory

I remember

Week 8-- What Family Means to Me

Families are very important. Families are fundamental to human psychological and social development. Today, I want you to think about and try to answer the following questions. What is a family? Why is your family important to you? What is a mother? What is a father? How are children important to a family? How are other relatives like grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. important to a family?

Write about what you think family means.

I think a family is

Week 9-- On a Perfect Day

What’s your idea of perfect day? Imagine that you could have the day of your dreams. What would you do? What would happen to you? What would the weather be like? Where would you go? Who would you share this day with? Read the example below. Then, write your perfect day.

Example:

On a Perfect Day

On a perfect day, I would go to the sea in Dibba. The weather would be cool and sunny. The sky would be perfectly blue. I would sit on the beach with my whole family. The adults would spend a few hours just talking and watching the sun on the water, and the children would run and play on the beach. Then, I would go horseback riding on the beach. I would race down the beach on my horse. In the evening, we would build a fire and look at the stars. We would put up a tent and eat and camp on the beach. That’s my idea of a perfect day.

On a Perfect Day

Week 10-- When I’m an old man... / When I’m an old woman...

What will you be like when you are old? Do you ever try to imagine yourself as an old man or an old woman? Take a few minutes and just try to imagine yourself as an old man or an old woman? What do you look like? What are you wearing? What color is your hair? What do you like to eat? Who do you live with? Where do you live? What are you doing? How do you feel? What do you think about the world and how it has changed? Then, try to write for 15 minutes without stopping to create this description of yourself as an old man/old woman. Begin with the phrase When I’m an old man… or When I’m an old woman…

Example:

When I’m an old woman

When I’m an old woman, I’ll live with my son and his family in Washington, D.C. I’ll have long white hair, and I’ll wear long green dresses. I’ll always be cold, so I’ll always wear a sweater or a jacket to stay warm. I’ll eat rice and vegetable soup. My son will say, “Mom, you are too thin, you must eat some more.” But I’ll just eat like a little bird. I will sit outdoors in a chair in a sunny part of my son’s garden. I’ll drink hot tea, and tell funny stories to my grandchildren. Sometimes, I will play football with them, but I won’t get out of my chair. I will feel peaceful because I know I lived a good life. I will be amazed that the world has changed so much, and I will miss the simple days of the past.

Now, write your story. Use the back of this page if you need more space.

When I’m an old ______

Week 11-- The Third Eye

Imagine that you have a third eye in the middle of your forehead. Imagine that this eye has special powers. Imagine that it can only see things that your other two eyes can’t see. Imagine that this eye can only open and see things when your other two eyes are closed. Read the example. Then, write as many sentences as you can about what your third eye can see.

Example:

The third eye can see the rings of Saturn.

The third eye can see the blue and yellow inside the green.

The third eye can see the smile of a flower.

The third eye can see the space between my hands.

The third eye can see children jumping on the clouds.

[Adapted from Wishes, Lies, and Dreams by Kenneth Koch]

The Third Eye

The third eye can see ______

Week 12-- A Letter to ______

Do you ever wish you could sit down and talk with a famous or historical person? Who would you choose to talk to? Today, you are going to write a letter to this person and discuss anything you like with them. First, choose the person you want to write to. Then, write the letter.

A Letter to ______(fill in the person’s name)

Dear ______,

______

Week 13-- I seem to be ______, but really I am ...

Knowing someone on the outside is not the same as knowing them on the inside. In some ways, we are one person in public (when we’re out in the world) and another person in private (when we are alone or with our families). Do you think people like your friends and teachers really know who you are? For example, you may be very funny and talkative in public, but perhaps you are really a shy, private person. So who are you really? Study the example below.

Example:

I seem to be short, but really I am tall.

I seem to be talkative, but really I am quiet.

I seem to be relaxed, but really I am nervous.

I seem to be sad, but really I am happy.

I seem to be generous, but really I am a little selfish.

I seem to know a lot, but really I am still learning.

Now, write about who you seem to be on the outside, but who you really are on the inside.

I seem to be ______, but really I am ______.

Week 14-- My “To Do” List

It is almost the end of the semester. What do you need to do to finish all your classes and to prepare for exams? Make a list of all the things that you need to do below. Explain how you feel about having to do each of these things. Read the example below.

Example “To Do” List:

I need to check my attendance. I hope I don’t have too many hours absent.
I have to study for 5 exams. How is this possible? I don’t like to study for exams. It’s boring.
I need to do research for my project. How should I start?
I need to get some sleep. I’m so tired.
I have to make good marks on my exams. My parents will be angry if I don’t.
I need to ask my English teacher for help with grammar. I don’t understand the passive.
I need a new brain. My brain is too tired to think.

My “To Do” List:

Week 15-- Choose Your Favorite

You have written many stories in this journal. Now, it’s time for you to choose your favorite piece of writing. After you and your classmates have chosen your favorites, decide with your teacher what you will do with your favorite stories.

Some ideas:

Your class could post these stories on the walls of your classroom.

Your class could publish your stories in a class book, newsletter, or magazine.

Your class could publish your stories on the internet.

Your class could share your stories by reading them to each other or to another class.

What are your ideas?