The Personal History assignments will be due as scheduled:
•Early Childhood (0-6) - Draft - Due Week of Mar. 23 – 27
•Early Childhood (0-6) - Due Week of Apr. 6 – 10
•Childhood (6-11) - Draft - Due Week of Apr. 13 – 17
•Childhood (6-11) - Due Week of Apr. 20 – 24
•Adolescence (11-18) - Draft - Due Week of Apr. 27 to May 1
•Adolescence (11-18) - Due Week of May 4 - 8
•Early Adulthood (18…) - Draft - Due Week of May 11 to May 15
•Early Adulthood (18…) - Due Week of May 18 to May 22
•Final history due - Due Week of June 1 to June 5
•Note: If a due date falls on a holiday the assignment will be due the following week. There will be 8 completion grades given - 0 or 10 points/section. The final project will be worth 100 points.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Recording your Life Story
Recording your Life Story
Never underestimate the value that your history will have to you, your family, and your posterity!!!!!!!
Where To Begin?
Writing a personal history of your entire life can seem like a daunting task. Perhaps the hardest part is knowing where to start. Don’t try to do it all at once. Here are ideas.
Gather together thoughts photos, documents, and other memorabilia.
Going through old picture books and memorabilia can help you remember
important events more clearly, and will provide documentation and interest to
your memories.
Early Childhood (0-6)
Childhood (6-11)
Adolescence (11-18)
Early Adulthood (18-25)
Involve Family and Friends
Involve your family and friends in the process of creating your personal history. (It will help ensure that you have an audience of interested readers who are connected to the completed work.)
Ask family members to contribute their favorite stories concerning the subject. (i.e.: ask your mother about what you were like as a baby)
Ask family members to collect photos, stories, and memorabilia that might be appropriate for use in your history.
Request names, birth dates, significant events, and a recent family photograph including all names of individuals in the picture.
Write the First Draft of Your Personal History
Write an outline of the major aspects in your life that you especially want to
record.
General Age Periods:
Early Childhood (0-6)
Childhood (6-11)
Adolescence (11-18)
Early Adulthood (18-25)
Other Topics and Sub-Topics to include
Memories of friends and family
Community Service
Health Record
Physical Characteristics
Social Life
Core beliefs (Your family’s and your own)
Memorable World Events
Military Service
Education
How do your father and mother earn a living?
How have you earned money?
Counsel to Posterity
Basic Helps:
Organize your thoughts by using memory triggers (See the accompanying document)
Write as the thoughts come to you. (Keep a notebook)
Don’t worry if it is out of order. You can organize it later.
Start with the topic that you’ve been wanting most to record.
Be honest about your life.
Transfer an emotional experience to the reader (e.g., frustration, anticipations, amusement, pleasure, pity, envy, humility, gratitude, boredom, greed, pride, etc.)
Include real events. Include tragic, exciting, and normal every day things.
Use a word processor to record your writing for easy editing.
Add Photos and Scanned Images
Decide which items you will use. Ask yourself:
Would I find that item useful or interesting if it were in someone else’s history?
Would it be as effective to simply describe the item rather than include it in the history?
Choose best quality and most typical images to use in a personal history.
Achieve an appropriate balance between visual imagery and text.
Edit and Finalize Your Personal History (Rough Drafts)
Ask family members or a good friend to read through your history to suggest revisions and identify necessary corrections.
Ask for constructive ideas on how to make your history easier to understand.
Be sure that the fonts you use are easy to read and photocopy well.
Complete your history now–do not put it on hold while seeking absolute perfection.
Never underestimate the value that your history will have to you, your family, and your posterity!!!!!!!
Where To Begin?
Writing a personal history of your entire life can seem like a daunting task. Perhaps the hardest part is knowing where to start. Don’t try to do it all at once. Here are ideas.
Gather together thoughts photos, documents, and other memorabilia.
Going through old picture books and memorabilia can help you remember
important events more clearly, and will provide documentation and interest to
your memories.
Early Childhood (0-6)
Childhood (6-11)
Adolescence (11-18)
Early Adulthood (18-25)
Involve Family and Friends
Involve your family and friends in the process of creating your personal history. (It will help ensure that you have an audience of interested readers who are connected to the completed work.)
Ask family members to contribute their favorite stories concerning the subject. (i.e.: ask your mother about what you were like as a baby)
Ask family members to collect photos, stories, and memorabilia that might be appropriate for use in your history.
Request names, birth dates, significant events, and a recent family photograph including all names of individuals in the picture.
Write the First Draft of Your Personal History
Write an outline of the major aspects in your life that you especially want to
record.
General Age Periods:
Early Childhood (0-6)
Childhood (6-11)
Adolescence (11-18)
Early Adulthood (18-25)
Other Topics and Sub-Topics to include
Memories of friends and family
Community Service
Health Record
Physical Characteristics
Social Life
Core beliefs (Your family’s and your own)
Memorable World Events
Military Service
Education
How do your father and mother earn a living?
How have you earned money?
Counsel to Posterity
Basic Helps:
Organize your thoughts by using memory triggers (See the accompanying document)
Write as the thoughts come to you. (Keep a notebook)
Don’t worry if it is out of order. You can organize it later.
Start with the topic that you’ve been wanting most to record.
Be honest about your life.
Transfer an emotional experience to the reader (e.g., frustration, anticipations, amusement, pleasure, pity, envy, humility, gratitude, boredom, greed, pride, etc.)
Include real events. Include tragic, exciting, and normal every day things.
Use a word processor to record your writing for easy editing.
Add Photos and Scanned Images
Decide which items you will use. Ask yourself:
Would I find that item useful or interesting if it were in someone else’s history?
Would it be as effective to simply describe the item rather than include it in the history?
Choose best quality and most typical images to use in a personal history.
Achieve an appropriate balance between visual imagery and text.
Edit and Finalize Your Personal History (Rough Drafts)
Ask family members or a good friend to read through your history to suggest revisions and identify necessary corrections.
Ask for constructive ideas on how to make your history easier to understand.
Be sure that the fonts you use are easy to read and photocopy well.
Complete your history now–do not put it on hold while seeking absolute perfection.
PERSONAL HISTORY MEMORY TRIGGERS
PERSONAL HISTORY MEMORY TRIGGERS
Try answering one or more of the following questions, and then give examples. Let your mind wander as you answer, and write down or record memories that come to mind whether they fit the topic or not. Things can always be sorted out later!
1. Where were you born and what were the circumstances of your birth? Were
there other children already in the family? How did your parents choose your
name?
2. Where did you go to school? Did you have any memorable teachers? What were your favorite subjects?
3. What were your favorite activities as a young child? Were you interested in
sports?
4. How did you celebrate birthdays as a child?
5. What were your childhood home and neighborhood like?
6. What were your grandparents like? Do you have any special memories of them?
Do you remember any stories that they told you about themselves or your
parents?
7. What were your parents like? Did you have a special relationship with either of them? Do you know anything about them when they were children?
8. What was your personality like? Are you the same, or did something happen to change you? How would you describe your personality now?
9. Did you have brothers and sisters? What did you do together as children? What are some of your special memories of growing up together?
10. What kind of chores did you do around the house? What were your favorite or least favorite chores?
11. Did you have a favorite radio program or television show?
12. How did you spend your Sundays as a child?
13. Who was your favorite singer, band or musical group when you were a
teenager?
14. Did you ever do anything rebellious?
15. What was your most memorable holiday? How did your family celebrate?
16. How did you celebrate Spring Festival and other holidays? Where did you go? What was your favorite food?
17. Who was your best childhood friend? Where are they now?
18. What is the lowest price you remember stamps costing? What did other things cost?
19. What kind of job did your father have? What do you remember about it? Did
your mother work outside of the home?
20. Did you graduate from High School? Did you go on to school after that? What did you study?
21. What was your first job, and what did you get paid?
22. What was your favorite practical joke as a child? Did you ever get in trouble
for playing jokes?
23. Have you ever gone far away? What was the farthest place you ever went to?
24. Did you ever run away as a child, even for a few hours? Did you ever plan to?
25. What is the best book ever written? How many times have you read it?
26. Who was your favorite movie actor or actress? What is your favorite movie?
27. Do you and your spouse have a special song? What is the story behind it?
28. What was the first house that you lived in together like? How big was it?
29. What was your first car? What was the car that you really wanted?
30. Did you grow up near your extended family? Did you get to spend time
together?
31. What was your childhood nickname? What did your dad call you? Your mom?
What did they call you when you were in trouble?
32. Did you ever get sent home from school? Did you ever get sent to the principal?
33. Did you have a pet as a child?
34. Who was your first boyfriend/girlfriend? What did you do for dates?
35. In your opinion, what was the best invention of your lifetime? Automobile?
Washing machine? Air conditioning? Indoor plumbing?
36. Describe a typical weekday as a child. Were Saturdays the same?
37. Did you attend church? What was your church like? Did you have to travel far to get there?
38. What was the most exciting trip you've ever taken?
39. What is your favorite season? Why?
40. What was your favorite dinner that your mother made? What was the worst?
41. Did you play an instrument? Were you in a band or an orchestra? Did you sing?
42. What was your hairstyle as a teenager? What kind of clothes did you wear?
Were you always in style?
43. What was your favorite holiday? Why? Has that changed?
44. What is the most important lesson that you've learned from life so far?
45. Do you speak more than one language? If so, how and why did you learn it? If not, did you ever want to?
46. How far was it to your school? Did you have to walk? Was it uphill both ways?
47. What is a special talent you have? Fixing things? Sewing? Handiwork? Green
thumb? When did you realize that you loved it and how did you learn?
48. What is one thing that you couldn't do, no matter how hard you tried?
49. What were your favorite winter activities? What did you do in the
summertime?
50. What was the best letter that you ever received? What was the best letter that you ever sent?
51. Describe your posterity (children, grandchildren, etc). What is the thing that you want them most to remember about you.
52. Describe your wedding day. Where did you get married? Why? Who came? Did you have a honeymoon? How did you meet?
Try answering one or more of the following questions, and then give examples. Let your mind wander as you answer, and write down or record memories that come to mind whether they fit the topic or not. Things can always be sorted out later!
1. Where were you born and what were the circumstances of your birth? Were
there other children already in the family? How did your parents choose your
name?
2. Where did you go to school? Did you have any memorable teachers? What were your favorite subjects?
3. What were your favorite activities as a young child? Were you interested in
sports?
4. How did you celebrate birthdays as a child?
5. What were your childhood home and neighborhood like?
6. What were your grandparents like? Do you have any special memories of them?
Do you remember any stories that they told you about themselves or your
parents?
7. What were your parents like? Did you have a special relationship with either of them? Do you know anything about them when they were children?
8. What was your personality like? Are you the same, or did something happen to change you? How would you describe your personality now?
9. Did you have brothers and sisters? What did you do together as children? What are some of your special memories of growing up together?
10. What kind of chores did you do around the house? What were your favorite or least favorite chores?
11. Did you have a favorite radio program or television show?
12. How did you spend your Sundays as a child?
13. Who was your favorite singer, band or musical group when you were a
teenager?
14. Did you ever do anything rebellious?
15. What was your most memorable holiday? How did your family celebrate?
16. How did you celebrate Spring Festival and other holidays? Where did you go? What was your favorite food?
17. Who was your best childhood friend? Where are they now?
18. What is the lowest price you remember stamps costing? What did other things cost?
19. What kind of job did your father have? What do you remember about it? Did
your mother work outside of the home?
20. Did you graduate from High School? Did you go on to school after that? What did you study?
21. What was your first job, and what did you get paid?
22. What was your favorite practical joke as a child? Did you ever get in trouble
for playing jokes?
23. Have you ever gone far away? What was the farthest place you ever went to?
24. Did you ever run away as a child, even for a few hours? Did you ever plan to?
25. What is the best book ever written? How many times have you read it?
26. Who was your favorite movie actor or actress? What is your favorite movie?
27. Do you and your spouse have a special song? What is the story behind it?
28. What was the first house that you lived in together like? How big was it?
29. What was your first car? What was the car that you really wanted?
30. Did you grow up near your extended family? Did you get to spend time
together?
31. What was your childhood nickname? What did your dad call you? Your mom?
What did they call you when you were in trouble?
32. Did you ever get sent home from school? Did you ever get sent to the principal?
33. Did you have a pet as a child?
34. Who was your first boyfriend/girlfriend? What did you do for dates?
35. In your opinion, what was the best invention of your lifetime? Automobile?
Washing machine? Air conditioning? Indoor plumbing?
36. Describe a typical weekday as a child. Were Saturdays the same?
37. Did you attend church? What was your church like? Did you have to travel far to get there?
38. What was the most exciting trip you've ever taken?
39. What is your favorite season? Why?
40. What was your favorite dinner that your mother made? What was the worst?
41. Did you play an instrument? Were you in a band or an orchestra? Did you sing?
42. What was your hairstyle as a teenager? What kind of clothes did you wear?
Were you always in style?
43. What was your favorite holiday? Why? Has that changed?
44. What is the most important lesson that you've learned from life so far?
45. Do you speak more than one language? If so, how and why did you learn it? If not, did you ever want to?
46. How far was it to your school? Did you have to walk? Was it uphill both ways?
47. What is a special talent you have? Fixing things? Sewing? Handiwork? Green
thumb? When did you realize that you loved it and how did you learn?
48. What is one thing that you couldn't do, no matter how hard you tried?
49. What were your favorite winter activities? What did you do in the
summertime?
50. What was the best letter that you ever received? What was the best letter that you ever sent?
51. Describe your posterity (children, grandchildren, etc). What is the thing that you want them most to remember about you.
52. Describe your wedding day. Where did you get married? Why? Who came? Did you have a honeymoon? How did you meet?
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