WRITING DOWN MY FAMILY

Using Oral Histories as research for autobiographical poems.

William Stafford Archive with Lewis and Clark College: 2009/2010 By Robin Judd

…let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. …let it …be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

Kahlil Gibran

WHAT IT IS

 Think Oral Family History meets autobiographical poetry.

 Using Stafford’s poems as a backdrop for word order, organization, and word choice, students will write poems about their families.

  In a workshop   Where students generate their own discussions, their

own writing prompts, their own writing circles.   Where students will receive feedback from the

teacher, the principal, and their peers.   Where students will learn about themselves by

hearing the stories other students share.

INTERVIEW GUIDELINES

 Choose one parent to interview  Start with five urgent questions – ask about the

things you want to know really badly but might not have been brave enough to speak about honestly before now.

Transcription:  You may use recording devices and tapes or cds if

you have them available to use at home. If you have a recorder on a cell phone, you may use that.

 Otherwise, you will be handwriting your interview questions and responses and typing the information you record in class.

MODELING QUESTIONING AND LISTENING: ON SPEAKER PHONE WITH MY MOM

  Model the interview process for students by having them call my mom

  Have students ask one question before they meet her   Once she begins talking, have students prepare

questions as she responds: they must listen carefully for this

  The best speakers are the best listeners: interrupting can disrupt the conversation

  You can formulate more interview questions using the way your subject responds:   To clarify confusion   To go into more depth and detail about the same topic   To formulate new topics and questions about related topics

POEMS BY WILLIAM STAFFORD: FROM THE LEWIS AND CLARK ARCHIVES

Poems will be used for daily reading and writing activities: as a springboard for students to think creatively about their lives.

  “Parentage”: Heroism   “Some Shadows”: Home   “Listening”: Hearing his father   “A Memorial: Son Bret” As a parent reflecting on the

suicide of his oldest son.   “Remembering Brother Bob” As an older brother

reflecting on the death of his younger brother   “Elegy” As a son reflecting on the death of his father.   “Troubleshooting”: Seeing his father

PARENTAGE

 Who is your father?   To you   To your family   To everyone else

 Where does he belong?  What do you want from him?

SOME SHADOWS: WHERE IS YOUR HOME?

  Girl   Oldest sister of four   Her mom was severely depressed

after Joan (mom’s older sister) committed suicide.

  Cheerleader   Average student

  Wife   Devoted   Loving   Controlling   She spit in his face during the only

argument I ever witnessed.

  Mom   Neurotic   Present always   Thorough   Honest

  Boy   One younger brother   LAPD dreams   Good student, active student

life   Surfer

  Husband   Comic relief   Loving   Devoted

  Dad   Respectful   Questioning   Honest   He went to the ER after

sampling some of my brother’s marijuana: I called for the ambulance.

Mom: Is she happy? How has dad changed her?

Dad: was/is he happy? How has mom changed him?

LISTENING: (USING WORDS TO SUPPORT THE SENSES)   All that his father could hear

  A little animal step   A moth in the dark against the screen   Voices from the soft wild night   The walls of the world   From another place, he’s still listening

  Nouns for Listening:   Sound   Quiet   That other place   Places

  Verbs for Listening:   Hear   Spoke   Called   Listening   Waiting   Inviting

A MEMORIAL: SON BRET

Questions to support comprehension:  Why was Bret brave?  Describe the relationship between the narrator

and Bret.  What happened to Bret?

Taking it a little deeper:  What are the responsibilities of parents?  How have your parents succeeded/failed with

you?

REMEMBERING BROTHER BOB

  Name and describe your siblings:   Ryan Kristen Judd: born

September 15, 1976 in West Covina, CA. He is currently married to Katherine Elizabeth Sanders, has been for 7 years. They are raising their first son, Lukas Ryan Judd: born December 31, 2009.

  Describe your favorite sibling memory:   I remember sitting in

front of Carrows waiting for my mom to get off work with my brother. We were on a bench talking and laughing as usual. I must have been 15 which would have made him 18 or 19. I don’t remember what he said, but I do remember laughing so hard I fell out of the bench and onto the cold hard concrete sidewalk.

Brothers and Sisters Memories

ELEGY

o  How do you define loss?   What are all the ways you could “lose” a person?

o  How do you cope with loss?   What are some healthy strategies/alternatives that

you could use in the future?

  el⋅e⋅gy [el-i-jee] –noun, plural -gies. 1. a mournful, melancholy, or plaintive poem, esp. a funeral song or a lament for the dead. 2. a poem written in elegiac meter. 3. a sad or mournful musical composition.

TROUBLESHOOTING: PARENT SYMBOL

  Larry Norman Judd   Loves reading and

thinking.   Crazy about his

grandson – resident babysitter – and his kids.

  Always finds ways to make people laugh.

  Catholic: he’d say his symbol is the crucifix, but I know better than that.

  Symbol: 2-lane asphalt highway   Freedom   Responsibility   Running – for the

longest time my dad was a runner from problems, conflicts, disagreements and a hider.

  There’s something concealing yet vulnerable about a highway at night.

Choose a parent and describe him/her: Dad

Describe and define their symbol: 2-lane asphalt road

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  Interview a parent to find more information about their families.

 Use interview responses and questions to infuse creative writing with relevant information, stories, and family anecdotes.

 Define and use active verbs, lively adjectives, and interesting nouns in autobiographical poetry.

 Analyze and discuss major themes in poems by William Stafford.

 Brainstorm, write, and revise original, autobiographical poetry.

OREGON STANDARDS TO SUPPORT INSTRUCTION   Increase word knowledge through systematic vocabulary development;

determine the meaning of new words by applying knowledge of word origins, word relationships, and context clues; verify the meaning of new words; and use those new words accurately across the subject areas.

  Listen critically and respond appropriately across the subject areas.   EL.HS.LI.02 Demonstrate listening and reading comprehension of

more complex literary text through class and/or small group interpretive discussions.

  EL.HS.LI.13 Evaluate the impact of word choice and figurative language on tone, mood, and theme.

  EL.HS.WR.08 Revise drafts to improve the logic and coherence of the organization and controlling idea, the precision of word choice, and the tone—by taking into consideration the audience, purpose, and formality of the context.

  EL.HS.SL.17 Analyze how language and delivery affect the mood and tone of the oral communication and make an impact on the audience.

  EL.HS.SL.05 Analyze the occasion and the interests of an audience, and choose effective verbal techniques and language to convey ideas.