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“Putting a narrative frame on our past—especially our struggles—promotes perspective and self-awareness that are otherwise out of reach for most people,” writes Greg Graham. This means that if you have ever experienced a trying time that left you bewildered, upset, or joyful without explanation, you should write about it. The act can be helpful. Externalizing our experiences helps us process. In this blog entry, we’ll explore this briefly as we consider what might be some valuable tools for creating a memoir map using an iPad.
Note: If you’re not sure about the benefits of concept maps and visual organizers, be sure to read this longer blog post on the topic.
In Search of Memory
“Indigenous villagers often sit together. They share the stories of their days. After each story, positive or negative, the villagers nod and say, ‘That’s a healing story.'” This account of the healing power of memory in story by cultural anthropologist, Angela Arrien, is cited in “The Power of Memoir: How to Write Your Healing Story.” What healing stories could you help your students map out in a classroom writing workshop?
Imagine being able to remember a hurtful event in the past, then write about it in a way that allows you to make sense of it. You can finally go on a journey of healing, confident that at the end of the journey, you will find peace. Memoir writing is one way to remember.
…telling your story—while being witnessed with loving attention by others who care—may be the most powerful medicine on earth. Each us is a constantly unfolding narrative, a hero in a novel no one else can write. And yet so many of us leave our stories untold, our songs unsung—and when this happens, we wind up feeling lonely, listless, out of touch with our life’s purpose, plagued with a chronic sense that something is out of alignment. (Source: Dr. Lissa Rankin, Psychology Today)
Shattered: A Memoir Map
What happens when a hero goes wrong? I remember one time when the adventurer in my unfolding narrative did something he regretted. For years, the hero carried the childhood story of guilt untold.
A few years ago, I decided to map out a memoir of that event. Just the act of mapping out the piece helped me externalize my feelings so I could better manage and learn from it.
While there are various apps for mapping out your memoir, consider using one of the following:
- Ideament (free but $2.99 with in-app purchase) – This is my favorite concept mapping tool–and I’ve tried the expensive ones–because it’s easy to use and inexpensive. It features Dropbox support and exporting to multiple file formats.
- Popplet ($4.99) – The free version lets you create just one popplet, while the paid version lets you share content you create with others.
- iThoughtsHD ($9.99) – A powerful app that is compatible with other desktop graphic organizers.
- Total Recall – MindMap (Free) – A free, easy to use mind mapping tool.
- Penultimate (Free) – A nice app that you can type and/or “write” in with your finger or stylus.
Worth the Journey
The power of memoirs, and planning a memoir as a concept map, can engage reluctant writers in ways we seldom consider (source: A Study of Memoir). Mapping out your memoir can also help you and your students tap into a treasure trove of memory. Take a walk down Memory Lane, won’t you? It will be worth the journey!
In the past, good teachers tried to get students more curious about the learning by having them complete a KWL chart. At the beginning of a new unit, this chart has a student make a list of what he already KNOWS about the topic, what he WANTS to learn about it, and then, after the unit is over, what he LEARNED.
There’s been a lot of discussion over the last year about implementing genius hour in the classroom. Genius hour is the strategy of giving time for students to do self-directed learning on interests that they are passionate about. Google regularly provides employees 20 percent of their work week that can be devoted to “passion projects,” believing that this will better engage the staff and make them more excited about all of their work. There is nothing magical about the “20 percent” number; it’s more important that you give students some time for open-ended learning in which they can pursue their own interests. Here are a few resources to help you get started integrating this educational trend into your classroom.
Once you’ve created several missions (the number of missions is up to you), then you can assign each mission a point value based on its degree of difficulty. Decide how long you want the game to run and if a password is required to join. Then the game is afoot! Gather the participants together and have them divide up into teams. (I would recommend no more than four to a team, with three being the optimum number.) One player on each team will need to download the free GooseChase app, available for either an 
Take time to reflect on what myths you have bought into and the impact that you can make by changing your mind and believing what is actually true…not necessarily easy but true nonetheless. If I left you with one saying to challenge you, it would be with what Steven W. Anderson (
Diamante Poem – This type of poem is in the shape of a diamond. Each line uses specific types of words (adjectives, -ing words, etc.). What makes it especially nice is that it doesn’t have to rhyme. This app has some examples to illustrate how to write a diamante poem, and it leads you through creating your poem step by step. When you’re finished, you can save the poem as an image to your photo gallery. 
Acrostic Poem – Think of a word and then write a word or phrase for each letter in the word. This app will lead you through creating an acrostic poem and even helps you brainstorm words. Acrostic poems are often used when students write their name vertically and then write out adjectives going across that describe them, but the uses are endless. 
Haiku Poem – This app makes writing this Japanese-style poetry super simple. Walking you through the steps of brainstorming words and phrases and making note of the syllables, you’ll find that constructing one is easy and can be very profound. 
Poems By Heart from Penguin Classics – This well-crafted app introduces students to a wide variety of poetry. Even without the premium downloads, the free ones supplied each come with audio that highlights the lines as the poem is read with inflection. Students can record themselves reading the poem and even earn poetry points by memorizing them. 
POETRY from The Poetry Foundation – Let students encounter a wide variety of poetry in this app. They can discover titles by spinning the category wheels (emotions and events) or by searching for a specific author in the index. Poems that have audio are indicated with a small speaker icon, great for extra support for struggling readers/writers as well as students who may benefit from hearing it read aloud. 