Writing Project

Estimated Time: 45 minutes - 1 hour

One way to become a better writer is to read great writing! You will be writing a personal (autobiographical) essay at the end of this unit. To help you prepare for this assignment, you will be reading a variety of personal essays.

This week read "Camp Dread or How to Survive a Shockingly Awful Summer" by Ransom Riggs (pg 7) from Breakfast on Mars and 37 other Delectable Essays.

Writing Assignment:

Choose one of the following topics from the essays you read and complete a freewrite. Before you start writing about your chosen topic consider your purpose. Do you want to inform, persuade or entertain with your topic?

  • Describe a time you had to do something you really didn't want to do.
  • Write about a before and after. What was your life like before? What was life like after?

If you are unfamiliar with freewriting, read this helpful article below before you get started.

Freewriting: The Key that Unlocks the Words - Brave Writer

Questions to Ponder or Discuss

  1. Booker T. Washington experienced a great deal of hardship in his childhood. How do you think that hardship affected him?
  2. What did Washington desire to accomplish above everything else? How did he go about achieving this goal?
  3. After he completed his education to what did he devote himself?
  4. Washington wrote, "I think I began learning that those who are happiest are those who do the most for others." Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?

Share your answers to one of the questions with us in the comments.