You will be writing about yourself, about something that happened to you.  It doesn’t have to be about something big.  Often the most interesting stories are about little things—fishing one afternoon with your cousin, getting ready for your first dance, meeting your new stepfather for the first time, meeting your best friend, making a little mistake but learning a big lesson.  Everyone has little moments that stick out in his or her mind.  You will be writing about one of those moments and learning how to make your writing interesting.

This piece of writing will be placed in your Employability Portfolio and will remain there until you graduate from high school.  It will be a reflection of how well you write at this moment.

In this piece of writing you will be expected to
¨ write an interesting lead or beginning
¨ use detail to make your story interesting—baby steps, thoughtshots, and exploded moments (you’ll be learning about these)
¨ write dialogue correctly (if you use it)
¨ indent at paragraphs
¨ use punctuation correctly
¨ double check your spelling

Drawing Your Neighborhood
Baby Steps and Thoughtshots
Graphing Your Life
Writing the Lead