Sequencing Plans

Our "Memoirs of Main Dishes" writing project is well underway.  Students are eagerly planning out the sequence of events for their memoirs.  We talked about the qualities of good memoirs, and we learned that good memoirs zoom in on only the most important moments of a tiny seed/small moment in time.  We also learned that good memoirs always include true, exact details.  It is important to be honest (ex. We don't want to put in a part about Justin Beiber coming for dinner if it didn't happen.) and exact so the reader trusts us and feels like they are there in the moment with the author.

In order to make planning easier, we are utilizing a template that resembles a comic strip, or storyboard.  This plan will be useful as we move into the drafting phase; it will guide us and keep us on track as we write.  Also, we won't get stuck when we're writing because we can look at our plan to know what comes next.  Is your sequencing plan completed?  At this point, it should be if you're staying on track.  Here's an example from class if you need help.

Our next step will be to use these plans to create our drafts.  We will use our sequencing plans as we tell our stories moment by moment, step-by-step.  We will use true, exact details so the reader feels invited into the moment to live with the author for a short moment in time.