Synthesizing Ideas and Exploring Perspectives

Dear Families,

We are wrapping up Unit One by writing memoirs about issues we’re passionate about and how we developed our understanding of these issues. Using I Am Malala as a mentor text, we were able to identify effective craft moves such as section breaks, foreshadowing, and the use of figurative language. We noticed how the craft moves engaged us as readers, and we used these same moves while writing our own memoirs. Like Malala, who encourages her readers to take action, we also included a call to action in our memoirs. Here are some examples:

“…every individual can also help. You can make an effort to reduce the amount of products you buy that are packaged in plastic. For example school kids should bring reusable water bottles that they can use the whole year instead of one-day water bottles. People should try to recycle as much as possible and if you have the opportunity, get a compost bin.”
“If you would like to help save endangered species, there are many ways to help. You can help plant trees and other native plants in habitats (especially jungles, which are suffering from way too much logging), try to recycle as much as possible, do not litter, do not purchase illegal products made from parts of endangered species.”

Exploring the Similarities and Differences Between Memoirs and Documentaries

We went deeper into our exploration of the memoir I Am Malala by watching the documentary He Named Me Malala. We compared and contrasted the experience of what we “saw” and “heard” when reading the memoir with what we perceived when we “listened” and “watched” the documentary. We shared our ideas on post-its, and both classes did a gallery walk to discover what everyone was thinking.