MemoryArchive:For Teachers and Students
From MemoryArchive
Memoryarchive.org is interested in developing features specifically designed for use in educational settings. This page has some ideas for how MemoryArchive.org could be used in Elementary, Junior High and High School classrooms as a part of History, Social Studies or Creative Writing classes. Because MemoryArchive.org is always changing and our collection of memoirs is expanding, check the site often for new ideas and uses.
What is MemoryArchive.org?
MemoryArchive.org is an online forum for the collection and sharing of memoirs written on events of historical or cultural importance. We believe everyone has some sort of unique story to tell the world, so we've created this site to let everyone share and read the experiences of humanity in the last century.
FAQ for Adding Memoirs:
Q: How do I add a memoir? A: On the main page there is a box in which you type the event, the date of the event and the writer's (usually your) name, click the "add new memoir" button below and you're on your way! If you need more direction go to the help link located on most pages. We do suggest that you write a draft offline, save it, and then paste the completed memoir onto the site so that you don't lose your work.
Q: What kinds of memories make good MemoryArchive.org memoirs? A: We are interested in collecting all sorts of memories from all sorts of people across the globe.The only requirement we have is that the memory is somehow historical or at least would be of interest to other people. The best memoirs are well written and detailed, but beyond that any topic of historical importance is game. (Anything from the Red Sox winning the World Series to the time you shook President Bush's hand) We suggest that you write a draft offline and then paste the completed memoir onto the site. We are looking for first person accounts of events, so all the memoirs on the site are from within a century previous to the date MemoryArchive.org was created.
Q: Who can submit a memoir? A: Anyone anywhere can submit a memoir. There is no age requirement, but we do prefer grammatically correct and complete memoirs. Just as we have categories grouping memoirs with similar subjects together, if your class wants to group their memoirs together they can make a category such as "Mr.T's Class" using the same steps as you would to put your memoir under a category like "The White House" or "Baseball"
Q: What should I avoid putting in my memoir? A: Carefully consider any personal information you write in your memoir, keeping in mind that the memoirs are public. Also, please try to be considerate in the kinds of words and statements you write. What you say represents you to anyone who reads your memoir so consider what sort of impression you want to leave. If you are uncomfortable putting your name in the title of your memoir, consider putting a shortened version of your name like "Tom" or "T.D.W." We may remove any memoirs that do not fit with the standards of courtesy and quality we ask of you and you are free to edit or add on to your memoir if you need to.
Lesson Plan Ideas
Themes/ Subjects
Younger Students: --Comparing first and third person perspectives on an event --Developing Sympathy/Empathy --What are feelings? What triggers them? --What are memories? How are they made and stored? --Exploring how people lived their lives around the time of certain historical events.
Older Students --Comparing Contemporary and historical views on certain events and how perceptions have changed over time. --How do memory, perception and the senses work biologically? How are attitudes and memories created? --Develop critical thinking skills about their own lives/ the Sociological Imagination --What are the ways in which our societies and others store their knowledge and history?
Assignment Ideas --Write their own memoir of an event suitable for posting on MemoryArchive.org. --Assign students to transcribe their grandparent's short memoir of an event. This would be suitable to post on MemoryArchive.org --Write a fictional memoir from the perspective of someone the students admire. (Note: not suitable for posting on MemoryArchive.org) --Read memoirs of people from opposing sides of a conflict and analyze. (The Cold War, Israel-Palestine, WWII German and American civilians or soldiers) --Take photographs, write a journal or otherwise document their unique life experiences. --Find pen pals in a foreign country and discuss in which ways students discover their lives and experiences to be different from their pen pal. How might they think differently about certain issues or events? --Compare different methods of recording history such as storytelling, film, art, memoirs, or news media. Have students choose two or three of the methods and create an account of the same event in each of those media. --Create a time capsule including students' memoirs.
