Final Challenge: Memoir through the Lens of Mindset

After reading The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, you should be well aware that a memoir is an account of a personal experience of the author. Unlike an autobiography, which is about an author’s entire life, a memoir is focused. It can be focused on a particular person, place, period, or event in the author’s life.

Your final challenge for this course is to create your own personal memoir through the psychological lens of mindset or habits.

Consider the enduring understandings of this course:

• Change is always possible as long as you believe you can change.
• It’s all about effort.

Choose your format:

• Narrative (with photos, infographics or illustrations) at least 750 words in length. (12 pt. font, double-spaced, Times New Roman.)
• Graphic memoir (novel) like Persepolis at least two (4 x 4-paneled) pages in length. 
• Podcast at least five minutes in length. 
• Video at least five minutes in length. 
• Other formats can be negotiated in private conference.

Guidelines:

• Tell your own personal story, relating it to what you have learned about mindset and or habit from the readings and Diving Bell. 
• Establish a compelling theme or storyline, with a well-developed purpose carried through the narrative through skillful use of narrative techniques. (Controlling idea) 
• Accurately and seamlessly integrate reading material, interviews and or visual material to support the narrative. 
• Elaborate on experiences, individuals, and/or events with comprehensive detail to add depth and complexity to the sense of time, place, or character. (Development) 
• Organize your memoir with a structure that is appropriate to your purpose, task and audience so that it enhances communication of your theme or purpose and keeps the reader engaged. (Organization) 
• Demonstrate a well-developed command of standard English conventions. Provide a bibliography or works cited page if appropriate. (Conventions) 
• Integrate relevant and accurate content with thorough explanations that demonstrate in-depth understanding of the readings and information from this course. (Content understanding) 

This project is worth 100 project/test points. Projects, including peer editing, must be completed by Friday, June 13. Memoirs should be written in Word or Google Drive and emailed to msbecker4@gmail.com. Share the link on your blog. Do NOT simply write them as a blog post.

Click here to see the memoir rubric.