…let there be

spaces in your
togetherness
and let the
winds of the
heavens dance
between you.
…let it …be a
moving sea
between the
shores of your
souls.

Kahlil Gibran

WRITING DOWN MY FAMILY

Using Oral Histories as research for autobiographical

poems.

William Stafford Archive with Lewis and Clark College:

2009/2010
By Robin Judd
WHAT IT IS
  Think Oral Family History meets
autobiographical poetry.
  Using Stafford’s poems as a backdrop for word
order, organization, and word choice, students
will write poems about their families.
  In a workshop
  Where students generate their own discussions, their
own writing prompts, their own writing circles.
  Where students will receive feedback from the
teacher, the principal, and their peers.
  Where students will learn about themselves by
hearing the stories other students share.
INTERVIEW GUIDELINES
  Choose one parent to interview
  Start with five urgent questions – ask about the
things you want to know really badly but might
not have been brave enough to speak about
honestly before now.
Transcription:
  You may use recording devices and tapes or cds if
you have them available to use at home. If you
have a recorder on a cell phone, you may use
that.
  Otherwise, you will be handwriting your
interview questions and responses and typing the
information you record in class.
MODELING QUESTIONING AND
LISTENING: ON SPEAKER PHONE
WITH MY MOM
  Model the interview process for students by having
them call my mom
  Have students ask one question before they meet her

  Once she begins talking, have students prepare

questions as she responds: they must listen carefully
for this
  The best speakers are the best listeners: interrupting
can disrupt the conversation
  You can formulate more interview questions using the
way your subject responds:
  To clarify confusion
  To go into more depth and detail about the same topic
  To formulate new topics and questions about related topics
POEMS BY WILLIAM STAFFORD:
FROM THE LEWIS AND CLARK
ARCHIVES
Poems will be used for daily reading and writing
activities: as a springboard for students to think
creatively about their lives.
  “Parentage”: Heroism

  “Some Shadows”: Home

  “Listening”: Hearing his father

  “A Memorial: Son Bret” As a parent reflecting on the

suicide of his oldest son.
  “Remembering Brother Bob” As an older brother
reflecting on the death of his younger brother
  “Elegy” As a son reflecting on the death of his father.

  “Troubleshooting”: Seeing his father

PARENTAGE
  Who is your father?
  To you
  To your family
  To everyone else
  Where does he belong?
  What do you want from him?
SOME SHADOWS: WHERE IS YOUR
HOME?
Mom: Is she happy? How Dad: was/is he happy?
has dad changed her? How has mom changed
him?
  Girl   Boy
  Oldest sister of four   One younger brother
  Her mom was severely depressed   LAPD dreams
after Joan (mom’s older sister)
committed suicide.   Good student, active student
  Cheerleader life
  Average student   Surfer
  Wife   Husband
  Devoted   Comic relief
  Loving
  Loving
  Controlling
  She spit in his face during the only   Devoted
argument I ever witnessed.   Dad
  Mom   Respectful
  Neurotic   Questioning
  Present always   Honest
  Thorough
  He went to the ER after
  Honest
sampling some of my brother’s
marijuana: I called for the
ambulance.
LISTENING: (USING WORDS TO
SUPPORT THE SENSES)
  All that his father could hear
  A little animal step
  A moth in the dark against the screen
  Voices from the soft wild night
  The walls of the world
  From another place, he’s still listening
  Nouns for Listening:
  Sound
  Quiet
  That other place
  Places
  Verbs for Listening:
  Hear
  Spoke
  Called
  Listening
  Waiting
  Inviting
A MEMORIAL: SON BRET
Questions to support comprehension:
  Why was Bret brave?

  Describe the relationship between the narrator

and Bret.
  What happened to Bret?

Taking it a little deeper:

  What are the responsibilities of parents?

  How have your parents succeeded/failed with

you?
REMEMBERING BROTHER BOB
Brothers and Sisters
Memories
  Name and describe your   Describe your favorite
siblings:
  Ryan Kristen Judd: born
September 15, 1976 in
West Covina, CA. He is
currently married to
Katherine Elizabeth
Sanders, has been for 7
years. They are raising
their first son, Lukas
Ryan Judd: born
December 31, 2009.
sibling memory:
  I remember sitting in
front of Carrows waiting
for my mom to get off
work with my brother.
We were on a bench
talking and laughing as
usual. I must have been
15 which would have
made him 18 or 19. I don’t
remember what he said,
but I do remember
laughing so hard I fell out
of the bench and onto the
cold hard concrete
sidewalk.
ELEGY
o  How do you define loss?
  What are all the ways you could “lose” a person?
o  How do you cope with loss?
  What are some healthy strategies/alternatives that
you could use in the future?

  el⋅e⋅gy [el-i-jee]
–noun, plural -gies. 1. a mournful, melancholy, or
plaintive poem, esp. a funeral song or a lament
for the dead. 2. a poem written in elegiac meter.
3. a sad or mournful musical composition.
TROUBLESHOOTING: PARENT
SYMBOL
Choose a parent and
describe him/her: Dad
  Larry Norman Judd
  Loves reading and
thinking.
  Crazy about his
grandson – resident
babysitter – and his kids.
  Always finds ways to
make people laugh.
  Catholic: he’d say his
symbol is the crucifix,
but I know better than
that.
Describe and define their
symbol: 2-lane asphalt
road
  Symbol: 2-lane asphalt
highway
  Freedom
  Responsibility
  Running – for the
longest time my dad was
a runner from problems,
conflicts, disagreements
and a hider.
  There’s something
concealing yet vulnerable
about a highway at
night.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
  Interview a parent to find more information
about their families.
  Use interview responses and questions to infuse
creative writing with relevant information,
stories, and family anecdotes.
  Define and use active verbs, lively adjectives, and
interesting nouns in autobiographical poetry.
  Analyze and discuss major themes in poems by
William Stafford.
  Brainstorm, write, and revise original,
autobiographical poetry.
OREGON STANDARDS TO SUPPORT
INSTRUCTION
  Increase word knowledge through systematic vocabulary development;
determine the meaning of new words by applying knowledge of word
origins, word relationships, and context clues; verify the meaning of
new words; and use those new words accurately across the subject
areas.
  Listen critically and respond appropriately across the subject areas.
  EL.HS.LI.02 Demonstrate listening and reading comprehension of
more complex literary text through class and/or small group
interpretive discussions.
  EL.HS.LI.13 Evaluate the impact of word choice and figurative
language on tone, mood, and theme.
  EL.HS.WR.08 Revise drafts to improve the logic and coherence of the
organization and controlling idea, the precision of word choice, and
the tone—by taking into consideration the audience, purpose, and
formality of the context.
  EL.HS.SL.17 Analyze how language and delivery affect the mood and
tone of the oral communication and make an impact on the audience.
  EL.HS.SL.05 Analyze the occasion and the interests of an audience,
and choose effective verbal techniques and language to convey ideas.