TEACHING WRITING MINILESSON: 

Lesson Plan Template   

 
Jessica Hopland, ENG3580-102 
 
Lesson Title: ​Six Word Memoirs for Sixth Grade  
 
Standards:  
W.6.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, 
relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.  
 
Objectives​:  
○ Students will be able to compare expressive and reflective writing 
○ Students will be able to distinguish between expressive and reflective writing examples 
○ Students will be able to create an expressive piece of writing (six word memoir) 
○ Students will be able to expound (present and explain) their writing 
○ Students will be able to recognize expressive and reflective writing as a form of narrative 
 
 
Materials/Technology Resources Required:  
 
○ Projector (In Person)/ Screen Share (Virtual) 
○ Adobe Spark Presentation: Expressive and Reflective Writing  
○ T-Chart (In Person:Whiteboard, flipchart)/ (Virtual: google doc) 
○ Response Board (In Person:Whiteboard)/ (Virtual: Padlet) 
○ Crash Course Six Minute Memoir​ Youtube Video 
 
 
Instructional Procedures/Steps:  
Context: Mini lesson follows a unit on reading and analyzing narratives. Each student has a writing 
journal that they work in every day. Review Adobe Spark Presentation for further context. 
Length: 10 minutes 
Lesson Outline: 
1. Display The Adobe Spark presentation lesson title, ​Expressive and Reflective Writing​, on
the projector (Zoom share screen) as the class walks in/ transitions/ signs in to virtual
meeting space. Greet students and allow them to mingle and discuss the lesson topic
until everyone arrives. If students have their own devices, instruct them to pull up the
Adobe Spark presentation on their screen as well so they can access Links later on.
Screen Sharing
2. First scroll to the next section and discuss what expressive and reflective writing is. Ask
the students if anyone has heard those terms used before? Can anyone think of an
example? Allow for adequate wait time. Have one or two students share their response
aloud. Use class participation to construct their own definitions of expressive and
reflective writing. Screen Sharing (1 min.)
3. Next scroll down and read the definition from the quote: Expressive and reflective writing
is when.. “The writer expresses or reflects on his or her own life experiences. In other
words the writer often is looking backwards on a memory in order to look forward at the
events' impacts. The best student writing comes from when they blend the two--when
 they express their thoughts on an experience and when they transition into what an
experience has taught them (Gallagher, 2011).” Screen Sharing (1 min.)
4. Scroll and click on the ​Comparison Chart​ button. This Link will pull up the “virtual
whiteboard” as a google document. Use the table outline as a T-Chart to compare
expressive and reflective writing. Allow student participation to fill in the chart. Type the
responses into the T-Chart (students will be able to access this resource later for
reference). Use the students' wording as much as possible. Use the textbook definition
of the T-Chart below as a guide/ outline of expected answers. ​Screen Sharing (2 min.)
If time permits, have each student give an example of the writing types to assess
understanding.
Expressive Writing  Reflective Writing 

Expressive writing is… Reflective Writing is…

Personal writing. The writer shares thoughts,
ideas, feelings, and questions about his/ her
experience. Usually written from a first-person
point of view, it exhibits the author’s voice. The
author tells the reader how they feel.
The goal may be—to inform, teach, persuade, or
entertain readers.
Though also personal, reflective writing moves
beyond recounting an experience and into an
exploration of how that particular experience
has shaped the writer.
The goal of reflective writing is not to share final
thoughts on a topic, but a way to explore new
thoughts.

Thoughts/ Ideas/ Feelings about an event What the event has taught you
5. Transition by summarizing the ideas out loud. Then announce to the class that now that
they have a firm foundation of the writing types we are going to write our own on a small
scale. Return to Adobe Spark presentation. Scroll down to the Six Word Memoir Photo.
Screen Sharing (1min.) If time permits, Play the 3 minute ​Crash Course Six Words
youtube video as an introduction.
6. Give students a quick summary of the assignment: “You will create an expressive work
by writing your memoir/ life story in six words. This is based off of an urban legend that
Earnest Hemingway once wrote an entire narrative in six words: ‘For Sale: baby shoes,
never worn.’ Let’s look at some more examples.” Scroll down reading each example
outloud. Announce that now it is their turn to try. Screen Sharing (1 min.)
7. Stop scrolling at assignment instructions. Read instructions aloud. Demonstrate how to
access the padlet link by clicking the Padlet button on the presentation. Model to the
students how to add a post and your own personal example of a Six Word Memoir. Think
aloud while creating a memoir. Screen Sharing (1 min.)
8. Provide time for the students to complete their memoirs and post them to the Padlet.
Keep the padlet displayed on the presenting platform.​ ​Make positive comments on
students' work as they are posted. ​Screen Sharing (2 min.)
9. Return to Adobe Spark Presentation. Quickly scroll to the bottom of the page, stopping
at the connection section. Connect the idea of expressive and reflective writing back to
narratives by classifying Expressive and Reflective writing as a type of Narrative writing.
 Remind students the definition and the major aspects of a narrative by reading the final
page sections. ​Screen Sharing (1 min.)
10. Release students to the next Literary block/ writing center.
Next Steps: Have students expound on the six word memoir in 240 characters (the length of a tweet). 
Students may revisit these works later during free writing to continue growing the length of their work. 
They may use the memoirs as inspiration on a later narrative writing assignment. 
 
 
Assessment:  
Participation in Comparison Chart-​ Did the student help form the definitions, give an example, give more 
precise wording? 
Padlet- ​Did the student share a memory in six words?  
 
Appendix:  
 
Adobe Sparks Page: ​https://spark.adobe.com/page/WtdztRil00ffx/  
 
T-Chart Google Document: 
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RloeE2T8egtFTlx8bFPCNGAeZF-mVMfy4RmwZCMdJEI/edit?us
p=sharing  
Crash Course Six Word Memoir for Students: ​https://youtu.be/untqdxugZ9Q​ ​   h
 
Padlet Board: ​https://padlet.com/hoplandjl/8y24ruch18dzr07w  
 
Larry Smith TedTalk: ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR1V7lxsOu0  
 
Summary Handout: 
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vIkvfRR70R27T32HaH9UNfCixvI1fIuas-4Ly8Q3GPk/edit?usp=sh
aring  
 
Citations:  

Debczak, M. (2019, August 14). No, Ernest Hemingway Didn't Write That Six-Word 'Baby Shoes' 
Story. Retrieved September 20, 2020, from 
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/595402/ernest-hemingway-did-not-write-six-word-baby-sho
es-story  

Fisher, D., Frey, N., & Hattie, J. A. (2016). ​Visible learning for literacy: Implementing the practices 
that work best to accelerate student learning: Grades K-12.​ Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. 

Gallagher, K. (2011). ​Write Like This: Teaching Real-World Writing Through Modeling & 
Mentor Texts​. Portland, ME: Stenhouse. 

Smith, L. (n.d.). Six Words Gets to The Point. Retrieved September 20, 2020, from 
https://www.sixwordmemoirs.com/about/ 

Cobey, W., Collins, A. L., Forest, D., Folwell, D., Johnson, M., Taylor, B., . . . Willoughby, P. N. 
(2017). Understanding the NC English Language Arts Standard Course of Study: ELA 
STANDARDS WITH CLARIFICATIONS AND GLOSSARY (Grade 6 ed.) (United States, State Board 
of Education, Department of Public Instruction). North Carolina: Public Schools of North Carolina. 
https://files.nc.gov/dpi/documents/curriculum/languagearts/parents/standards-6.pdf