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The purpose of this unit is to present writing to students as a means of recording, presenting and reflecting on important events from ones life. My hope is that by observing, practicing and applying this particular skill, students will learn firsthand the importance of their writing both for personal growth and community service.
The primary reading material for the unit will be "Letters From a Slave Girl", a fictional recreation of Harriet Jacob’s childhood diary, one that captures her various sufferings as a slave girl and her eventual emancipation. The book will offer a variety of opportunities to study the role of journaling in shaping and expressing one’s experience.
The most immediate and important aspect of the unit will be its focus on 2005’s spring flood, an event that holds an important place in the history of Buckland. The flood is significant both for its severity and for its role in the current plans to relocate, modernize and expand the community. Students will work on two projects connected to this event, the first being a comprehensive journaling of their experience, and the second being the co-production of a film that documents the flood’s effects on the community. While writing their Journal entries, students will view other stories posted on the Flood Stories web-site (see link below), and will eventually submit their stories to this same site for web-publication. As we work together with Shannon Melton from the local IRA, we will also aim to create a film that can be shown at a December BIA meeting in order to garner funds for community development.
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