In this journal activity, you will write a brief history of your life.

Use your own words, in the

clearest way you can. You will be graded primarily on the completeness and clarity of your
writing in both the "reflect" and "writing" sections of this assignment.

When you think about your life, do you ever think about it in the form of "themes" or
"periods"? Maybe not yet, but as you age and more and more significant things happen to
you and your personal history becomes more complex, concepts like "theme" and "period"
might be helpful.

Step 1: Create Your Timeline

Create a simple timeline of your life. Start with your birth on the far left and the present year
on the far right. Record ten major events that have happened in your life, such as the day
your little sister or brother was born, the year you got your driver's license, or the day you
went to your first concert. These milestones should represent events, people, or places that
are of major importance to you.
Step 2: Identify Periods

You will now break up your timeline into three to four "periods." A period is a chunk of time
with a start and end date that marks a significant change in your life — such as starting and
leaving elementary school, or starting a relationship and breaking up. Examine your timeline.
What are the periods of your life? Write your answers below.

1.

2.

3.

4.

Step 3: Describe Themes

Look again at your personal timeline and the periods you've identified to organize your
personal history. Can you identify any themes that transcend or move across those time
periods? Think about your life and write down two to three themes below. Provide a brief
rationale for each theme.

Theme Rationale
You will now be writing a historical narrative of your own personal history using the periods
and themes you've created above. Your journal entry should include the following:

 A creative or descriptive title. Think of something that makes you, your family, or your
community unique.

 At least three paragraphs of narrative writing describing the major themes and periods of
your life. Each paragraph should be at least three sentences long.

Requirements Points Possible Points Awarded

Create a timeline of your

personal history. 2

Identify three to four

"periods" in your personal
history. 2
 Create two to three "themes"
that transcend your personal
history. 2

Write a minimum of three

paragraphs; include a title
for your journal entry. (You
can type your answer or
write it by hand.) 4

TOTAL 10

Comments:

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1.1.3 Journal: Write Your Own World History