Memory Journal Prompts

1. Memory Journal Prompts Brainstorm Journal: “Learning” section of your binder Date & label/title each entry

2. Map The Heart Map The Neighborhood Map • Draw a large heart. • In the heart, name everything you hold in yours: what you like, value, admire, etc. • Choose a couple items. Outside the heart, explain why you included them; describe what is so important to you. • Draw a map of an important place (your house, neighborhood, hang-out, etc.). • Draw and label key features of that place (objects, people, events, etc.). • Choose a couple features. Explain why you included them.

3. Show and Tell An Artifact A Photograph • Think of a treasured item that you own or once owned. Bring it in and hold it, or imagine holding it. • What special times, people, and events come to mind and/or are associated with this artifact? • Choose one to describe in more detail. • Think of a favorite picture of yourself or loved ones. Bring it in or imagine it. • When and where was this picture taken? Who was there, and what happened? • Choose one part of the picture (a person, object, or moment) to describe in more detail.

4. Sense Taste: Eating, Cooking, or Favorite Food Smell, Sound, or Touch • Focus on a single food-related incident that shows something about you or your loved ones. • Favorite or despised meals? A successful or disastrous cooking experiment? First time trying a food? • Describe what happened. • Senses (especially smells) trigger memories. • Focus on a smell, sound, or touch/texture that makes you think of something else (a person, place, event, etc.). What associations do you make? • Describe your memory.

5. Family A Family Mystery A Family Trip • Think of secrets that you’ve shared or wanted to know over the years. Are there any unsolved puzzles or “crimes” in your family? • Are you in on the secret or on the outside? • Describe the secret/mystery, including what you & others think or know. • Think of a family trip, childhood or recent. Focus on one part of that trip. • Do you remember the destination or the journey? Sometimes packing, plans, and arguments surrounding them are rich memories too. • Describe this part of the trip, using details to represent the overall mood and/or tone.

6. Conflict Difficult Times Identity • Think of times of crisis in your life. • Family or friend problems? Moments of uncertainty or doubt? What has led to a memorable moment? • Focus on a key incident of this crisis and tell the story. • Think of your race, ethnicity, culture, gender, or age. • When have you felt left out? Intensely aware of your difference? Frustrated, amused, or embarrassed by something unfair/unjust? • Focus on one incident and tell the story.

7. Turning Point A First An Epiphany • Write about the exact moment you accomplished something you never had before. • Where were you, who was there, and what was going through your mind? • What did it say about you as a person? • Recall a time when you came to a realization that you never knew before. • What happened that turned you around and made you understand something? Who was there, and what events triggered it? • Often epiphanies are associated with growing up emotionally and intellectually.

8. Inheritance Parents Family Lore • Think about memories related to parents, grandparents, or an older family member. • Choose a memory that highlights an event, individual quirks, strong emotions, or a typical habit. • Focus on the showing the personality of your relative without naming it. • Think about a popular story told over and over again in your family. • It could be a tradition, a habit, or a special trip. Who tells this story, and when does he/she usually bring it up? • Write about a single incident that serves as an example of this story or story-telling.

9. Treasure Pet Possession • Do you have a specific memory centered on a pet – its birth, death, or any other notable time? • Choose a memory that reflects the role your pet played as a member of your family. • Write about a particular moment, describing the actions and emotions involved. • Do you have a hiding place or hidden treasure secret to you and maybe your friends? • Choose a memory that represents the importance of this private treasure. • Write about one moment in this place or with this treasure, describing it and emotions involved.

10. Roots Triumph or Tragedy “I’m This Way Because…” • Choose a memorable incident when you felt on top of the world – or the smallest part of it. • How did it change you as a person? • Capture the ecstasy or agony of that moment, complete with setting, characters, and plot to bring that moment to life. • Trace a behavior, quirk, or tendency of yours back to its roots. The experiences causing your habits may have occurred many times; choose just one. • What is the source of your present-day behavior? • Dramatize this experience with setting, characters, and plot to bring that moment to life.

11. Day 10: Memory Reflection • What makes a memory significant? • Read through your 9 journal entries so far. • Pick the one memory that has had the biggest impact on your life, shaping your personal code. (Maybe it’s a memory that you haven’t written about yet; that’s okay too.) • Rewrite that memory, making it come alive for us. Include as many literary devices and narrative elements as you can. • Explain how that moment has shaped who you are.