Stages of My Life
by Leslie Engel and Ed Barrett

Directions: Use this worksheet to collect ideas answering the questions below. Later, you will be using this collection to write several drafts about yourself. Include as many ideas as you can. Plus, seek information from other family members as needed to develop your answers.

  1. The NOW Stage
    1. What am I like now?
      1. What do I care about? What’s important to me?

        2.  

      2. What do I make time for?

        3.  

      3. How do I describe myself to others?

        4.  

      4. What possessions do I value?

        5.  

      5. I had only 5 things I could take with me in a one-way time machine, what would they be?

        6.  

      2.  

    2. What is my role in my family now?
      1. What do I do?

        2.  

      2. What are my responsibilities? jobs?

        3.  

      3. What do people like about me? What don’t they like about me?

        4.  

      4. What is my value? What do I contribute?

        5.  

      5. What do people expect of me?

        6.  

      6. How do my family roles compare with my roles in school, sports, other groups and activitiesl

        7.  

      3.  

    2.  

  2. The Wee Stage
    1. Infanthood
      1. What are the stories around my birth?

        2.  

      2. What are some of the stories connected to my name?

        3.  

      3. What are some stories connected with food?

        4.  

      4. What are some famous firsts? (i.e. words, steps, etc.)

        5.  

      2.  

    2. What was I like as a youngster? (Birth to 5)
      1. What were my interests?

        2.  

      2. What were my first words and what did I like to talk about?

        3.  

      3. What are some significant stories that continue to be treasured?

        4.  

      4. What did I do? What would make me laugh?

        5.  

      5. Are there some things that I did back then that reflect on the things do now?

        6.  

      6. What are stories about my relationships with siblings?

        7.  

      3.  

    3.  

  3. The Just Up Ahead Stage
    1. What is my image of adolescence?
      1. What do I most look forward to?

        2.  

      2. What do I find frightening or of concern?

        3.  

      3. What do I wonder most about?

        4.  

      4. Where do I get these images, thoughts, and feelings from? (ie siblings, neighbors, TV and movies, music…)

        5.  

      2.  

    2. What might I be like as an adolescent?
      1. In what ways will I change?

        2.  

      2. In what ways will I remain the same? How would I like people to treat me? How will I spend my time?

        3.  

      3. What possessions will I value?

        4.  

      3.  

    3. What might my roles be when I’m an adolescent?
      1. How will my role in the family evolve?

        2.  

      2. What will people expect of me?

        3.  

      3. What responsibilities and privileges will come to me then?

        4.  

      4.  

    4.  

 

For additional autobiographical writing ideas:

How to Write the Story of Your Life, by Frank P. Thomas. Writer’s Digest Books, 1984. A great resource for memoir writing. Though intended for adults, teachers will find plenty of ideas they can use with students to spark autobiographical writing.

From the Writing Curriculum Files of Children’s Author, Suzanne Williams www.suzanne-williams.com