What is a Memoir?

A memoir is a personal, historical account of an event or time period. Students get to know this nonfiction genre, different from an autobiography, through a series of excerpts from the memoirs of Gertrude Stein, Winston Churchill, and Henry David Thoreau. After reading each passage, students describe what makes it a memoir. They then follow a prompt to pen a short memoir of their own! This three-page resource, designed for a fourth-grade curriculum, is a great way to reinforce essential nonfiction comprehension skills, such as answering questions with evidence.