Grammar for Writing: Level Blue — Chapter 1

Give Me Your Tired... "I lift my lamp beside the golden door . . . ." An immigrant family watches as their ship approaches the Statue of Liberty and a new life (ca. 1900). The immigration experience is as old as the colonies and as recent as today. Have you ever wondered why people have come to the United States or what they have left behind? What happened to those immigrants? Research and write a piece of historical fiction - that is, a narrative about a fictional character from the past who went through the immigration experience. Make your fictional narrative at least four pages long, and provide enough reality-based details to give readers a clear picture of your character's life. Use your imagination to weave a narrative that will keep your reader interested. STEP 1: Initial Search Visit the following Web sites for an extensive list of immigration topics to explore: Yahoo! Search: US History & Immigration The History Channel Search: Immigration STEP 2: Narrow Your Search Look for a trend or a time period in the history of immigration that interests you. For example, investigate Chinese or Irish immigration. Narrow your topic even further - perhaps to one city or one industry. Try to be as specific as possible. STEP 3: Gather Information Take detailed notes on how your character might have lived. Start a writer's notebook. (See Grammar for Writing, Level Blue, page 12.) Jot down observations, descriptions, and feelings about the times and experiences. Include copies of photographs that show working or living conditions, or the travel experience of immigrants like your fictional character. STEP 4: Expanded Search Explore other resources to make your narrative rich in detail and to give depth to the character you are creating. Conduct interviews with older relatives or family friends who immigrated many years ago. Look for articles or books on your topic in your school or public library. Local historical societies and museums may have information, photographs, and artifacts from the era of immigration you chose. STEP 5: Organize Your Ideas and Write Your Narrative Think about how to best organize your ideas. Make an outline, and then start writing by drafting the parts of your narrative you are most comfortable with. When you have completed your first draft, read it to make sure you have used transitions to give your story a smooth flow. Be sure to give your narrative balance. Even the most difficult experiences may have tender, joyous, or loving moments. Tell about the tears and the laughter; the hard work and the dancing. Your ending should touch the reader in some way. Use precise descriptive words that appeal to the five senses and help readers capture the sights, sounds, and even the smells of an era. Use action verbs that show the reader precisely what is happening. (Experiment: Refer to a thesaurus to see how many different verbs you can use instead of the verb go.) Vary the length and structure of your sentences. Ask a question or use an exclamation where appropriate to create a rhythm that will help hold the reader's attention. In the Great Hall at Ellis Island, an immigrant family awaits medical and legal processing (ca. 1900). STEP 6: Revise, Edit, and Proofread Use the four-readings strategy (see Grammar for Writing, Level Blue, page 15) to revise your work. Read first for ideas and unity, then for organization and coherence, then for sentence variety, and finally, for word choice. After revising, be sure to edit and proofread your work. STEP 7: Publish Your Work After you've polished your fictional account, develop a book. Support your narrative with pictures or drawings, as well as quotations, songs, and stories from the era in which your tale is set. Think of a title for the cover. Be creative.The title, along with one or more striking illustrations, should help tell about your character's immigration experience. Copyright ©2007 by William H. Sadlier, Inc. All rights reserved.